Laid Back Lager
Canteen Brewhouse (Il Vicino)

12oz can poured into Teku glass. Picked up from grocery store as part of $11 six pack mixer. 10/20/21 printed on bottom rim, so this should still be fresh, only 2 months old.

Appearance - Small to medium sized sudsy white head. Clear medium gold body. 3

Smell - Mostly wet hay and honey maltiness. 4

Taste - Somewhat bitter grassy hop but a lot of that wet grass underneath. This really is 'Wet Grass: The Beer" 4

Mouthfeel - Medium to full bodied. Almost chewy. 3.75

Overall - Not really sure how to feel about this one. It's not bad, but it's a little weird, and definitely unique. Not entirely pleasant though. Wouldn't want to have another probably. 3.25

a near perfect lager here, as good as they really get as far as i am concerned, and i am just sorry i didnt drink it sooner, although some additional fridge time rarely hurts a beer like this. its blonde and insanely active in the glass, giving rise to several inches of airy fizzy popping white head with great retention and a very pale yellow color, not all the way clear, but close to it, just so alive! rare for me to score a simple pale lager this highly, but its awesome in every way. the yeast, for one, isnt flavorless, its sort of raw and doughy, even lightly rustic or funky if i let it be, and it alone adds a lot of complexity and character without being european in the slightest. the malt is light and clean, crackery but soft, gentle edges on it, and the hops seem minimal, lightly limey, and possibly with a noble spice element, but balancing bitterness is mostly it, scaled way down, just snappy and refreshing. this is the essence of summer drinking, and what craft lager should be, not czech, not german, just its own domestic thing, maybe even some corn adding a wrinkle, but i love the whole, and have no real interest in breaking it down. crackling dry, fizzy like champagne, and so bright to drink on, liquid happiness right here, and in the summer heat i can think of very few beers i would pick over this one. i hope they keep on brewing this one, its nearly perfect in a style thats hard to get excited about most of the time! much applause!

 

Pours a clear light golden with a big white head. Bubbles rising to top. Aroma is straw, cracker, and grassy. Flavor follows suit, finishing off with some prickly hops. A crisp, active, and bone dry mouthfeel. Overall, very well done beer here. Canteen nailed what they were going for: a light, sessionable slammer perfect for those hot sunny New Mexican days. Seems to be in the same vein as La Cumbre's Beer. The one thing they are wrong about regarding this beer is that it does not leave me wanting to mow my neighbors lawn.