Vienna Lager
Free Will Brewing Co.

I am just running through all sorts of Lagers out of the backlog in support of The CANQuest (tm). I kind of gave myself an S.I.W. late last week, drinking Stouts for a day & a half & then paying for it by being REALLY CANstipated on Saturday. 8=( It has (literally) passed now, but I am finding that a steady diet of Lagers for the time being may be just the trick.

From the CAN: "Liquid and Friends First"; "Malt forward with a firm hop bitterness, notes of bread and caramel, and a clean Vienna-style lager finish."; "IBU - 28[,] Deg. P - 12.8[,] SRM - 14.3".

I was a little surprised, on the Crack!, when I got some foaming action through the vent. No problem as an awaiting glass is always standing by for the upcoming Glug. It actually performed a pseudo-cascade that formed just under two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head with great retention. Color was Amber to Deep-Amber/Light-Copper (SRM = > 9, < 13) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a honey-drizzled breadiness along with a light Saaz grassiness. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium. I would say that the taste was less subtly-sweet than they describe, but it was fine in the style. It was quite malty, not sweet to the point of being cloying, but pushing the upper limits of my tolerance. Again, rating to style & not to taste makes a huge difference. I really did not get much in the way of hops, but the malts beCAN to evince a roasted nuttiness, like peCANs or almonds. Yum. Finish was semi-sweet, again not overly sweet, but one was going to be satiating for me. YMMV.

 

 

16 oz can, poured into pint glass

clear dark amber color - orange highlights when in the bright light. brilliant looking. nice white head. aroma is bready malt, clean earthy herbal hops. nice balance of similar flavors in the taste. fuller bodied for a low abv lager - nice mouthfeel.

16 oz can poured into a shaker pint.

Appearance
Amber. Good clarity. Light carbonation. 1 finger of creamy off-white head with good retention.

Nose
Brown bread, brown sugar, caramel, and toasted biscuit.

Taste
Brown bread, caramel, toasted biscuit, and brown sugar. Light earthy, leafy hop presence.

Mouthfeel
Medium bodied, smooth, sticky, lightly bitter, and refreshing.

Overall
An exceptional Vienna! If you're a fan of the style, go get some. Flavor for days.

 

 

 

 

Poured freshly filled growler straight from the brewery into glass. 5.2% abv

Appearance- Dark amber, lofty light head. Ample clarity with only a touch of haze.

Smell- Sweet bready malt, fresh caramel, with a touch of toasted bread.

Taste- Tons of grains up front, becoming sweet with the caramel malt blast. Just a slight amount of tasted flavor to the bread crust notes. Ends with a slightly sweet taste, yet retains some of the hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel- Medium light in body with active carbonation.

Overall- A great example of the Vienna lager style crafted by Free Will. No wonder it is simply called "Vienna Lager", due to the fact it is simply that. Smooth.

 

 

Had on draught at the Lahaska tasting room in mid-November 2016. Pretty par-for-the-course Vienna.