Canadian Lager
pFriem Family Brewers

This beer pours a bright semi-clear yellow color with a medium head that dissipates quickly. The aroma is malt and grains. The taste is light, crisp, and slight bitterness with carbonation on the finish. Well balanced and crushable. Purchased at Hazel Dell Safeway. 10 IBUs Rated 5-4-2024

 

been awhile since i had been into pfriem, and after too many hours in the car, a cold wet one like this was just what the doctor ordered, me being the doctor in this instance of course. been seeing more and more american craft operations tackle what essentially amounts to a molson canadian or a kokanee or something, and ive been digging it, a trend i hope sticks around, craft nerds need yellow lager too! glorious clarity in the pint glass on this one, a lasting inch and a quarter of airy white foam, fast rising carbonation, golden yellow tone, looks spot on, super clean and refined, my thirst is quenched almost before it gets to my lips! this is beer flavored beer, and its right on. simple early pale two row barley might be all in terms of grain, perhaps a crackery pils thing too, but this is well grounded, not overly cereal forward, and very much on the dry side. the hops are slightly herbal, noble to me, very mild, but appropriate in this type of lager, a bit more robust and fresh than the macro types, and without it being pasteurized or anything (i would guess anyway), a lot more of its essence and apparent freshness is retained. the lager yeast is mostly flavorless but the crispness and dryness this hits with suggests a patient and professional lagering. carbonation is nice and high so this really is refreshing. simple notes of dry barley, slightly nutty for a second, familiar hop bitterness, and the minerals of the water are the mains elements of the flavor. clean and tidy and good, shows the full potential of the style, even though im not positive what makes it canadian in this instance, maybe the origin of the barley, but its delicious and i want another one! for any craft guy still fooling themselves that all the yellow lagers of the world are for our dads, i offer you this one to change your mind! any beer drinker should be a fan of this one, i hope the cans come around to boise!

Look: Clear straw-colored with a large-bubbled head that effervesces to the rim and rapidly falls, finishing as a light film and leaving spotty lacing behind
Aroma: Cereal grains, light and slightly sweet floral notes, wafts of a panderia, and crackers
Taste: Starts off with notes of crackers and wafting bakery scents that are quickly joined by sweet floral notes that mimic Japanese mock orange, pink jasmine, and honeysuckle. Grains are ever-present, very diverse, and prominent on the close
Mouthfeel: Light but not watery, extremely clean, medium-high carbonation, and a crisp and clean finish with zero dryness
Overall: I dig it. My dumb ass didn’t connect the obvious dots with this beer at first but after pouring and drinking one, I “got” the Canadian Lager name as this is like a craft version of Kokanee, Labatt Blue, or Moosehead but with greater depth and more prominent aromas and tastes. Well-made, tasty, and quaffable. Thanks to pFriem for another awesome beer

Clear yellow brew with a fine-grained pile of foam in the Stella Artois goblet. Grainy, mile aroma is quite pleasant. Flavor is malty but not sweet, an interesting herbal taste. Slight resiny and mineral aftertaste. Mouthfeel is sudsy and bright. While restrained in every way, this is a drier and more elegant Lager than most. From the 16 oz can purchased at Elizabeth Station. Dated 08/22/22.

16oz can

Pours three massive fingers of white head into my Willi. Retention is pretty average, and the head steadily fades over the course of a few minutes; it does settle into a nice and sturdy film though. Lacing is decent. Body is golden yellow, crystal clear, with a moderate amount of bubbles coming up. Looks pretty good.

Nose shows signs of well attenuated grain, a touch of sweetness, nothing really bready or deep to it - not all that different from a domestic or European malt profile. Hop profile is definitely domestic-like, nothing noble or overly assertive; some floral notes. Overall pretty safe, the sweetness comes out more with time. Not bad for the aroma.

Flavor certainly has a little more of that "ripening grain field" character, as the can puts it - that is to say, it's somewhat malty; even shades of malt liquor at times. Not much complexity whatsoever, but there is some pretty serious depth here, so that mostly makes up for the singular dimension. Pretty nice flavor.

Carbonation is elevated. The body is somewhat light, but has a little weight to it. Bitterness is pretty low, only subtly lingering on the back of the tongue for balance. Well attenuated, but definitely has a perceived malty sweetness. Overall the mouthfeel is quite strong (good).

Drinkability is very nice.

Overall a solid lager - malty, but still somewhat crisp, and definitely easy to put down.

16 oz can purchased from Safeway in West Salem. $3.55
Pours a real pale yellow coloured body, the head is thick and frothy and nice looking though.
Aromas seem typical macro lager. paper, lemon, apple and corn.
Taste is a more substantial yet still basically a macro lager. Cleaner than most, but it is what it is.
Feel is clean and well carbonated. As good as one can get for this style.
This is just a very nice macro lager. Nothing more.

Had on tap. Pours a crystal clear gold with a big white head, but retention wanes quickly, spotted lacing remains on the glass. Cereal malts and bloated lager yeast and very light floral hops in both smell and taste. No definition beyond the first moment of the sip. Feel is medium bodied, consistently malty, yet the finish is elevated.