Wolverine Beer - Michigan Brewing Company

Not Rated.
Wolverine BeerWolverine Beer

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17 Ratings
no score

(send 'em beer!)
Ratings: 17
Reviews: 13
rAvg: 3.07
pDev: 19.54%
Wants: 0
Gots: 0 | FT: 0
Brewed by:
Michigan Brewing Company visit their website
Michigan, United States

Style | ABV
American Adjunct Lager |  4.00% ABV

Availability: Summer

Notes/Commercial Description:
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.

No notes at this time.

(Beer added by: BierFan on 12-30-2008)
Beer: Ratings & Reviews
Ratings: 17 | Reviews: 13 | Display Reviews Only:
Photo of BuckeyeNation
3.15/5  rDev +2.6%

Sweet corn yellow with lemonade colored accents. A handful of fine bubble streams lead up to an eggshell colored head that resembles merigue. It isn't as sticky, though, and deposits no more than scattered scraps of lace. Decent enough.

The good news: brown glass bottle. The bad news: an initial skunkiness. More good news: it fades quickly. What's left is slightly sweetened grain-like and faintly musky. One source says that rice was used, but I would have guessed corn. Or is that maize? (cough, cough). We're still riding the average train... maybe all the way into the station.

Unlike the creature for which it was named, Wolverine Beer isn't packed with aggression. To some extent that's understandable, given the style. On the other hand, there's no reason why a pale lager has to be less than flavorful. Rice might make a lager light and easy to drink, but it robs it of its soul. Insert your A-B jokes here.

On a positive note, there's no hint of nastiness and it doesn't look like warming will change that. For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure this bottle is mere months old. Untoasted grain and a glancing blow of hops is the sum total of the flavor profile. A lack of malt sugars keeps the finish clean and crisp.

Don't expect this brew to pair well with food, because what flavor is present would probably disappear at the first bite. On the other hand, it should be a good washer-downer, spicy food quasher and warm weather rehydrator. Nothing wrong with that.

The mouthfeel manages to cling to an above average score because it doesn't dissolove into wateriness on the swallow and because the carbonation is appropriately energetic without being annoyingly buzzy.

It isn't hard to imagine that Wolverine Beer is a pretty big seller for Michigan Brewing. It's unchallenging, it's better than Budweiser and it has a certain nostalgic quality for those Michiganers who are proud of their state... and of a certain college football team which won't be mentioned here.

Photo of Brenden
3.43/5  rDev +11.7%

This beer isn't the typical straw yellow, fairly pale but a bit darker clear yellow-gold. A clean, white head is fluffy and dense, a couple fingers tall before settling to a strong foam that actually leaves good lacing in patches.
Smells like a lager, and an adjunct at that, though this beer doesn't do a bad job for the crappy style. It's got a hoppier presence than any macro out there, with a mildly sulfuric and leafy bitterness both in aroma and flavor. The aroma takes a mildly funky turn that I can't quite figure out, though it's not terrible, and it's certainly not weak considering what an AAL tends to. There's a bit of corn husk and the main flavor is actually a tart green apple with a tannic sort of thing going on too. Crackery dry malts make up a bit and grains are underlying.
This one tends toward slickness, as many of this type do, but not nearly as badly as I can expect from a macro effort. It actually has a good smoothness to it, carbonation continuously keeping it flowing pretty well. It's not quite as crisp as some others, but does have a nip of it where smoothness is more the direction taken. It's not as light as many, and by no means watery or thin.
Is this possibly the worst style out there? Yes. But this brew isn't a bad one for what it is.

Photo of alleykatking
3.93/5  rDev +28%

Poured from 12oz bottle.

A- Pours a little darker golden straw color. Two finger white head shows medium retention. Lacing on the sides is in light rings and specks.

S- Some wet grains and corn is what I get a lot of. There is a underlying sweet malt base that I find enjoyable smelling. A light fruity scent toward the ending with a hint of stale hops. Alcohol is sweet in the ending of the nose which I find to be the perfect ending to this beer. For the style the aroma is really quite nice.

T- Sweet off the get go with some malts dominating everything. Light fried veggie flavor toward the middle with some wet grain. Not off putting though. Ending shows some bitterness to the beer with a light hop bite. The overall ending shows a little fruit sweetness that I can't quite put my figner on. Alcohol is sweet and is crisp and clean tasting.

M- Light mouthfeel. Carbonation is good for the style. Sweet malts, grain, and hints of bitterness are left on the palate. Aftertaste is mostly sweet and clean alcohol with a faint hop bite and grain. Flavors were well blended for the style. No off flavors in the beer while drinking. Alcohol drying on the palate is light with each sip.

O- This beer I thought was more full bodied than your standards in this style (BMC mainly). While not my go to beer this one would be nice as a lawnmower beer. A nice everyday drinker that I would love to find on my next visit to Michigan.

Photo of kbutler1
2.68/5  rDev -12.7%

Bottle. Pours a very clear golden yellow straw color with a slight 1/2 finger head that quickly dissapates. The aroma that i get from this is like lightly grilled sweet corn. Sweet with a touch of smokiness. The taste is very much like a macro. Sweet beginning and then a very slight bitter taste at teh end. Has and odd lingering taste. Medium mouthfeel. Not my favorite type of beer but not terrible or good at the same time.

