Side Launch Wheat
Side Launch Wheat is an authentic Bavarian style wheat beer, served unfiltered with its natural yeast and proteins.
Formerly known as Denison’s Weißbier, Michael Hancock, co-founder of Side Launch Brewing, brought the beer there, where it is still brewed to the same recipe.
Formerly known as Denison’s Weißbier, Michael Hancock, co-founder of Side Launch Brewing, brought the beer there, where it is still brewed to the same recipe.
3.7
302 reviews
Collingwood, Canada
Community reviews
Bavarian wheat beers are my favorite to drink, and this beer is king of Bavaria. Best served ice cold and in a glass, to bring out the aroma before sipping.
16oz can. Pours cloudy, pale, gold-ish yellow with a moderate fluffy white head. Aroma is wheat, grass, some banana, light clove, and bubblegum. Taste is bubblegum and tangy citrus up front followed by banana, wheat, clove, yeast, and a touch of lemon. Yeasty, drying finish with an odd lingering aftertaste - sort of like an artificial sweetener, but not as unpleasant. Medium body. Light fizzy carbonation. Creamy, smooth texture.
Pours hazy gold with a white head that recedes to a film. Aroma is lemon and bready malt. Taste is slightly sweet with a pretty dry finish. There are notes of lemon, wheat, a bit of banana, and a musty yeastiness. Thin to medium-thin bodied and lightly carbonated. Nothing special.
From tap. Pours hazy yellow with a small white head. Aroma is dry and estery. Dry, toasted and slight herbal. Bitter and toasted. Estery far finish.
Nice and fruity, cloudy.Light to medium body. Fairly sweet. Not much aroma, not much head (maybe I didn’t have a fresh can). Side Launch Wheat beer is a mediocre. This is a drinkable beer but I have had much better Wheat Beers.
Looks like a hefeweisen should; nice foamy head, thorough cloud, juicy peachy gold, slightly pale. Aroma is banana, citrus, yeast, lemon curd, some brown sugar, light grass. Palate is appropriately substantial but just a tinge watery in the finish. Big banana taste, bubblegum, lemon, a touch of orange, belgian malt character - very well balanced, great in hot weather, but could use just a tinge more spice. Well above-average.
Un-Muzzling Olde Muzzlehatch Ratings, #23. 330 ml draught (I think) at C’est What in Toronto, July 2008. Fairly dark (for style) gold-amber, thick and cloudy, with a smallish but fully lasting head...very typical aroma with a touch of lemon added to the prominent, fully sweet banana and clove; nothing "special" but quite strong, forward and lovely...nice bready, sweet, lightly sticky malts in the body, with a discernible yeastiness...somewhat on the thin side, with a drier finish than usual. Very good overall, but I do remember that even at the time this had a high rep, and to me it did not come off as near the best in the world. I believe I had it later, around 2012 or so in Ottawa and felt much the same.
Can as pictured. Really nice beer, heavy on the banana sweetness, maybe a little too sweet but nothing too much. Smooth drinking. Lovely example of the style.
Canned. Hazy opaque yellow body, giant white head. The aroma is banana, flowers. The taste is fruity and very balanced.
Keg at Bar Hop. Hazy bronze body with a dense white head. Good lacing. Aroma of apricot, white bread and apple peel. Flavour of lime, creamy wheat and grass. Medium body with a smooth texture. Light fizz. Crisp and juicy.
Draft to pint glass
Consummation: Sweet lemony and yeasty.
Adjunct: Lemon curd and yeast; cloudy yellow, no head; mediocre
Bière blonde tirant sur la blanche, avec une bonne effervescence et une bonne carbonatation. Les arômes sont excessivement fidèles au style hefeweizen, avec un gros nez de bananes, de levure allemande, de gomme balloune. En bouche, le goût me semble un peu dilué, c’est doux, peut-être un peu trop, avec les mêmes impressions qu’au nez, mais peut-être un peu trop en douceur. Au final c’est très buvable, mais le corps est peut-être un peu trop mince pour mon appréciation.
dominant citrus; I like the unfiltered characteristics. yes, it’s like a Bavarian wheat beer. Apparently Canada CAN produce a decent brew!
Wonderful wheat ale, taste of cloves and banana. Smooth and velvety texture. A terrific beer.
Best new world wheat beer I’ve had. Very different than a weihenstephaner, for example, but reallll good. I don’t know it I could drink 5-10 of them in a sitting but I have yuuuge respect for this beer.
On tap at barVolo in Toronto, served in a weizenglass.
Appearance: Golden, somewhat cloudy, with a long-lingering bright white head several fingers thick - more or less exactly what one wants to see in a hefe.
Smell: Ripe wheat ready for the harvest, wreathed through with banana and pear so thick they can almost be tasted without taking a sip, and heavy with notes of coriander and clove spice.
