beer_name: Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat
text: 12oz. bottle served into a pint glass Pours a murky taxicab yellow. Not so much cloudy as slightly hazy. One finger of white head forms, reducing to a thin ring. Very respectable lacing elevates this beer to above average in appearance. The lemon is immediately noticeable. Not just that lemony zip of wheat that is present in basically all American Pale Wheat Ales but specficially a sugary lemon candy sort of smell. The label mentions that this beer was brewed with the zest of Eureka and Lisbon lemons from California. What you get as a result is a heavy smell of Lemonheads brand candy. No yeast aromas to speak of (which is good if rating to the APWA style). Ghosts of spice, but I think that's just a mental trick. A tiny bit of hops; could use more. I like the lemons when cold, but they get to be too artificial after a while. As the beer warms it increasingly takes on the aroma of air freshener. Oh, no. No. This taste is disastrous. Artificial, chemically lemon taste. Soapy phenols at the sides of the tongue. Not really much wheat flavor. Stronger is the flavor of potato bread that hasn't been fully baked. The finish is a discordant nightmare. It is really unpleasant. Mouthfeel is pretty average for the style. It has enough carbonation and body. If it tasted worth a shit then it would be more drinkable than it is. Avoid at all costs. Coastal Wheat has all the makings of a solid beer... except for how it tastes. An unfortunate misstep.