Goose Island 312:
Howdy folks and welcome to the State Fair of Texas…I mean state of beer.  Wow, bad joke right off the bat, how much worse can it get?  I have no idea but let’s test the waters, shall we?  Today’s beer doesn’t move our way here in the Lone Star state, mainly because no one has a good reason for it to get past Arkansas and therefore we Texans are denied a pretty good line of beer.  Goose Island is one of those beers I heard about for years- how great it was, the variety of beers they have, their quirky nature- but I never had the opportunity to try it until a few years ago with a day trip to Chicago to catch a Cubs game then grabbed a drink at Goose Island’s Wrigleyville Brewpub afterwards where I discovered a type of beer that remains scarred to me and will share with y'all starting in a few weeks (and no, I haven’t reviewed a bottle of this type of beer yet so don't bother combing the archives- unless you want too).  One of the main brews for Goose Island is their 312 Urban Wheat Ale, named after the first area code Chicago ever got in 1947.  The brew is a nice wheat that gives off a subtle nose of citrus and spice but mainly gives a beak full of wheat and bread.  To me, it is the taste of this beer that allows it to stand apart from most wheat brews.  While being unfiltered does allow it to carry more flavors thanks to particulate matter lazily floating in your choice of drinking receptacle, the real surprise is the clarity that the citrus cuts through the malt and delivers a very refreshing sip.  Top the lemon taste off with a hint of back-end smoothness and you have a nice, well balanced brew that is good for those outdoor grilling days in the heat.  I do with it was available here though, heck, any Goose Island really.  Right now I have to rely on friends visiting Chicago or Chicago friends visiting to bring back some suds (or, as in this bottle's case, drive to Fayetteville for work and bring back a bottle with me).  Either way, if you are ever in the Chi-town area and have an interest, go by one of the two Goose Island Brewpubs, they are worth checking out for one’s own education and enjoyment.