Paper City Winter Lager
Paper City Brewery Co., Inc.

 

This beer pours a nice red amber color with a nice half inch white head. It looks like a damn good beer. The aroma is pretty weak but has some malt upfront and what smells like a bit of spice in the background. The flavor is pretty smooth, but ultimately not that impressive. There is a good malt presence but not much else in there. The body is a step above light bodied which isn't that bad but doesn't stand out either. It's not bad but doesn't stand out at all.

Foamy off white head that plasters the glass' sides; pretty good retention. Patches of semi-thick lacing that holds pretty well. Clean, full copper in color.

Semi-sweet toasted malt character; touches of nutmeg and brown sugar adding a bit of spice. Bright citrus: orange peel, lemon, and lime adding a unique tart aroma.

Light, semi-sweet and creamy caramel malt flavor. The flavor takes a 90 degree turn to an intense lime and orange tartness that is a bit off-centered with the creamy, almost chocolate flavored malt character. The finish is a touch astringently bitter with a lime tainted biscuit flavored aftertaste.

Medium bodied; almost creamy, but a bit powdery and dry.

This one is very tough to make out: odd flavor combinations that aren't unpleasant, but my palate never really got use to them. Dap to Paper City for their creativity, but one I'll probably not be going back to.

Sampled at the Paper City Brewery on free beer night.

I know that this beer was free so I shouldn't complain about it but there was something wrong with this beer. I should have realized when I watched people waiting in line for ten minutes at the other taps and nobody stood in line for this one but i'm not too bright so I decided to try it. It looked ok when it was poured - amber colored with a 1/2 finger head but the aroma was similar to a dirty dish towel. At this point most people would be smart enough not to try it but again i'm not too bright. My guess is this was a bad keg otherwise they brewed it with their dirty gym socks. I was forced to drink this abomination or have a 30 min wait in the line for the bathroom to pour it out. Well I downed it and I thought it came back up but that was just the flavor of the beer.

Reflection: I know that this is a harsh review but unless you were there that night and tried it you can't understand the horror of this beer. I know that i'll never try it again.

Soft doughy malt aroma is a bit nutty. Khaki colored head fades quickly to film leaving a short sheet of lace. Glowing amber colored beer with streams of lazily rising bubbles. Mildly sweet malt flavor mixed with some tea flavored hops. Finishes with a faint tangy/bitterness. Nice soft mouthfeel on this moderately thick bodied beer. Overall a nice lager.

A clean amber beer with big foamy off white head. Lots of nice lace left by the head. The aroma is a light spicey hoppiness. A very assertive hop characteristictakes charge right away. The finish has a light hop sweetness to end this nice winter lager.

12ozer purchased as a single from the Spirit Haus, Amherst, MA, apparently another brew from the "limited brewer's offering," as noted on the somewhat generic label.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1" beige head above a copper brew. Dense head hung around for quite some time, and laced well. Aroma is slight, if any, sort of just a generic "beer" smell, lightly of malts and hops. Taste is somewhat sedate but well-balanced, with the five grains (as noted on the bottle) working well with the hops. Mouthfeel and drinkability are both good. This brew is not a standout like some of their other limited Brewer's offerings line has had, but a solid brew nonetheless.

The beer pours a dusky gold, topped with a thick, yellowish white head. Decent retention, thinning down to a collar after time, with sticky, blobby lacework.
The aroma is very well balanced, equally sweet caramel malt and soft, citric hops. Clean and well lagered, with just a touch of light fruitiness.
The flavor starts with a smooth, sweet caramel malt, very clean, with a smoothness reminiscent of a real german helles. A touch of floral fruitiness in the middle, moving quickly into a balancing hop finish. Mild citric hop bitterness, possibly a blend of noble german hops and pacific northwest goodness. Nicely balanced, with some caramel malt continuing to peek through. A touch of alcohol is present in the very end, adding a slight tang. Medium body, with soft, fizzy carbonation. Smooth, well lagered mouthfeel.
A very nice lager from the folks in Holyoke. A pleasant, unique winter beer, not too many lagers out there. Great balance, definitely a treat to quaff.

Not a bad brew...Very nice appearance, great lacing...Smell was slightly malty...Tatse was somewhat bitter with the bitterness lingering well into the aftertaste. Mouthfeel was slightly oily , but ok. Easy enough to drink. Not in my top 50, but I wouldn't refuse it either.

Amber colour, foam with bubble a little too big, and quite not persistent.
Smell of malt, grains, cereals. Maybe a hont of vanilla?
At the taste: bitter. Taste full an round, with dominance of cereals. The warming effect stated in the label is well noticeable.
Anyway, the jury is not unanimous about this beer.
The aftertaste is malted and bitter. Medium body, good for a lager like this.

12oz brown bottle.Label says Paper city brewery Holyoke, Massachusetts and has a picture of wheat and hops.Label also states "limited brewer's offering".

Poured a huge creamy thick head with tons of sticky white lace.Maybe the best appearance a PCB beer has presented.The aroma was a bready biscuit with a touch of hops.The color was a dark amber.The mouthfeel was smooth and highly drinkable.It did seem to lack a little carbonation on the finish.A medium bodied winter lager thats not too thick and malty but just right for a long night.Leaves a bitter after taste that lingers in the back of your throat.A slight watery mouthfeel is detected.A very good winter lager from PCB thats not overpowering and shouldnt offend.I think I could drink these all night.