Style: Pale Lager

ABV: 5.0

92/100

Aroma:	11
Appearance:	3
Flavor:	18
Mouthfeel:	4

Bell's Brewery, Inc. Lager of the Lakes

What the brewers say

“Bell’s Lager Beer focuses on the flavors developed in the brew house, matching a crisp bitterness and distinctive herbal hops aromas to a simple yet firm malt backbone. This beer spends six weeks maturing in the fermentation vessels. This extended conditioning period refines the overall flavor, highlighting the contributions of the malts and hops.”

What our panel thought

Aroma: “Light malt with subtle sulfur notes. Moderate German hops aroma. Some fruity esters, sweetness, and yeast aroma. A bit of corn-like, wheaty sweetness. Citrusy notes of lemon and orange.”

Flavor: “Smooth malt offset by light hop bitterness. Sweet, corn-like, and wheaty. Spicy hops slide right into the finishing bitterness. Very fruity, but light alcohol flavor. Yeasty, yet clean profile. Light carbonic bite.”

Overall: “Crisp and refreshing, a great beer to take to a cookout. Neither a pils nor a Vienna lager, just an easy-drinking beer. Finish is cleaner than an ale, yet not quite lager-like. If someone brought this to a summer barbecue, everyone would be happy.”

What our editors thought

Review printed in: Enlightened Lagers (Fall 2014) (View All Issues)

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How We Review

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New Belgium Brewing Summer Helles

**Aroma:** “Medium strong spicy hop notes blend with subtle sulfur. Light pils malt background supports everything. Faint toasty sweetness. Yeasty with some papery oxidation and a very mild aroma of lemon zest and grass.” **Flavor:** “Faint, soft pils malt and a restrained bitterness complement each other. Lemony and grainy. Some grainy sweetness in the aftertaste keeps it from finishing as clean as it could. Light bitterness and a nice clean lager profile.” **Overall:** “A bit too light? The crisp hop bitterness saves this beer from blandness. It’s very pale, making it refreshing for summer drinking, but a bit more body wouldn’t hurt.”

Kona Brewing Company Longboard Island Lager

**Aroma:** Light, bready malt overlayed with spicy, slightly resinous hops. Light lager sulfur presence. Lemony hops and slight corn sweetness. **Flavor:** Crisp, light, and refreshing, the spicy, grassy hop flavor really fills the middle of the palate and the aftertaste with a tart touch of lemon. Crisp, clean finish with mild bitterness and very light alcohol. A little thin but enjoyable. **Overall:** A fun times lager! Light, clean, and refreshing, this beer showcases an assertive hop flavor relative to the light malt backbone. Very refreshing and easy to drink for those looking for drinkability over complexity.

Flying Dog Brewery Woody Creek

**Aroma:** “Nice, grainy, sweet wheat character and slight citrus notes. Low levels of DMS (canned corn) aroma. Peppercorn and herbal dill notes along with a tobacco, cigar, or pipe aroma. This aroma dissipates somewhat and coriander comes to the fore.” **Flavor:** “Good profile of wheat character, with a slight tartness and mild hops kick. Creamy body. Citrus character is present more in the finish with an acidic bite and carbonic twang that makes for a nice, crisp finish. Big coriander flavor with light tobacco note. Crisp and refreshing.” **Overall:** “Refreshing sweet profile showcases the wheat well. Good tannic bite. Balance and flavors are spot on except for slight DMS in the aroma. One of the hoppier wits we’ve tried.”

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