Willy | Alpine Beer Company
Brewed by:
Alpine Beer Company
California, United States
alpinebeerco.com
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.90%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
Willy, named after my brother-in-law’s childhood nickname, is crisp and light-bodied, with a slightly sweet, nutty flavor. The hopping is mild and gentle. It’s perfect for times when you crave a beer utterly refreshing and low in alcohol. A true thirst quencher everyone enjoys.
1.047 OG
4 IBU
Added by BeerAdvocate on 06-21-2003
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 178 | Reviews: 56
Reviews by TrojanRB:
3.25/5 rDev -2.7%
TrojanRB, Apr 13, 2014
More User Reviews:
2.39/5 rDev -28.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.5
look: 2 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.5
3.23/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Bomber from K&L Redwood City. I was so excited to see Alpine there that I just had to buy this one.
All right, time to Free Willy, or as iTunes' idiotic censorship algorithm puts it, Free W***y. Willy comes out of the bottle looking the color of, well, something that came out of a willy: pee. If not for the fact that it had better head retention than the infamous yellow liquid, I would be a little wary of drinking this. The beer is crystal clear and I don't see much to differentiate it from, say, Budweiser.
The aroma is wheaty, grainy, and subtle. Just a little citrus, without much real hop presence.
The flavor is also very simple. Wheaty and grainy with sweet pale malt and lemon. Very mildly sweet and not very bitter - not much of anything really. This is subtle as all hell.
Very smooth on the mouthfeel. Goes down almost like air. Fairly dry mouthfeel with a body on the lighter side.
Overall, well, I guess it's decent for what it is. Session beer? HELL NO! Not a session beer! There are British people who would kill me for claiming that, being >4.000% ABV. It is sessionable, or successionable, though.
1,126 characters
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Bomber from K&L Redwood City. I was so excited to see Alpine there that I just had to buy this one.
All right, time to Free Willy, or as iTunes' idiotic censorship algorithm puts it, Free W***y. Willy comes out of the bottle looking the color of, well, something that came out of a willy: pee. If not for the fact that it had better head retention than the infamous yellow liquid, I would be a little wary of drinking this. The beer is crystal clear and I don't see much to differentiate it from, say, Budweiser.
The aroma is wheaty, grainy, and subtle. Just a little citrus, without much real hop presence.
The flavor is also very simple. Wheaty and grainy with sweet pale malt and lemon. Very mildly sweet and not very bitter - not much of anything really. This is subtle as all hell.
Very smooth on the mouthfeel. Goes down almost like air. Fairly dry mouthfeel with a body on the lighter side.
Overall, well, I guess it's decent for what it is. Session beer? HELL NO! Not a session beer! There are British people who would kill me for claiming that, being >4.000% ABV. It is sessionable, or successionable, though.
1,126 characters
3.57/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured into a pint glass from a growler picked up at the brewery less than a week ago. Pours a clear(unfiltered?) deep straw with a short lived half inch of head. Lacing is likewise light but present, along with a surface ring. Closer to a Kristalweizen in appearance, this beer isn't pretending to foray into the Hefeweizen arena as are many of the style.
Smells of light malt, wheat germ, wet bread dough and a drop of vanilla. I pick up an occasional tiny bit of sour lemony funk. Minor enough that I won't find it if I seek it.
Taste is smooth and crisp with definite wheat on the palate as well as a subtle and light hazelnut in the background. A light sweetness closes with some nondescript fruit flavors. Mouth feel is good as the beer has a light yet decent structure in the finish and a good carbonation. This, along with the light ABV make it quite drinkable, yet not extreme for the style.
A nice non pretentious and subtle ale that likely gets frequented during those hot summer months in Alpine.
1,012 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured into a pint glass from a growler picked up at the brewery less than a week ago. Pours a clear(unfiltered?) deep straw with a short lived half inch of head. Lacing is likewise light but present, along with a surface ring. Closer to a Kristalweizen in appearance, this beer isn't pretending to foray into the Hefeweizen arena as are many of the style.
Smells of light malt, wheat germ, wet bread dough and a drop of vanilla. I pick up an occasional tiny bit of sour lemony funk. Minor enough that I won't find it if I seek it.
