Firestone Walker Brewing Co Lager

Brilliant pale straw, good foam. Moscow mule nose, with notes of corn, candied lime, ginger hint. Flavor is comparatively restrained—lightly sweet, lightly bitter, drying, with a refreshing zesty element. Sharp toasted-crust finish. Light bitterness and citrus linger. Bring another to my poolside deck chair.

Aroma: “Sweet and clean with a touch of citrus and floral hops. Sweet malt and even a whiff of banana and pear.” Flavor: “Still malt-focused with bready malt up front. Moderate sweetness morphs into slight bitterness. A bit more floral hops and more lemon and orange fruity esters join the mix. Dry finish that ends quickly without any lingering bitterness. Refreshing.” Overall: “Nice balance of malt, hops, and esters. Clean, light, and refreshing. It’s a slightly sweet and fairly simple light ale. Finding balance in a beer this simple can be difficult, but the brewer has crafted it in a way that shows that basic beer doesn’t have to be boring. From the start of the sip to the finish, it provides everything you want from this kind of light ale.”

Aroma: “Clean, mild malt with an undercurrent of earthy hops. There’s a slightly sweet grainy aroma, some floral notes, and a subtle whiff of sulfur.” Flavor: “A little sweet in the start with a fair amount of bitterness on the finish. In the middle, it’s light clean malt, bread notes, and subtle sweetness. The hops bitterness is restrained.” Overall: “More Midwest than mid-Continent. Easy drinking, soft and unassuming. A little on the sweet side at first, but balanced with a fairly bitter finish.”