Bernstein
Cigar City Brewing

Poured from a crowler filled on 10/12/20

Pours a translucent, worn bronze body topped with two fingers of creamy, pillowy, off-white foam; okay head retention yields a thin layer of cap, an expanding, creamy, moderate collar, and a decent spread of webby lacing around the glass.

Aroma opens with floral suggestions, veering a touch grassy as it embraces caramel malts and hints of prune toward the middle; brown bread crust, lager yeast, and a light minerality present casually on the back end as a slightly firmer hint of toast rounds out the close.

Taste features hints of toast opening, with an essence of raisin and peppery red berries guiding into a mid-palate of fresh grass and delicate, floral hops; strawberry flesh, caramel malts, and brown bread develop on the back end and linger past the swallow.

Mouthfeel brings a light-medium body with a moderate, fluffy carbonation, quickly drying over the mid-palate to a distant, almost oily grit; a vague bitterness into the back end phases easily into a lightly crisp, paper-dry, and well-rounded finish.

A comprehensively easy-drinking Vienna lager with a proper dose of level malty and hoppy intrigue; this harmony doesn't form the most complex final product, but it is direct, at times eclectic yet ultimately clean, and enjoyable nonetheless.

Poured a seethru copper body with minimal head and great lace down the glass. The aroma is grainy and hoppy with some floral notes as well. A sticky maltiness surprises me in this fuller-bodied beer that balances a mild malty sweetness and a floral hoppiness that leads to a dry finish. The beer is real easy to drink and a nice change of pace from more popular beer styles (IPAs, sours, stouts).