Boom Shaka Lager
Paradise Creek Brewery

a flavorful and robust red lager here, more than just the generic take on the style. i am learning that even in what appear to be more conventional brews, these guys put their own little spin on things more often than not. i have liked all ive had from these guys, and while amber lager is rarely my thing, i was quite pleased with this one too. this is so much more interesting than most of these ever are, its hoppier, almost woody, fuller bodied, complex on the grain side without being sweet to me at all, and pretty clean on the fermentation too, although i cant really taste much lager yeast in here, and its not as easy drinking as some, but i prefer the taste to the sessionability, and i could still drink a fair bit of this. its almost like a centennial hop thing i get, that fresh lumber factor in here, not bitter but woodsy and autumnal to me, even spicy, cascade maybe, i wasnt expecting that. could there be some rye malt in this? there is also some honey and toasted bready character to the grain, great balance overall, a splash of citrus later on, and a somewhat crisp finish for what this is, although its not so obviously a lager. medium body for the style, frothy feeling with good carbonation, and some light resinous linger, very pleasant. impressively interesting beer in a style thats rarely very exciting to me, so well done there. i think its modern and tasty, and i think paradise creek is wildly underrated, subtly ambitious beers all very well executed, im a fan!