Under
Old Forge Brewing Company

Poured into a shaped grip glass: color is straw gold, head is frothy off white with fine to large bubbles off the first pour.

Smell is fruity, not quite juicy but definitely tropical leaning instead of citrus.

Taste is blend of similar fruitiness, malt and some grassy hops; not a great mix or composition but a bit different than other in the same style. The fruitiness throws me off in its lean towards tropical flavors.

Mouthfeel is crisp, moderate carbonation, not sharp but a lingering malty like presence.

Overall a different riff on the pale lager style with a fruity aroma and flavor that leans tropical fruit like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a regional beer writer, I was invited on a weekend-long press junket in early-March to mark the opening of the River Rat Ale Trail in Luzerne & Columbia Counties along the Susquehanna River here in PA. One of our stops was at both the production brewery & the brewpub, but it was while we were visiting the brewery that I was given one of these CANs for inclusion in The CANQuest (tm). I keep saying, it pays to advertise!

From the CAN: "We strive to honor personal craftsmanship. Our handcrafted beer is made in small batches to ensure quality and peak freshness. Brewed and CANned by Old Forge Brewing Company, Danville, PA."; "Under is a hoppy, session craft lager. Simple malt bill. Lager yeast. Bright, juicy hops. Underneath it all, the only thing that matters is the liquid."; "Under the Radar[;] Under Dog[;] Under Rated[;] We like flying low[,] no need to worry if there is any substance Underneath all the hype After all, it's better to be Under rated than over-hyped And we'd rather be the Underdog than the stone cold Lock[;] To us, it's all about the liquid, Under stand?"

I Crack!ed it open, but I was unsure about its clarity & filtration, so I went with a gentle Glug just to see what would transpire. I got a Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7) beer with NE-quality clarity as a result. An in-glass swirl raised a brief finger of fizzy, tawny head with moderate retention. Nose had a grassy, Noble hop quality. Mmmm. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was more akin to a Czech Pils with its intense, grassy hoppiness, but if you misCANstrue that as me CANplaining, chez monieux! I would not really CANsider the hops as "juicy", though. They were very grassy, like freshly mown grass with a light maltiness that seemed to hide shyly in the background. Finish was dry, but not really bitter. It was more towards a Pilsner-like softness in terms of its intensity. My CAN had a shrink-wrapped label, but there was talk at the brewery of making it a permanent Summer seasonal. I CAN get behind that!

 

Poured from a tallboy can into a tulip glass.

L: Pours a medium clear golden color. Two fingers of white creamy head that fall fairly quickly. Nice lacing.

S: Biscuits and grains. Floral hops.... herbal.

T/F: Biscuits and pale malts up front. Bready with a stronger than expected hop presence towards the end. Floral and herbal and ends dry. Very light in body, easily drinkable given the low ABV. Fairly carbonated... clean finish.

O: For a light-ish beer with only 4.8% ABV this had a lot more flavor than I was expecting. Stronger hop presence than anticipated and a pretty well put together beer. Great for a longer session or a hot summer day after mowing the lawn. Also would be easy with a meal. Borders on an American Pale Ale.