Kitsch Hoppy Lager
Surly Brewing Co.

Lightly hazed, bright golden color, large crystalline white head, leaving lace.

In the nose: lightly hoppy, floral, nice.

In the mouth: Crisp, clean, bright, lean, and lovely. Big hop bitterness, climbs on the palate and sticks around for sure. Tasty. Light bodied. Expertly drinkable. Long hoppy finish. Did I say delicious?

Pours a clear golden color just as a lager should with superior lacing on the glass,very nice. Smell has a citrus,lemongrass scennt with baked bread malts. Taste had an IPA flavor to it very good with citrus,floral hops nice bread and malt finish. Mouth feel is where this beer is a let down ..its very watery with not much body, hops still present thou. Overall this is a session lager hybrid. Would have again.

 

 

 

Poursa slightly hazy, light orange with a thin, white, foamy head period leaves plenty of lacing.
Wonderful citrus smell with lemongrass. Can also smell breadiness.
Wonderful citrus hop right up front. Has a slight dankness. The lager malt brings a nice readiness in the finish. Tastes a lot like an apa.
Extremely crisp mouthfeel with thinner lager body. Slight pine resonates.
Great hoppy lager!

 

 

Nice fresh citrus (lemons), pine floral notes on the aroma.

Thinnish body gives off a session IPA like feel but this is 6.2%

Lemons, and pine on the flavor...light crackery malt backing...

Biggest issue is the body...really takes on a watery feel and this is coming after I just had a Leinie Original that seems like an Imperial Stout in body in comparison.

Nice to try but would not buy in a different format despite the nice the fresh hop impression.

 

I received this from @vidblain in a BIF box. Canned on 7/17/2018 and poured into pint glass. It pours a hazy, golden straw color with a thin, milk-white cap and lacing. The smell includes lemon, cracker, and light hops. It opens like a typical lager with tart citrus and cracker but the dry hop bill of Citra, Amarillo, and Centennial provides a nice bitter blast. It finishes clean and dry. The mouth feel is delightfully crisp with pleasant carbonation, and it's an easy drinker with a moderate ABV of 6.1% Overall, while I tend not to drink a lot of lagers, this one is very good!

From a 12oz can:

Appearance: Slightly hazy yellow, good head.

Smell: Citrusy, dank.

Taste: Very dry, with citrus bitterness underlying cracker malt. Crisp finish.

Overall: From the Surly hop pack, this is a pretty solid hoppy lager. Dry, light bodied--good "drinking beer". You could have several in a session. Kind of reminds me of Prima Pils.

 

 

 

Pale gold and kinda' cloudy. Foamy white head. Aroma that is not strong but present. Doughy with hints of fruit and herbs. Nothing spectacular and and kinda' boring.
Still has the doughy quality in the taste. The bittering is smooth and finishes softly (I like that). Quit hit of sweetness. Hops are strong on herbal and weak on fruit.
Largely clean body with a moderately light feels enhanced by the full lager carbonation.
This is fine, but nothing more.

CAN: 12 fl oz pulltab with a green colored label.

6.1% ABV. "Hoppy Lager." Dry hopped with "Citra, Amarillo, and Centennial." (Thank God there's a brewery that uses the Oxford comma).

HEAD: Thin and a bit weak. White in colour. ~5 minute retention.

BODY: Clear yellow. Looks like a pilsner.

Appears filtered and well-carbonated. Not unique or special, but certainly appealing.

AROMA: Floral and lemony...I think Centennial's Supercascade floral notes are the most prominent aromatically. Hints of Amarillo resin. Not getting much from the Citra, honestly.

Aromatic intensity is moderate. I find no off-notes. Not boozy. No overt yeasty notes come through.

TASTE: Matches the aroma, with a bit too much artificial lemon/lemony urinal cake-redolent flavour for my tastes (though that makes it sound worse than it is). Floral and a bit resinous, but not juicy, citrusy, oily, piney, or sappy. Balanced enough - which is to say its flavours don't clash - but they don't harmonize or coalesce to form a gestalt whole either.

TEXTURE: Smooth, refreshing, wet, well-carbonated, approachable.

OVERALL: It's a clean drinking lager but its hop profile isn't great at least to my tastes. Doesn't showcase Amarillo or Citra (two of my favourite hops) well either. Very drinkable, and I'll enjoy finishing the other 2 cans included in the variety box, but it's wanting. I hoped for better from Surly, but like so many others their quality seems to be trending down as their distribution footprint trends up and they try to brew the same beers consistently between multiple facilities. Here's hoping Surly doesn't become the next Oskar Blues in that regard.

I will say it'd pair great with food, and it's rare a brewery nails the hybridity of German malts and American hops like this without compromising balance. I could see myself sharing a pitcher of this with friends over pizza, and I doubt anyone will find it hard to drink.

Low B- (3.27) / WORTHY