North South Lager
Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company

I did myself in not too long ago, focusing on nothing but Stouts in the furtherance of The CANQuest (tm), but it turned out that too much of a good thing is a bad thing! First, my stool turned really dark (OK), but then it got really solid (uh oh) & then I got bound up to the point that I could not pass a popcorn fart in a high wind (Ooops!). I am now purging with nice Lagers of any stripe, just so long as they are in a CAN!

From the CAN: "There's more connecting Pennsylvania and Florida than I-95 and the seasonal snowbirds that move up and down the coast each year. This unfiltered German-style Helles collab with our friends from Tampa's Cigar City Brewing was born with a focused execution and an understated balance & complexity blending old world tradition with American creativity. Prost!

I was kind of excited to Crack! open the vent & get this drink started. I followed it up with a slow, gentle C-Line Glug just to prove that I was not THAT excited. My reward was the quick formation of just under two fingers of foamy, soapy, rocky, bone-white head with decent retention. Color was Straw-Yellow (SRM = > 2, < 4) with NE-quality clarity. Nose seemed a little hoppy for the style, so I CANsulted this site's Style Guide: "... offer a touch of sweetness that balance a measurable addition of spicy German hop flavor and light bitterness." I LOVE this unambiguous update!. Spicy was a bit of a stretch in this case, but it was certainly hoppy on the nose. Mouthfeel was medium, kind of big for a Lager. The taste was … well, I am reluctant to say "spicy", but it was not really bitter, either. It had a woodiness as though it had been barrel-aged. It was very earthy in its flavor, whether from the hops and/or the malt(s), but it was not a simple Lager. This evinced some real thought in its CANlaboration. Finish was semi-dry to dry & very refreshing. Dang, but it seems to me like they kind of nailed this one!