Hub City Wheat Beer
Hub City Brewing Company

 

12oz bottle into pint glass

Pours a light golden color with a 1/2 finger head. Unlike many other wheats, this beer is rather clear (instead of cloudy) but has a lot of particulates that seem out of place. No lacing.

Smell is toasted, buttery, grassy.

Taste is grassy, malty, and somewhat wheaty but not enough. Quite sour and I don't know why.

Light carbonation, somewhat slippery.

Overall, pretty sub-par for a craft beer. Did not finish this pour and will not pay money for this again.

Review from old notes: 7/31/10

A: hazy yellow with some sediment. thin lacing but decent head retention.

S: tons of wheat and sweet malt.

T: wheat, corn, banana with a bitter finish.

M: thin and fizzy.

D: not very refreshing, a tad sour. would not pick up again.

A - Cloudy golden orange color with a moderate sized, foamy white head. Decent retention that settles into a thin foamy lace.

S - Strong yeast and spiced aroma. Wheat is present along with hints of overly ripe banana and bubblegum, but they aren't very strong like many other Hefeweizens. Strongly spiced (clove, pepper, cardamom, and some others) along with some lemon. Wheat comes off pretty bready in aroma.

T - Similar to the nose with a lot of spiced flavor and some musty wheat and bready flavors. Very faint banana and bubblegum on the finish. Grassy taste as well.

M - Light to medium body with low carbonation. Smooth and slick feel as well.

D - Easy to drink, although not overly intriguing, and not one that I keep reaching for, but rather one that is easy to drink and disappears fast. Would be better with a bit more carbonation and some more banana and less musty flavor.

Notes: Not my favorite wheat beer, and it falls somewhere between something like a Pale
Wheat and a Hefeweizen, but a bit closer to a Pale Wheat. Full of spicy and musty flavors. Ok for a summertime, easy to drink beer to cool off, but I probably won't get it again.

Reviewed from notes.
Original tasting: 12/30/2009

12 oz. bottle into glass pint.
40°F

$8.99 / 6 pk.

S: Nuanced wheat malt aroma, but not much else.

A: Bright, crystal clear straw body. Small, loose head that quickly dissipates leaving no lacing and no cover. The color is right, but everything else is completely out of style.

T: Sour up front, possibly lacto-infection. Very low hop bitterness, but a respectable wheat finish. No citrus or spice flavors that I would associate with the style. Poor performance.

M: Light body with very high carbonation that bites the tongue strongly and can be felt well after the sip. Very crisp.

D: Goes down easy, but would be much better if it didn't have a sour flavor on the front end. Hard to tell if this is the brewer's intention, or simple spoilage.

O: Not impressive. I haven't had a beer from this brewery that was any good (yet).

A. Poures a hazy dark straw, With no head and no lacing on the glass.

S. Apples, hay, grass

T. A tad bit sour for me. Slight malt but really not much here.

M. Light bodied, fizzy carbonation, thin

D. I probably won't try this again I got it in a sampler six pack. I found it to be real sour with that being the only flavor. I didn't finish the bottle which is a first for me.

Pours a clear, golden/yellow color. 1/4 inch head of a white color. Decent retention and poor lacing. Smells of yeast, slight sweet malt, and slight citrus. Fits the style of a Hefeweizen. Mouth feel is sharp, acidic, and tart with an average carbonation level. Tastes of acidity, citrus, and slight yeast. Overall, a very hard to drink hefeweizen. The underlining flavors of a traditional hefeweizen are hidden.

Reviewed from notes. Consumed 8/6/09

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a standard water glass. Firm pour evokes no head, however manages a spotty lace. Color is a pale clear amber yellow.

Nose- Not much going on.

Pallate- Almost without flavor. Wondering if I got an older bottle. Mild sweetness, not very true to style, almost lacking in any defining characteristics. Not well composed.

Mouthfeel- Active, super thin.

Drinkability- Low.

Dark gold to dirty copper in color and murky. Very faint lacing for a head with some hints of prickle that can barely be seen. The nose is sharp and heavy with grain sensations. A little bit sharp on the attack and flavor with some fruit sensations that try to bail it out of being in the awful category. It seems like there was oxygen introduced into the fermentation tanks during the brewing process or that the hops were just "dead." Perhaps both. I am utterly disappointed at this point as this is the third of the four beers from Hub City that I bought and all three have been clunkers thus far. The sweetness of the malt in this one is just not enough to compensate for the sharp and sour grain tones. Disappointing.

