Eternal Optimist India Pale Lager
Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance. Pours a slightly hazy, pale straw colour with over a finger of frothy white head that mostly fades fairly quickly, but what's left leaves some nice lacing.

Smell. Sweet pale malts and some grassy hops.

Taste. Sweet light grains, biter earthy hops with some floral notes. A hint of acidity in there.

Mouthfeel. Lighter body with above medium carbonation.

Overall. One of the better lagers I've tasted ...due to the great flavour from the hops. Light and easy drinking.

650ml bottle poured into tulip 27/10/11

A bright straw yellow with a slight haze to it and only a few bubbles but a nice fluffy, soapy bone white head that retains very well and leaves a few rings followed by lots of unorganized lace

S grassy lemon comes out pretty big with some floral hops

T not far from the smell really a little malt but the hops are in charge for sure, I do pick up on a little lager flavors from the yeast perhaps

M light and lots of tiny bubbles make it feel even lighter, a little bite to it and flavors linger longer then most lagers I`ve had

O polished of the bomber before I made it this far in my review so to say it was easy too drink would be an understatement

I loved this beer but I not sure how to rate it based on style so this ones personal preference and I liked it a lot. Light and refreshing with a hop kick, I wish more lagers were like this one. Thanks EskimoDave for sending this one my way

A: 1/2" white head that left a nice lacing over straw coloured liquid with excellent clarity.

S: Citrus, floral and earthy hops and nutty malt.

T: Nutty male and citrus hops up front which transitioned to floral and earthy hops.

M: Medium viscosity and a medium level of fine carbonation.

O: A rare style, this easy drinking beer is a far cry from your dad's boring lager. I enjoyed this one more than the Samuel Adams Noble Pils as well.

A - Pours a hazy pale straw yellow with 2 fingers of white fluffy heat. Head retreats to a webbing after a few minutes.

S - Not as hoppy as I expected, but still quite hoppy. A clean hop must have been used; the pale malt is able to penetrate the hops with ease.

T - Hoppy for sure, but again less than expected. Mostly citrus (lemon) and a bit of grassy hop. Familiar lager notes as well.

M - Pretty thin, but well balanced.

O - Good, I was expecting something more interesting though, this is basically just a slightly overhopped lager.

Interesting spin on a lager. A bit darker hue than your usual lager, but not quite as dark as a true IPA. Big fluffy white head. Considerably sweet malty scent, with a nice, subtle hoppiness.

Malty taste, slight sweetness. The hops are hidden at first, but they subtly creep up on you. Definite lager notes, and certainly suggestions of an English IPA. Interesting malt and citrus taste on the back of the tongue.

Good carbonation, easy to drink. A good hoppy lager.

I didn't really know how to classify this one, but the label describes it as an IPA brewed like a lager. The beer pours a very bright light gold with a nice fluffy head that lingers in a solid layer. Lemony citrus hops dominate the aroma with a bit of nuttiness as well. More lemony hops pop up in the flavor, with hints of grapefruit and orange as well. The nutty flavor pokes out too, but it is a bit more towards grainy. The beer finishes clean and dry with a muted bitterness. Overall not a bad beer, but also not the best hoppy beer that Phillips produces.