Draft Lab #6 Vienna Lager
Blackberry Farm Brewery

 

as good a vienna lager as i have ever had, from anyone, no joke! this is not at all what we know and love blackberry farm for, its the saisons and belgian styles that they do best, but this is a great testament to how competent they are across just about any style, and it really is brilliant, especially in a style i am almost never excited about, this really blew my mind. deep copper color here, perfect clarity, and a little more richness in appearance than i am used to in the style. the head is tall and white and lasting, it almost looks like a nitro with how creamy and active it is, absolutely gorgeous. the malt complexion here is awesome, for one, its insanely fresh. its also a shade deeper and darker and more complex than most, with a serious nutty element, almost fresh hazelnut to my palate, some cool german minerality, something with the water maybe, and then the lager yeast which is so flavorful, creamy and doughy and european, bolder in the mix than it often is. this is also drier than a lot of these ever are, not too sweet to want to drink a million of them, lots of body though and complexity throughout. so smooth, almost impossibly so, with brilliant carbonation moving it along. fallen leaves, cracked roasted nuts, minerals, light toffee and caramelization, and the lager yeast. world class take on this style, one of the best ever made as far as i am concerned! totally unexpected from these guys!