REVIEW: Lake of Bays Rock Cut

My first experience with Lake of Bays was certainly not the best. There just wasn't much there with the Crosswind Pale Ale. Here's hoping Rock Cut, a pale lager, has more to offer. To the beer!

REVIEW: Parallel 49 Hoparazzi

This beer falls under a style that I seem to be seeing more and more of in recent days. Parallel 49 Brewing refers to Hoparazzi as an India Pale Lager. Now, I really just take that to mean that this is just a pale lager, but the hop bill is something akin to an IPA. That sounds like something that I'd be into. A beer with the light body and crisp quaffability of a lager but with the bitter, robust hoppiness of an IPA. Hoparazzi clocks in at an impressive 50 IBU and 6% ABV. Let's get to it. To the beer!

REVIEW: Flying Dog Underdog Atlantic Lager

Today's beer is indicative of three things in beer that I have really grown to appreciate in the year that I've done this blog. First of all it's canned. A vessel that I honestly prefer to bottles at this point. Two, it's sessionable, only 4.7%. And third, it's a craft pale lager. That's good enough for me to give Underdog from Frederick, Marlyland's Flying Dog a shot. To the beer!

Underdog pours a pale slightly hazed golden yellow. I'm beginning to think the reddish hue that many of these beers have been taking in my photographs have less to do with my meager skills behind the camera and much more to do with the brick wall backdrop. It looks cool though so you guys will just have to take my word on the color. It's topped by a dense finger of bone white head that left rings of lacing on the way down.

On the nose things get started with a fairly pronounced biscuity crackery malt. That is contrasted by a floral herbal hop character. Light and simple, but somehow deceptively complex.

A robust carbonation lends Underdog a pretty creamy yet light body. Much like with the aromas, the flavors of this beer are very simple: slightly crackery, slightly herbal. A strong bitterness gives the beer a crisp bite and a clean finish.

As I was sitting down to review this beer I couldn't help but find the flavors a bit one note. Not a ton of complexity. But you know what? I didn't mind at all. This is a simple, crisp, drinkable lager with a nice bitterness. It isn't trying to be anything that it's not. And sometimes, that's all you need. It hit the spot.

HD

REVIEW: New Belgium Shift

My Readers in Cincinnati may not recognize this one. New Belgium, best known for their very tasty Fat Tire, seems to distribute everywhere but Ohio and Kentucky. Which is a real shame because their stuff is delicious, as you'll see as we get into it. Anyways, I was able to snag a four pack of their new pale lager, Shift in Indianapolis this weekend. In addition to having beers that don't get distributed to Ohio Indianapolis has a legitimate IMAX theater. I drove up to Indy last weekend to see The Dark Knight Rises as Christopher Nolan, Wally Pfister, and God intended it. Writ large on a 70 plus foot tall screen. It was stunning by the way. If you have a chance to see it in a real IMAX theater, do it. It's worth it. So the trip yielded Batman and good beer, sounds like a success to me. Let's find out if this beer is as good as the movie. To the beer!

REVIEW: Bell's Lager of the Lakes

I have no idea why it's taken me this long. I've been writing this blog for six months and I'm just now getting to my first beer from Bell's! It's shameful is what it is! But anyway, I rectify this egregious omission today. And what better way to celebrate Independence Day than enjoying a beer from one of the greatest American craft brewers? Of all of the beers from Bell's to start with, this is a bit of an odd one, for me at least. A lager. A simple, American, pale lager. I'm more familiar with Bell's big IPAs and Stouts. And the lager is kind of the domain of the big boys. The Budweisers, Millers, and Coors of the world. I started drinking craft beer because I was tired of pale lagers. But Bell's makes outstanding beers. How will this one stack up? To the beer!