Northwest Pilsner (w/ Wayfinder)
Occidental Brewing Co.

Can from Market of Choice.

A straw yellow with a dense white head with excellent retention and lacing, thus looks great. On the nose, the thing that's most noticeable is the Strata hop character, floral and fruity. The base pils is clean and crisp as they come, with a snappy, lightly doughy character. A touch of butter. Light lemon and grapefruit notes. The palate opens mildly bitter with a crisp, clean, snappy, with a nice pils malt character.

definitely on point!

the second one of these i have had now, cool they do a series of collaboration versions of this solid base pils, this one done with strata hops and with wayfinder, a pretty cool modernization of a classic like this, but it also does fit shockingly naturally for a newer hop in an old world style. it becomes more and more apparent each time i have one of their beers just how competent these guys are, especially with the lagers ive had, really impressive. crystal clear golden color here, lots of bubbles and brightness, a short but lasting white foam head after it settles a minute, really well refined looking brew. aroma and flavor are somewhat hop forward sure, but this is immediately identifiable as a classic pils type, the malt is doughy and dry and european, the lager yeast is familiar, and the hops americanize it slightly, but are so fully compatible in here its amazing. the flavor is great, definitely a dry hopped vibe from the strata, as bitterness is real low here. some herbal quality, some light noble grassy and limey character too, but then a little melon and lemon too, really good, nicely selected for this beer. the base pils is super well done, and that helps a lot, and they didnt push the hops too far. none of the phenolic character i got in the one they did with level either, which i prefer, especially as this warms. the better of the two in my opinion here, really delicious, might get another four pack this weekend!

 

Shimmeringly translucent orange-gold with a tall bubbly off-white foam that can hover well above the glass's peak with the best of them. This head settles down slowly to chunks of airy lumps, leaving some coral lace behind on the glass.

Taste is crisp and semi-bitter of grassy pine with a hint of romaine heart rounded out by Corn Pops and cornbread. There's a hint of Werther's when stretching out a sip and swirling on the palate, plus maybe a touch of orange rind. However, smell is a little metallic.

The body is of medium-light heft, and is lifted and slightly filled by a carbonation of airy foam before coming to a bone dry finish.

Found this one to be a bit sweeter, especially compared to the others I've had so far. Seems to be a little bit sweeter up front, and more bitter on the backend than I'd like, halfway to IPL territory. Still a nice one to drink.