North Fork Lager
Payette Brewing

North Fork LagerNorth Fork Lager
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From:
Payette Brewing
 
Idaho, United States
Style:
American Lager
Ranked #230
ABV:
4.4%
Score:
80
Ranked #26,198
Avg:
3.44 | pDev: 11.63%
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
44
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 02, 2022
Added:
Apr 03, 2013
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  13
This American Lager has a laid-back personality and pairs well with just about all edibles. Hops bring a mix of woody, green, floral and fruit notes with subtle herb and spice character. North Fork is a sessionable beer with lower alcohol content for a quick, smooth run. Pack plenty for your post river run refreshment.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by KetchumSuds:
Photo of KetchumSuds
Rated by KetchumSuds from Idaho

3.5/5  rDev +1.7%

Sep 16, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.66 by VashonGuy from Washington

Oct 02, 2022
 
Rated: 3.25 by McBraniel from Virginia

Jun 30, 2022
Photo of Wesley48
Rated by Wesley48

4.03/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Easy drinking, nice flavor with no extra hop taste. A Dry finish, a little sweetness, still learning how to review but I do like this beer.
Aug 31, 2021
 
Rated: 2.94 by DOCRW from Kentucky

Oct 25, 2020
 
Rated: 3.5 by cryptichead from Illinois

Feb 21, 2020
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.58/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
better than its ratings, this is a nice easy drinking lager with a lot of character, hoppy without being bitter, but not so jazzed up that it wouldnt appeal to a standard yellow lager drinker, i think they really hit the mark with this, and it doesnt taste cheap to me at all. i think part of it is how dry and crisp and bubbly it is and all, like the feel in a beer like this is every bit as important as the flavor for me, and the texture and liveliness of this make it very appealing. great clarity, short lived white head, tons of bubbles rising up. smells clean, light crackery pale malt and just a trace of the lager yeast before the herbal hops come in, a neat mix there it seems, subtle lemon and grass to me. the flavor is the same as the nose, quite minimal on the grain and yeast, but neither is irrelevant, and the dryness lets the hops kind of stand alone at the end, only mildly bitter. i had this fresh on tap at the brewery and have not yet had it from the can, but fresh at the source i thought this was great on a warm spring afternoon after a hike!

edit: the recent round of cans with the newer brighter label seem a little flat to me, and i have to bring the mouthfeel score down accordingly. i think this is better on top overall, seems a little lazy in these new cans...
Apr 02, 2019
Photo of Parmesan
Reviewed by Parmesan from Colorado

3.21/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
L: Pours a clear straw color with a small white head and no lacing on the glass.

S: Notes of hay, grass, sweet apple and baked bread, smells a tad sweet.

T: Quite sweet apple, notes of baked bread, slight hay and grass, tastes a tad watery. A little overly sweet.

L: Light body, feels a bit watery.

O: This beer is a little sweet for a lager, its ok but nothing spectacular.
Mar 15, 2019
Photo of biboergosum
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)

3.73/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
12oz single can - sure glad I waited for these to arrive in this format, rather than paying stupid import draft prices last month.

This beer pours a clear, bright pale golden yellow colour, with one finger of puffy, finely foamy, and somewhat bubbly off-white head, which leaves a bit of low-lying, garden hedge-like lace around the glass as it quickly blows off.

It smells of bready and crackery cereal malt, a further toasted graininess, lager yeast, some muddled pome and citrus fruitiness, and plain earthy, floral, and herbal green hop bitters. The taste is gritty and grainy pale malt, some watery minerality, ethereal orange and lemon citrus notes, underripe apples, a further estery yeastiness, and more meek leafy, weedy, and floral verdant hoppiness.

The carbonation is pretty tame in its barely-there frothiness, the body an adequate medium weight, and generally smooth, with a wee airy creaminess seeping in once things warm up a tad around here. It finishes trending dry, the cereal graininess kind of putting the hammer down.

Overall - this comes across as a straight-forward version of the style, nothing complicated, and easy enough to put back in numbers, I would imagine. No off-flavours, and essentially well-made, so check it out if you're in the market for such a thing.
Nov 24, 2017
 
Rated: 3.54 by wisegreensoul from Idaho

Sep 29, 2017
 
Rated: 3.25 by Howlader from Canada (AB)

Aug 27, 2017
Photo of Karibourgeois
Reviewed by Karibourgeois from Texas

3.25/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Clear straw colored pour with a white one-finger head. Grainy aroma with a hint of lemon. Taste follows the nose with grain and a hint of noble hops. Light bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes with flavors of grain and yeast.
Feb 20, 2017
 
Rated: 2.88 by S-Taylor from Texas

Jan 18, 2017
 
Rated: 3.29 by rarigney from Washington

Nov 16, 2016
Photo of DoubleJ
Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin

3.15/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
On-tap at the Virginia Inn, on to the beer:

Bone white head on-top a pee yellow beer, showing good head retention and lacing. The aroma is light overall;grass and aromas and little else. This lager sounded like a great idea to pair with a moules-frites lunch,and while palatable, could have been so much more. Hay in the raw deliver a promising start. Sourdough bread yeast gives the base a different accent to the common lager, however this beer does go astringent quickly, which is the real sin. Still, it is better than the Bud Light and Corona's commonly found at parties.
Jun 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.68 by BeerBird82 from Michigan

May 30, 2016
Photo of Todd
Reviewed by Todd from Finland

3.61/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Smooth, Grassy, Herbal, Bready

Pale yellow with a fluffy, creamy head. Floral and fruity in the nose. Smooth, light in body and carbonation with a semi-grassy hop character with herbal undertones and a soft citrus oiliness. The malts are a bit sweet with a dry, bready finish. North Fork is a good lager, but it's missing the clean, crisp carbonation that the style is known for. If Payette adds that, they’ll have a great one.

As reviewed in BeerAdvocate magazine #111 (April 2016).
May 15, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by batt6343 from Texas

May 07, 2016
 
Rated: 3.74 by Gaddabble from Ohio

May 01, 2016
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Growler from Payette. Although cereal in nature, its crisp and clean and heads above the macrobrews. Aroma is cereal grains (of course) and a hint of sour, but it has a nice fluffy head and decent lacing. Taste is light, bread, crackers, sourdough. clean and simple.
Mar 30, 2016
North Fork Lager from Payette Brewing
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 44 ratings