Wonderstar Botanical Lager
Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery

 

Sparkling clear amber with a moderate white foam that collapses around the edges leaving an eggshell dome and uniform coral lacing everywhere.

This has that weird citrus candy flavor that their fucking Sparklecat beer did. It's a bit PEZ-like, but there's more malt flavor, such as a touch of biscuit and toasted graham.

The medium body is softly crisp, finishing semi-dry, where the exhale brings out some herbal notes, making it weirdly bittersweet, as if artificial.

Who buys this shit?

I tried a can of this beer at the Happy Grapr in Lexington, OH. It poured a hazy yellow with white head that did not leave much lace. The scent had subtle lemon and lemon grass notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with Smarties lollipop flavor. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it is a good beer.

 

**
09/29/19

Can to sample glass. Tasting at JPK.

Tasty and interesting. Some hoppyness, but also floral and tartness and juniper all rolled in nicely. Lager, IPA, Sour and Gin rolled into one smooth flavor.


**

I was over at Brendee's Irish Pub last night to play trivia & I drank one while there. Upon returning home, I realized that I already had a CAN for The CANQuest (tm) awaiting CANsumption, review & rating! Well, no time like the present.

From the CAN: "Botanical Lager"; "Normal Is Weird."; "You Like It. We Like You."; "Brewing Differently - And Digging It."; "Zippy tartness, psychedelic currant twists, and far out waves of juniper and citrus-y hops star in the blushing body of this clean botanical lager brewed for fresh days and smiling nights."

I Crack!ed open the vent & started a slow, gentle, C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. It poured much like it did last night, quickly forming just under two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, eggshell-white head with great retention, especially in the face of the increasing heat & humidity. Color was an oh-so-slightly-hazy Yellow-Gold (SRM = 4 - 5). Nose had a mixed berry fruitiness, not exactly sweet, but not precisely tart, either. It reminded me of Mixed Fruit jelly that I smeared on my toast in L.I.C. on Friday. Mmm. Mouthfeel was thin-to-medium, not watery, but not much beyond it, either. The taste had a berry-like tartness, still of mixed berries & still not overly sweet. There was also a touch of lemony citrusiness, like lemonade had been added to fruit punch! What all of us agreed on last night was how refreshing a beer this is for Summertime. Its relatively low ABV, its mildly tart bitterness & its easy-drinking nature all added up to a winner. I am not sure that I would like it as well during any other time of year, but right now, it was perfect! Mmm. YMMV.

473 mL can from the LCBO; no canning date, which seems to be a common problem with this brewery lately. Perhaps if they went back to consistently dating their products, I'd go back to consistently buying them as much as I used to. Also, their website says this is now brewed with Columbus/CTZ hops rather than Amarillo.

Pours a slightly hazy golden-apricot hue, generating roughly one finger's worth of soapy white head that holds together for about three minutes. A thin cap and creamy collar live on, with a decent coat of lace also having been deposited; looks fine to me. Juniper, hibiscus and orange citrus come through on the nose, along with some spicy/peppery notes; suggestions of raspberry and watermelon are also discernible. Quite pleasant.

Refreshing, without ever managing to taste very beer-like - this is definitely more 'botanical' than 'lager'. It has a grainy, crackery pale malt backbone that is immediately subsumed by a rising tide of floral hibiscus, citrusy hops, piney juniper sprigs and raspberry. More juniper and spicy, citrusy hops carry on through to the finish, concluding with an off-dry finish. Light-ish in body, with assertive carbonation that prickles and prods the palate relentlessly throughout the sip - a little crispness, but the mouthfeel is mostly smooth.

Final Grade: 3.97, a B+. I am not usually a big fan of herbed/spiced beers, but Wonderstar Botanical Lager is a well-made one that I rather enjoyed. The juniper is a nice addition - impossible to miss, but not cloying - while the hibiscus blends in nicely with the fruitier aspects of the flavour profile. Of course, I'm a gin fan, so your mileage may vary. Even though I liked this beer, the fact of the matter is that I'm not ever going to be buying undated cans on a regular basis - which is too bad, because this is a brew that I'd otherwise be likely to return to, particularly during the summer months. About on par with their 12 Minutes to Destiny - this offering isn't as fruity, but it's just as sessionable (and maybe even moreso).

 

 

 

 

16 ounce can into lager glass, no can dating. Pours fairly hazy golden amber/light orange color with a 1 finger fairly dense and rocky off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big lightly tart lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, citrus zest, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, watermelon, hibiscus, juniper berry, cracker, white bread dough, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of pale malt, citrus hops, and spice notes; with great strength. Taste of big lightly tart lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, citrus zest, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, watermelon, hibiscus, juniper berry, cracker, white bread dough, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Mild herbal, floral, grassy, spicy bitterness; and hibiscus tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, citrus zest, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, watermelon, hibiscus, juniper berry, cracker, white bread dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of pale malt, citrus hops, and spice flavors; with a great malt/bitterness and tart/tangy hibiscus balance; with no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Fairly crisp/clean finishing. Perfectly clean on lager flavors, with no yeasty notes present. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and tart/tangy spice. Medium-high carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy/sticky, and lightly tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 4.5%. Overall this is an excellent spiced pale lager. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of pale malt, citrus hops, and spice flavors; very smooth, crisp, clean, and refreshing to drink with the mildly bitter/tart/tangy/drying finish. Very flavorful and not watery for the ABV. Great balance of clean pils malts, Amarillo hops, and spices. A very unique, enjoyable, and well made offering.

 

very gin. nice

 

 

We havePours a nice pink lemonade in color with a two finger head that lasts quite a while, sporadic lacing.

Smell is fruity and floral up front then slowly gives way to the lager qualities...nice lager malts.

Taste brings the botanicals first, quite pleasant. Then it gets to the lager. I find the flavors fade quickly and it's hard to figure.

Feel is about on point for a lager, crisp,quick finish and good carbonation. This is a beer that can be quaffed.

You know this is a pretty decent summer beer. I could have a few of these in an afternoon, and would be quite happy...bonus points: my wife likes it.

 

 

Straw with a hint of haze, little carbonation and 3 fingers of white head.

Smells of pineapple, yellow jubube candy, jujubes all the way.

Tastes of Jujubes, especially the yellow kind. Floral, candy like, with a hint of tartness.

Very light body with moderate carbonation.

Got at LCBO today, drinking in New Hamburg, ON, July 4th, 2018.