Lompeizer
The New Old Lompoc

Tasted from tap at the brewery.

This is a rice lager, so a step up from traditional American adjunct lagers.

A - rather clear, pale, and unimpressive hue but with a decent head and persistent fizz

S - a sake like nose, fermented rice being the main component, some citrus and that familiar lager metallic twinge

T - Actually tastes rather good, the rice is tart and balances the very pale and light hops quite nicely.

M - Rather light, though intentionally so. I can't say the mouth-feel was impressive, but neither did it detract from the overall enjoyment.

D - Rather balanced, light, and clean. A refreshing beer with quality above and beyond most American lagers.

I’m told this is Lompoc’s tribute to Budweiser and that, “it’s a rice beer.” Since it’s not designed to emulate Euro-pilsners and only seeks to replicate mass-market adjunct lagers, I was pleasantly surprised to find a worthy malt platform. It was a little like finding a pulse on a corpse. True, I can think of better things to do with barley malt (or rice for that matter) than create beers of this sort. But lets face it; lots of people are perfectly willing to drink beers of similar design.

As for the rest of us, a dart thrown at a Lompoc menu will produce better choices. But Lompizer does warm well with a taste that is mostly clean until the finish rolls in like a square wheel. The body is bright daisy yellow, lightly translucent, and delivers no head, no lace, and anemic CO2. At the very least Lompizer is inoffensive and non-distracting. Its alcohol content, while unknown, would appear to be minimal.