Taste: Beautifully well executed. The beer opens with a rush of banana flavor, which is swiftly joined by pear, white grape, and a considerable dose of coriander citrus. Clove swims in the background as the fruity flavors swirl and mingle. The aftertaste is primarily banana and bubblegum, with some coriander orange lingering a bit longer.
Mouthfeel: Thick, creamy, and fluffy, this is fairly full-bodied for a hefe.
Overall: One of the better hefes I’ve had that was not brewed in Bavaria. The next time I find myself anywhere near the Side Launch distribution footprint, a decent amount of this beer will find its way home with me.
473 ml can @ Timo A. Canned on 12.08.2015.
Pours hazy golden color with a small head. Wheat and banana on the nose, pine, hops and orange. Juicy orange and apricot on the flavor, wheat, some yeast notes, faint spices, lemon and faint grassy notes. Very easy to drink, kind of juicy. Nice, a bit stuffy though.
4335
473ml can, thanks Jo for the gift. Aroma: banana, wheat and lots of cloves. App: hazy pale, small white head, no retention. Taste and palate: thin body, soft carbonation but a bit fizzy, fruity finish. Overall: a well made hefeweizen. Wish head and carbonation were better though.
Cloudy honey-like pour with citrus and banana on the nose. Smooth and creamy on the tongue with more banana and lemony citrus, with notes of yeast and spices. Refreshing and good.
Tap at the Rex in Toronto. Very cloudy yellow, basically like orange juice with pulp. Sourish wheaty aroma, sweet, somewhat doughy, same applies to flavour. Full mouthfeel, crisp, soft. Abrupt finish but otherwise decent if you’re into this kind of stuff. Edit: it gets quite burning on the tongue, and in the finish... which is rather disturbing and ruins the overall impression.
0.473 can. Very hazy, milk and honey color with a small, white head. Aroma of bananas, cloves, bubblegum, wheat, and some delicate candy. Sweet taste of bananas, bubblegum, spices - not as definite as the aroma. Medium body, thin texture, and average carbonation. Finish is long, sweet, fruity, banana-like, quite pleasant. Overall not a bad beer, certainly a good find in the sea of mediocrity here in Canada.
Appearance: hazy straw with a short, short-lived white head, no lacing. (2/5) Aroma: banana, citrus, wheat, cloves. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild tart, very mild bitter. (5/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, semi-crisp finish. (3/5)
There are GPS coordinates on the side of the can in large letters: 43º17’42"N, 86º52’40”W. These coordinates are somewhere near (but not precisely at) the middle of Lake Michigan, and not at all near the brewery location in Collingwood, Ontario. I don’t get it. I also don’t entirely get this beer - it’s a fairly mainstream interpretation of the style, sweet enough to be mistake for a Rickard’s White, and really not all that interesting. (11/20)
can. Poured hazy straw coloured with a creamy white head. Citrusy aroma, yeasty note. Light-medium body, creamy carbonation, very refreshing mouthfeel, a touch dry. Light wheat malt flavour, lemon citrus, allspice, banana notes. A really nice wheat.
On tap at source. Way exceeded expectations. Great for the style. Tons going on and some really interesting spice notes. Pours a hazy yellow with a generous white head. Definite belgian spice notes happening- banana, clove and super crisp citrus notes. Pretty complex- got different flavours as beer warmed to room temp- more complexity came through. Fairly bitter finish- pretty refreshing. Slight sour notes add another level of interest. Great stuff from a new-ish brewery.
Really smooth hefeweizen with a nice strong taste of banana bread and citrus. Aroma of clovers.
Can from collingwood’s LCBO A: banana, cloves, wheat app: hazy pale small white head good lacing t/p: med body with light acidic finish. Moderate carbonation. Velvety texture. O: a solid hefe particularity enjoyed the texture.
Draught @ Brothers Beer Bistro, Ottawa. Pours hazy light straw with airy white head. Clear aroma of yeast and grain, with fruity and slightly spicy touches. Sweetish flavour of banana, malt and yeast, with bitter, hoppy notes and touches of pepper. Sweetish, estery aftertaste. Refreshing and decent. 150715
Nice hefe. Pours a beautiful, bright golden orange with a thick, puffy off white head. Tons of carb. The aroma is fruity and spicy with big notes of banana, light bubblegum, clove, coriander and a bit of citrus zest. Nice and crisp wheat malts, spice is mild with a mostly fruity profile. Crushable hefe for sure.
Slightly sour yeast aroma with citrus notes. Hazy gold colour. Orange front with spiced finish. Medium body with lively carbonation. A great beer.
Fantastic beer from Collingwood. Lots of banana popsicle on the nose with light spice notes. Cloudy, golden colour in the glass that sits below a fluffy white head. Full bodied with more banana on the palate. Drinks easy and finishes smoothly. Awesome.