I confess, I'm not a Lager/Pilsner guy. "Why do you keep trying them then?" you may be asking, and the answer is that I want to like them! I want to find one that tickles some nerve in my pallet or affords some pleasure here-to-fore undiscovered on a hot summer afternoon. But alas, they continue to only meet my expectations of mediocrity.
The same holds true for New Belgium's entry into the fray. I had high hopes for this one, too! With their penchant for complex and hoppy brews I thought that this would be the Lager I would like (I confess, I didn't actually buy it for it's own sake, it was a part of a sampler pack). But alas, it fell victim to the same fate which befell Sierra Nevada's Summerfest: it just tasted like beer. which is not a bad thing. But I wanted more. I wanted brilliance. I wanted a beer that tasted great before it warmed up enough to lose some enjoyability in the hot Pasadena sun. But alas, it was not to be
The trouble with this one is that it has no aroma hops, only bittering hops. And even those fashion themselves into a delicate aftertaste: subtle, soft, and annoying. The kind of annoying that can't quite articulate itself into anything more meaningful than a tickle in the back of ones throat. This again is much the same as any number of Lager type beers on the market today, and to be honest, you might as well go and pay a buck for a PBR as spend more money for something that tastes about the same.
**
2 Stars
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