Okay, so I'm at a bar. Not a good bar, but a decent bar, one of those places where your friends excitedly tell you that they got a whole bunch of taps but when you get there all they have is, like, three different types of Michelob. I ask if they got anything fancy (since I'm fancy), and the guy says no, but--and here his voice gets jokey, like a gameshow announcer--the Hub City Hefe is only a buck. So I sez I'll take it, and his voice loses it's jokiness right quick. "Dude, seriously, it's horrible."

Well this seems like a challenge to me. I just figure that these BMC types don't know how to handle a hefe. And, besides, I had it at the brewery right after they had opened and it was pretty darn good. So, boldly, I ordered one. One for my friend, too.

It was maybe the worst beer I've ever drank.

Pours like the urine of a dying man. Smells like sour apple juice. Tastes like water, heartburn, and sour apple juice. I couldn't simply not finish it; I only made it to the third sip, and I wouldn't have gotten that far unless I hadn't made such a big deal out of boldly trying the beer against the bartender's suggestion.

I don't know what the hell has happened in the last year, but this has seriously gone down hill. Avoid.

I want so much to like this beer as well as the others from Hub City. I am all about supporting my local brewpub/brewery. However this is substandard beer at best

Serving type: bottle poured into 8 oz serving glazss

A- golden apple juice

S- half fermented fruit

T- rotted apple juice

M- water

D- im struggling the 8oz.

*Edit* I have to assume there was clearly something wrong with this beer. I will Review this again in the future.

Reviewed on 8/24/08. Bottle courtesy of pepsican. Pours a cloudy dull orange with no head. Aroma of wheat, yeast, and clove. Flavor predominantly wheat/bread and citrus, also some melon and other light fruity notes, bubblegum. Some metallic notes. Lively carbonation, very spritzy mouthfeel. Palate is a bit watery. Not bad, probably my #3 of the Hub Citys so far.
7/3/7/3/13 (3.3/5)

Thanks to hero27 for throwing this into a fabulous trade; this brew was tonight rescued from the back of the fridge where it's waited my pleasure since then. Split with the wife.

First thing to notice is that the beer is flat. Dead flat. Hard pour, swirling, nothing. It's a screw on, so perhaps the bit of age and/or the trauma of shipping popped the seal. Smell is pretty nice, sweet & grassy. Taste is the same, light. Not bad.

Mouthfeel is flat. Drinkability would be high if it weren't for the lac of carbonation, with no evident alcohol, light body, & hint of sweetness meaning this could be an all-day/afternoon beer. Pretty decent hefeweizen.

12 oz undated bottle from our newest state brewery

A - Pours a hazy darker golden color. Lots of head retention at first, which slowly dissipates into a light film. Little to no film. Carbonation appears light.

S - Strong notes of esters and yeast. The banana and clove notes are clearly present.

T - Starts off with the light wheat astringency and sweetness. Mid-stream is fairly non-defined. Finishes with the most strong traditional yeast notes - the clove and banana. Most of the traditional hefe notes are in the aftertaste.

M - The carbonation is starting to weigh on me as I go through the beer. Slowing me down - while the actual consistency of the beer is only moderately thick.

D - Very easy drinking. Excellent summer/tailgate beer for me. As a hefe lover/brewer, I'm glad to have another solid choice. Great offering from our instate brewery.

Thank You Gnome-Fest!

A - This is a weak headed brew with a hazy brownish orange body. Truthfully, it isn't much to look at.

S - For what is lacks in appearance it makes up for in potency of scent. I can smell this pint from across the room. I certainly maintains the soapy malt aroma of a wheat brew.

T - The flavors present are wheat, banana and a strange touch of spice. None are very distinct leaving something to be desired.

M - Very wet feel and almost no abrasiveness as it moves across my tongue. The feel doesn't however assist with the flavor of the brew, which is disappointing.

~ I'm afraid this brew didn't rate to high on my scale. I'll look forward to trying other Hub City brews in the future to give them a chance at redemption.

Thanks to badbeer for the hookup with this small IA brewer.

A-Slighty hazy light golden amber with a thin white head that left zero lace.