Photo of BierFan
3.7/5  rDev +20.5%

The bottom of the sixer says "brewed and bottled by Wolverine State Brewing Company" but the bottles say "brewed and bottled by Michigan Brewing Company". Freshness date of 4/21/09.

Poured from a 12 ounce brown bottle into a Samuel Smith pint glass.

Appearance: Clear yellow with a big white head that leaves spots of lacing as it drops. Very light carbonation.

Smell: Very clean with a sweet adjunct/rice smell.

Taste: Michigan Brewing Company's website states it's made for Summer, but it's tasting pretty good right now in December. Smooth and drinkable. Very light in flavor with rice coming across the strongest and a little malt sweetness. Hops are in the background, but still present. If only all adjunct lagers could be this good.

Photo of Drk93TT
3.25/5  rDev +5.9%

Photo of CharlesDarwin
2/5  rDev -34.9%

Bottle - Dec 15, 2007. Restrained dead corn aroma. Overwhelming creamed corn. Saltines and other stale crackers. Pours a crystal clear pale yellow, rimmed with a fast fading clean white sparse head. Flavor is an old bread and corn sugar aroma. Lightly sweet and bland. Seltzer flavored. Not old or skunky tasting, but the hops are faint. Finishes on a slight metallic pallor. Bland, but not terrible. Thanks Sean!

Photo of WakeandBake
3.78/5  rDev +23.1%

A nice golden color pour with two fingers of white head ,leaving some spotty lacing behind,medium carbonation.Aroma of dry grain ,some rice sweetness,a hint of hops and a faint fruity note.Flavor is bright and crisp,lightly sweet, with just a bit of hops for some balance,bittersweet finish,medium body , pleasent mouthfeel,and quite drinkable.

Photo of tripledbrew
3/5  rDev -2.3%

Photo of bluerabbit
3.5/5  rDev +14%

Photo of Spica66
3.5/5  rDev +14%

A: Clear, straw-colored. Was not able to pour a whole glass, so I cannot discuss head formation or retention.

S: Smells like Budweiser, only a little sweeter (ricier?).

T: Grainy, light/sweet/fruity flavor, with only a hint of hops.

M: Creamier then BMC standard offerings. Good carbonation.

D: No problem with as many of these as fits the bill.

Photo of DrainBamage
3.73/5  rDev +21.5%

Pours a gold color with a lot of carbonation and a decent head that is a litter more than just a lace. Smells like macro corn and rice beer and little bit skunky like Heineken. I like Heineken though so that is a plus. Just like the smell, the taste is comparable to Heineken. Tastes much like a macro, but not as much corn and rice. Goes down smooth, but gives an interesting dryness in the back of the throat. I usually look down on adjunct lagers, but this one separates it's self from the pack. This would make an excellent session beer and definitely the best beer I've had that's 4% ABV.

Photo of ABOWMan
2.5/5  rDev -18.6%

poured a weak one finger bright white head that was short lived. Some lacing on the glas was present.

The color is light yellow and mostly clear with a slightly hazy tint. The head and the color leave a lot to be desired.

The aroma is of light hops, and not much else.

The flavor is non-descript with hints of skunk. Ok to rinse your mouth out with, but not much else.

Photo of HockeytownBrew
3.2/5  rDev +4.2%

A: Golden yellow with the ever so slightest touch of amber. Nice sized head that fades rather fast.

S: Very light hops and rice.

T: Tastes of rice and light hops with a bit of malt sweetness. Crisp and clean.

M: Moderate carbonation, goes down smooth

D: Good drinkability. Easy to have a few.

Photo of tgorgz
2.38/5  rDev -22.5%

A: Poured into a pint glass from a 12oz bottle. A good two-finger head that dwindled, and then lingered. I'd have to concur with my distinguished fellow Advocates- it looks a little like a macro lager.

S: If appearances are deceiving, the smell certainly isn't. It smells like a macro. Slightly fruity, minimal hopping and some barley.

Taste: It took me about halfway through the beer to start to appreciate it a little. I was initially very much turned off- couldn't detect much in terms of flavour, and didn't taste much in terms of balance. However, I eventually began to pick up hints of rice with some hops and malt. I'm still not willing to call this "good"

M: Not as crisp or refreshing as I'd like it be. I'd expect to go "Ah..."; but I was instead left a slightly skunky taste.

O: Sorry folks, I just wasn't feeling this one. Maybe it's sort of the Gladwell-ian "Blink" factor, but it just didn't sit well.

Photo of wvmi
2.17/5  rDev -29.3%

Poured a 12 oz bottle into a lager glass. Head was about 1 finger and dissipated quickly, leaving little or no lacing. Clear light amber, lots of champagne like bubbles.

Smelled like a macro (Bud?) with an added muskiness that A-B would not tolerate. Grainy. The skunk seemed to fade over time.

Tasted like corn, rice, and generic hops. Kind of like a big white can with black letters, BEER. They tried for American Ale and didn't quite make it.

Felt like a fizzy, light ale. Nothing objectionable.

If you can get past the musk, corn, and fizz, this is OK.

Photo of egroves
2.28/5  rDev -25.7%

Wolverine Beer from Michigan Brewing Company
76 out of 100 based on 17 ratings.