Taste is smooth and crisp with definite wheat on the palate as well as a subtle and light hazelnut in the background. A light sweetness closes with some nondescript fruit flavors. Mouth feel is good as the beer has a light yet decent structure in the finish and a good carbonation. This, along with the light ABV make it quite drinkable, yet not extreme for the style.
A nice non pretentious and subtle ale that likely gets frequented during those hot summer months in Alpine.
1,012 characters
3.25/5 rDev -2.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.32/5 rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
12oz can poured into a pint
Pours a hazy pale straw color with a thin foamy white head that has decent retention. Smells ofntoasted wheat, grains, slightly nutty. Tastes of pasted wheat, sweet malt, toasted nuts & grains. Medium-light body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel and crisp finish. Nothing fancy, easy drinking and goes down quick
360 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
12oz can poured into a pint
Pours a hazy pale straw color with a thin foamy white head that has decent retention. Smells ofntoasted wheat, grains, slightly nutty. Tastes of pasted wheat, sweet malt, toasted nuts & grains. Medium-light body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel and crisp finish. Nothing fancy, easy drinking and goes down quick
360 characters
3.75/5 rDev +12.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Some times you find a beer that may not be immensely complex or for that matter it may never win an award, but it delivers a very satisfying and delicious experience. This is one of those beers. The body holds a clean honey complexion while the nose and flavor mirror that. Fresh wheat malt, honey sweetness, a touch of bran or barley and a soft perfumey flower petal meet the nose and palate. The feel is very clean and easy and though it drinks like water it is never watery. Perfect for hot weather or to be a simple sessionable ale.
536 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Some times you find a beer that may not be immensely complex or for that matter it may never win an award, but it delivers a very satisfying and delicious experience. This is one of those beers. The body holds a clean honey complexion while the nose and flavor mirror that. Fresh wheat malt, honey sweetness, a touch of bran or barley and a soft perfumey flower petal meet the nose and palate. The feel is very clean and easy and though it drinks like water it is never watery. Perfect for hot weather or to be a simple sessionable ale.
536 characters
3.44/5 rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.19/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Nothing dynamic about this brew. Yeast is the more dominant characteristic of this beer rather then the wheat. Nicely drinkable.
129 characters
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Nothing dynamic about this brew. Yeast is the more dominant characteristic of this beer rather then the wheat. Nicely drinkable.
129 characters
3.06/5 rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Poured from a 22oz bomber into a weizen glass. No dating info but Milt picked this up at the brewery and shipped it so it's fresh. Was a slightly hazy pale yellow color with massive carb streams. It had a good sized white head that settled into a constant small foam cap. Quick sliding lace with some sticking.
The aroma was very weak. Lemon, wheat and not much else. Alpine usually has such good aromas but this one is way off the mark. The taste followed the aroma. Weak with lemon and wheat. The whole thing seems to be dumbed down to just be easy to put down without much consideration on the aroma or taste. It probably has a home but I'm way down the road from this one. Mouthfeel was light and a little watery.
Overall, a miss from an outstanding brewery. Just didn't have anything there to grab onto. Not available here - got shipped as an extra to fill out the box full of Ned's. Rotation - one is enough as they have more more excellent beers to have when out west. [N;N]
983 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Poured from a 22oz bomber into a weizen glass. No dating info but Milt picked this up at the brewery and shipped it so it's fresh. Was a slightly hazy pale yellow color with massive carb streams. It had a good sized white head that settled into a constant small foam cap. Quick sliding lace with some sticking.
The aroma was very weak. Lemon, wheat and not much else. Alpine usually has such good aromas but this one is way off the mark. The taste followed the aroma. Weak with lemon and wheat. The whole thing seems to be dumbed down to just be easy to put down without much consideration on the aroma or taste. It probably has a home but I'm way down the road from this one. Mouthfeel was light and a little watery.
Overall, a miss from an outstanding brewery. Just didn't have anything there to grab onto. Not available here - got shipped as an extra to fill out the box full of Ned's. Rotation - one is enough as they have more more excellent beers to have when out west. [N;N]
983 characters
Willy from Alpine Beer Company
Beer rating:
3.34 out of
5 with
178 ratings