Shift Pale Lager
New Belgium Brewing Company

Shift Pale LagerShift Pale Lager
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From:
New Belgium Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
American Lager
ABV:
5%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.6 | pDev: 13.89%
Reviews:
258
Ratings:
1,412
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 02, 2023
Added:
Mar 14, 2012
Wants:
  66
Gots:
  208
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by falloutsnow:
Photo of falloutsnow
Reviewed by falloutsnow from Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5
From: Binny's, Bloomingdale, IL
Date: Best by 6/13/2013
Glass: Standard US pint

With Shift, New Belgium has a solid "mild" American lager. The beer is somewhat hoppy, somewhat of pale malts, neither striking the palate with too much intensity. The result is a drinkable, sessionable beer that won't overpower or saturate the palate into being tired, while at the same time letting one know that he or she is drinking an American-influenced beer (mostly due to the hop choices). This was enjoyable, and one to consider if I'm seeking out a mild, lager-like beer with American-influenced hopping.

The beer pours a 1cm tall head of fairly clean, white foam, with average retention of around one minute. The head fades to a thin ring around the perimeter of the glass, leaving moderate lacing, mostly a scattered array of dots, but also a few larger blotches clinging to the sides of the glass. The body is a golden yellow color, transparent, with light bringing out lighter, paler shades of yellow. Carbonation is visible through the body, and it is both somewhat vigorous and numerous.

The aroma is generally assertive, but not aggressive or blustering: the hops are present, but not dank or heavy, and the malt is consciously tame and in the background. The mix is an interesting blend of mildly fruity (guava, mango) and citrusy hops, arising from the Nelson Sauvin and Cascade, respectively. In this can at least, the hops seem to be most prominent, the slightly toasted and sweet malt appearing as more of an afterthought. A bit one-dimensional as a result.

The overall flavor is generally hoppy and fruity, with the malts being largely relegated to the background. Again, this leads to the beer feeling, at times, rather one-dimensional. Front of palate finds fruit flavors (guava and passion fruit, with a bit of pear) with a mild pale base malt sweetness. Mid-palate finds more "heaviness" to the hop flavors, with continued pale malt sweetness and perhaps a hint of the Munich malt that's in this beer. Back of palate features mild bitterness, slightly grainy and toasted malts accompany the sweet, pale malts, and slight fruit flavors (more pear than anything tropical). Aftertaste is with a somewhat tannic, astringent, dry bitterness, with continued citrus (orange) and marginal tropical fruit (guava, mango) flavor.

Beer is light to medium-light in body, with enough carbonation to gently foam the beer completely upon the palate. The resulting mouthfeel is soft, foamy, and somewhat creamy. Closes mostly dry, with little residual stickiness hanging on the palate.
May 09, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of ZenAgnostic
Reviewed by ZenAgnostic from Texas

4.5/5  rDev +25%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Handwritten notes from 10+ years ago.

June 17. 16oz can poured into Duvel tulip.

Appearance - Fire, large off-white head. Good retention, patchy lace. Clear amber. 4.5

Smell - Spicy, glass. Mild citrus and fresh cut grass. 4.5

Taste - Moderate hop. Tastes like a very mild, accessible, but not boring IPA. 4.5

Mouthfeel -Light-medium bodied. A little stick but the hop astringency mostly cuts it. 4.5

Overall - Very refreshing and enough hop and malt to be interesting. 4.5
Apr 02, 2023
 
Rated: 3.44 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Jan 22, 2022
 
Rated: 3.96 by Jcal2023 from Pennsylvania

Nov 16, 2020
Photo of milkshakebeersucks
Reviewed by milkshakebeersucks from Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Bright amber appearance with a large white head and a fair amount of lacing. Subtle aroma of cereal grains with the hops well buried. Modestly sweet taste has a grainy, earthy quality playing off floral, spicy hops. Medium-to-light bodied, decently carbonated mouthfeel. Finish is short lived.
Aug 18, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by imperialking from Illinois

Jul 30, 2020
 
Rated: 3.61 by edthehead from Maryland

Jul 18, 2020
Photo of Act25
Reviewed by Act25 from New Jersey

3.86/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Better than more BA-ers reviewed it. Not a huge fan of Fat Tire, but I like this Pale Lager.
Pours a clear, darker than expected, golden amber body with a weaker head than expected.
s) First bready pale malt, caramel sweetness, with plenty of floral and weedy hop notes. Wine like nose.
t) Follows aroma, plenty of even balanced floral hops over malt caramel body.
f) Smooth, slightly oily, mid-weight, interesting, Alt like.
o) Very Alt German style, lovely first beer, food beer.
Jul 11, 2020
Photo of maxpower
Reviewed by maxpower from Missouri

2.81/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75
From my notes I just found. 12 oz. can pours a bright golden color, decent white head that leaves some lacing in my glass. Citrus IPA aroma, strange citrus flavors as well. Not your average lager.
Jul 04, 2020
 
Rated: 3.6 by BalancingBrooms from California

Jul 04, 2020
 
Rated: 3.22 by entenduintransit from Tennessee

Jun 25, 2020
 
Rated: 3.86 by 12ozfan from Illinois

Jun 21, 2020
Photo of HopHippie
Reviewed by HopHippie from Wisconsin

3.05/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
L: Nice gold color, little over an inch of white rocky head.
S: Sweet grain, that's really all.
T: A little bit more hoppy taste wise than smell. Otherwise it sticks to being a sweet grain flavor with some notes of pine bitterness. Taste goes away pretty quick.
F: Pretty light body, good carbonation, not really bitter.
O: It's definitely not a lager I would buy in a six pack but for what it is, its alright. The consistency and flavor feel a little watered down.
Jun 16, 2020
Photo of BeerDrinksBrad
Rated by BeerDrinksBrad from Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +38.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
This is a good beer. Classic beer taste. Everything you want in a normal, full bodied pale lager.
Jun 05, 2020
Photo of babaracas
Reviewed by babaracas from Florida

3.87/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Clear light amber, sudsy bone white cap. Cereal grains, light toasted note, mildly grassy and floral. Taste: pale malt sweetness, honey bread, clean lemony and barely piney hopping. Light+ body, crisp-ish finish. A more hopped and slightly more flavorful take.
May 22, 2020
Photo of Troy-Hawaii
Reviewed by Troy-Hawaii from Hawaii

3.25/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Part of a variety 24-pack Costco $29.99
Clear golden color
Light-medium mouthfeel
Medium carbonation
Light malt flavor, slight bitterness
Overall it is an ok lager. Nothing special, but ok for the style. A little light on taste.
May 08, 2020
 
Rated: 3.84 by Van_boi from New Hampshire

May 06, 2020
Photo of Red5StandingBy
Reviewed by Red5StandingBy from Maryland

3.65/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from 12oz can into Spiegelau Lager glass. No date.

L: Clear Bronze, finger of white head has decent retention and excellent lacing.

S: Grainy phenols, some biscuity malts and herbal hop notes.

T: A bit hoppier on the tongue than on the nose, but follows the nose closely.

F: Light, crisp, tasty.

O: Solid beer.
May 04, 2020
 
Rated: 3.57 by mattjp03 from Alabama

May 03, 2020
 
Rated: 4.02 by chicagoish from Pennsylvania

Apr 30, 2020
Shift Pale Lager from New Belgium Brewing Company
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 1412 ratings