Sierra Nevada Summerfest Lager
I've been lurking here for a few months now and my enjoyment of beer has grown by leaps and bounds. I figured it was time to try a review. I picked this one up at a Safeway, small selection, but decent variety. The label looked good, It is summer, so what the heck. The first thing I noticed was the screw top, most of the beers I've had lately were crimped, needing an opener. Not important, but just caught my attention. It poured a bit like machine oil, a bit floppish, rather than exciting and energetic. A very small head about half an inch high which died immediately. Not a good sign, maybe a slightly dusty glass, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt here. Color was basically light golden, a step above bodywater, a small step. First whiff was not too overwhelming, it had a bit of a vomit tinge to it, so I let it sit a bit and watched the bubbles flow up, small but excited. I tried another smell. Cherry cordials is the closest I can come up with, very pleasant smell, sweet and smooth. It saved itself on the second go around. As for taste, it has a mouthfeel that is a bit thick and goes down the throat with a bit of a slither, not my cuppa tea. The taste really is a small step above a nonlight macro, too much fizz and no real taste to get excited about. Though, I can say, that it may be a good way to get your macro lovin' friends to step out of the darkness and move a bit towards the light. I may try it again, with the sweet smell, there has to be some nice tastes in there, but I sure didn't find them this go around. I will add a disclaimer, I am new at this, though I know what I like, and my first beer experiences were at the age of 18 while stationed in W. Germany. So my tastes tend to run that direction, and since I am learning the technical aspects of this hobby, I really don't know my malts from my hops yet. So take this review for what it's worth. This beer is basically a smaller brewers version of a macro, which I guess as a lager, that makes sense. VH