Slingshot
Radical Road Brewing Co.

 

Clear amber/copper body with a big, sturdy and steady head. Solid form.
Minimal aroma (expected for the style) of minerals and toasted malts. Lightly sweet.
First thing you notice is a creamy, buttery mouthfeel, very soft. Flavours of caramel and toffee malt sweetness. The late entry of simple hop bitterness cuts that sweetness and provides for a relatively dry finish compared to other lagers that have this big malty profile. Reminiscent of an ESB.
Overall, it's a great lager in my eyes, although I'm rarely a fan as I usually find them cloying. Give it a go!

Can from the lcbo for around $3.

 

Tallboy can from the LCBO; dated Nov 14 2016 and served slightly chilled.

This beer pours a relatively clear golden-amber colour, Seated atop is a solid two fingers of thick, soapy, luxurious white foam - initially smooth-surfaced, though it spends the next couple of minutes receding unevenly. It eventually melts down to a rocky, bumpy white cap about a half-inch high, but not before splattering a messy lattice of lace against the glass. Attractive visually, although the aroma is nothing to brag about - it's mostly just pale, clean malts and a touch of hops, which give the nose a cereal-grainy, bready feel with hints of grassy hay. Not attention-grabbing, but I guess that's to be expected from the style (and to be fair, it did grow on me a little as the beer warmed).

A nice, simple, pleasant lager to quaff. Clean grainy malts, toasted bread and a hint of honey sweetness at the forefront, which are swiftly countered by grassy, floral hops and hay. They fade just as quickly, however, leaving not much in the way of an aftertaste - suggestions of herbal, spicy hops? Off-dry aftertaste. Medium in body, with soft carbonation and a smooth, somewhat creamy texture and excellent drinkability. I could pound back can after can of this without getting sick of it; I'll toss out a few bonus points for its session potential.

Final Grade: 3.84, a B+. Radical Road's Sling Shot California Common is one easy-going beer: easy to drink for sure, but I'm also finding it very easy to appreciate. I'd be lying if I said that I consumed California commons on a regular basis, but from my recollection, this is a pretty good stab at a nuanced and understated style - flavourful, well-balanced and with a certain level of mass appeal. I've never seen this on shelves in Sarnia, but it would definitely be entering my rotation if I could purchase it locally.

Pours a slightly chill hazed deep brass color with a creamy, chunky, everlasting head. Husky, grainy notes in the nose with herbal, cedary hops and some DMS cooked veggies in the back. Sweet, buttscotch malts and grainyness mix with an earthy, herbal bitterness in the taste. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a light carbonation. Moderate bitterness and some residual sweetness in the off dry finish.

This is a nice example of the style. Perhaps a bit too sweet for my liking, it still is worth a try.

 

Honey gold under a pretty good-sized soapy head that settles to a good film. Plenty good lacing. A pretty brew.

Grassy hops on the nose, malty sweet up front to taste, but not overpowering. Some grain. Lingering hop bitterness. Decently made, better than a macro, but still fairly common.

 

 

 

473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. Purchased from the LCBO for just under $3 CDN.

Appearance - dark golden color with nearly Amber hues. Hazy as he'll with a rich finger of exquisite white head that lingers for just a little while.

Smell - clean with grainy notes some light floral aromas going on in the background. Nearly a creamy aroma (I know it doesn't make sense, but trust me) with a super subtle herb backing.

Taste - this is good. Easy drinking with predominately grain notes, but a light grassy and floral undertone. Also a creamy flavor that incorporates the grain and floral flavours seamlessly.

Mouthfeel - well carbonated, creamier than usual yet a biting and crisp finish.

Overall - enjoying this beer means I need to take another look at anchor brewing as I haven't had one of those fine beers in quite a while. An enjoyable treat and worth the price.