S-Dominate bubblegum nose followed by biscuity wheat a bit of banana and light spice. Not what I like in a wheat.

T-Again strong on the bubblegum with a touch of lemon citrus followed by banana, light clove and a bit of wheatiness. Not bad, simply not what I like.

M-Light bodied and a bit thin feeling.

D-Ok, but does not promote the flavours in a wheat beer that I like. Too much bubblegum for my tatses to make it a favored drinking wheat beer. I know some folks like this, but I do not. I lean more towards the lemon/clove zing or banana over bubblegum anyday.

thanks to hero27 for this extra via trade! A lousy rainy day, spicy hot food for dinner. What better than a wheat beer?

A - hazy yellow with a nice white head
S - wheat, banana and light spice
T - more of the same, light clove, wheat and banana dominate
M - light bodied, nicely carbonated
D - cleansed the palate and worked quite well with my spicy dinner.

just would've preferred a yeastier hazy effect but I'm probably splitting hairs. A nice offering I would otherwise never have heard of.

More orange than gold, with light showers of yeast that range from fine bits to slightly larger flakes. The beer looks good, but head and lace quality leave a little something to be desired. The eggshell colored foam has a semi-mealy texture and isn't leaving much lace. Note: there's more glass coverage in the end than expected.

I'm always skeptical when it comes to wheat beer. Is it a hefeweizen or is it an APWA? The generic and boring 'Wheat Beer' of the name doesn't help. The aroma leaves no doubt that this is a banana and clove estery hefe. And a good smelling one at that.

Speaking of skepticism, I was leery about a few guys in small town Iowa starting up a bottling operation and releasing worthwhile beer. Not that it's impossible, but it often takes time, as well as trial and error, to achieve good results. It looks like Hub City Brewing has proven that notion wrong because this is delicious beer.

An ingredient deficit was one of my main fears, but there's plenty of lightly sugared malt in the house. There's also plenty of fruit and spice. The hefeweizen banan-o-meter score is a chimp lovin' 4.0/5.0. The clove is slightly less prominent, which is exactly how I prefer it. The key to this beer, as in all hefes, is a kick-ass yeast strain.

The mouthfeel is at least medium-full for the style. Again, a generous amount of malted barley and wheat is the reason. Although I could do with fewer bubbles, the beer isn't even close to fizzilicious. It would be great if the brewery could dial in slightly softer feeling carbonation.

If Wheat Beer is an indication of things to come from Hub City, Millstream better keep a close eye on its rear view mirrors. Actually, WB is better than Millstream Hefe Weissen. Now, if they would only extend their distribution area to include the state capital.

12 oz bottle, no listed ABV.

Pours a cloudy gold with a small head of sudsy foam. Slow streams of carbonation drift from the bottom.
Yeasty aroma with hints of citrus, cloves, and pepper.
A surprising burst of flavor from this one..a punch in the face of banana, cloves, and a clean spiciness. The refreshing flavors go really well with the light mouthfeel, and the carbonation is just about perfect.
Drinkability is through the roof..I went through several of these washing my car this afternoon and it was the perfect thirst-quencher. I have a feeling I will be drinking quite a bit of this beer over the course of the summer.

A fine hefeweizen from a brand new brewery. Kudos & keep up the great work.

Got this one as an extra, and I am always happy when I receive something that I have never heard of before, and it was a wheat beer too! Awesome, could not wait for this one and cracked it open last night with dinner to see how it was going to be. Stubby 12oz bottle was served chilled into a pint glass. The pour was nice with a somewhat hazy golden pale amber color coming through right away. A decent sized head of white foam then came across the top and settled down gracefully into a thin layer that lasted throughout. Nice carbonation profile bubbling up throughout as well. Some side glass lacing.

The aroma was full of wheat and yeast as one would expect. Nice German influence evident right way with the banana and apricot tones that were riddled throughout. Very nice and light on the nose with an overall floral impression. The flavor carried over more of the same with a continued light, airy profile and a very nice touch of light fruit mingled in as well. The banana became more pronounced as it warmed and it really gave that nice classic Bavarian wheat beer flavor. Nice and very light feel, as it should be with a great carbonation profile and an all around just nice approach. Superb drinkability as I could have easily thrown this one down all night long.

Overall I though this was a very solid offering here and a nice drink for a hot day. They are definitely going in the right direction with this one, and I would love to have another.