Blizza!
Baderbräu Brewing Company

Taste: super crisp, fresh, tropical hips, clean finish. Same with the citrus hop nose. Gold, unfiltered, with a tall foam head and ringed lattice. Medium/Lite body. 39 IBUs

Canned 11/16/16. Served in a trusty stoneware krug, as any Kellerbier should.
Hazy gold, meringue foam. Sticky spotty lacing, lasting head retention, looks good.

Aroma is basic, hop pellets and lager yeast. Herbal cream impression from the grassy hops.

Pleasant malty flavor, hop bitterness amped up to a hamfisted degree, fresh cut grass baled up and squeezed in the glass. Yeasty creaminess in the background. Smooth feel, light bodied, very creamy. Kind of the saving grace of this.

A lager to appeal to IPA drinkers? Not really sure where to put this, it lacks the finesse to be great, similar to HA's recent IPL Cape Dune.

NOTE: This is miscategorized here on BA: this is a Zwickel/Kellerbier, not an American pale lager, a mistake that seems to have impacted its rating since one reviewer mentions "adjuncts," of which there are exactly NONE in the beer.

Baderbräu Blizza

A: Labeled as a Zwickel, this winter seasonal offering pours a hazy, bright golden orange not unlike the New England-style IPAs that are all the rage nowadays. There is obvious sediment as well as the haze. Of course, this cloudiness is a function of the Zwickel style, which is by definition unfiltered. The creamy, dense white head of about three fingers lasts forever, and lacing is immaculate. Carbonation seems moderately high and perfect. This is a very impressive-looking beer. 5/5

A: Very floral but backed by grassy, spicy hop aromas, which cascade out of the glass punctuated by lemony accents here and there. The hop bill is not specified, but this is clearly led by classic Noble hops. A lightly sweet, doughy malt base lies underneath it all, and despite the unfiltered nature, the overall impression is clean, though perhaps there are a few very light esters bringing apple, bubblegum, and pear to the table. Again, this is wonderful. It does lack a little oomph, but what is here is great. 4.25/5

T: The flavor improves on the aroma by including everything above but adding a little extra punch behind it all, well, except the malt bill, which is more svelte, making this largely a hop showcase. Mainly spicy hop notes prevail with that underlying lemony, grassy kick. Herbaceous qualities enter toward the very back along with a shadow of crackery malt (too little) and those lightly fruity, bubblegum esters. Grassy bitterness lingers along with peppery spice. This is great and almost a brilliant example of the style, but ultimately it is probably just a bit too hoppy, which brings it down a notch. 4/5

M: Despite the fairly high hoppiness, this is a criminally easy-drinking beer. It is medium-high-bodied, creamy, and velvety but somehow remains very drinkable. Carbonation is medium and perfect, and the bitterness mostly shows as dryness after a fashion. The crispness that is expected of a lager is here in spades. 4.75/5

O: The rating here suffers from ubiquitous anti-lager bias. This is a fantastic Zwickel that respectfully pays homage to the style and tradition surrounding it while ratcheting up the hop bill slightly to Americanize it (much less than most craft breweries would). If it were not for that Americanization (a move that I do not mind in the slightest, it must be said), this beer would have gotten even higher marks above. I would love to know what hops they are using for my own interest, but the seeming resistance to use fruity New World hops is laudable. The choice to make this a winter seasonal in Chicago is an interesting one, but the deceptively creamy body makes it almost work in an odd way. It does not have enough maltiness for me, ultimately, but that is a selling point for others, I am sure. I do not factor cost into my ratings, but it is worth noting that the price is right on this fantastic beer at $8.49 per six-pack (and, indeed, on all Baderbräu products). This is a beer everyone can enjoy: it is crisp, lowish in strength at 5.5%, and easy-drinking for the lager folks, yet it is hoppy enough and full-feeling enough for the IPA crowd. Baderbräu remains fairly underground in the Chicago beer scene, and that really needs to change because they are quietly doing some really amazing beers across the board but especially in the lager realm. Pair with the new, very accessible yet deep and rewarding "The Madness of Many" by Animals as Leaders. 4.25/5

On tap poured into a nonic pint. Mostly yellow straw in color with hints of gold. Nose is muted with hints of malt and hops. Taste is refreshing, a nice balance of the malt bill with the hops and adjuncts. Nice heft and not too bitter. Overall another nice offering from Baderbrau.

 

I bought a can of this off the single shelf at Binnys. It poured a hazy yellow with fizzy white head that is leaving a spotty lace. The scent has some floral hop. The taste has a citrus leaning hop. Nicely balanced and easy to drink. There is a chalky twang to it thou. The Mouthfeel is lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it's ok.

Felt like a beer caught in between visions. Had aggressive lager tendencies with the malt and adjunct flavors, but also had some spicy hops on the end, but neither went particularly well with the other. The smell is identical to the taste.