Sun Streak
Sunriver Brewing Company

 

 

west coast pils is becoming a thing, and this is a fine one, nice for the oncoming good weather, my first new one from these guys in some time. hoppy but less bitter than i expected, citra and strata seem like a real nice combination for this style, and there is serious citrus going on here. the beer is yellow and bright and clear and airy headed, looks right on in the glass, refreshing before i even smell it. tangerine and canned mandarins meet zested meyer lemon and faint white coconut, but a pretty big contribution from the pils malt here too, crackery and fresh but pretty robust too, definitely a pils not a generic american lager, i love what the grain brings and this whole thing seems nice and fresh, not over hopped at all, and most dry hopped or late kettle when i taste it, expected more of a kick on the back end, but it stays pretty light and fruit forward, could almost have citrus actually added. the flavor is hoppy all the way through but it stays snappy and pretty clean, dry, and easy. more citra than strata but both on display, all totally gone on the swallow, lemon recall, nice for this time of year and well made overall, love that the base pils is still a thing, not neutral on the grain and not totally hop dominated. solid recipe and execution, highly drinkable.

Look: Clear light yellow on the pour with a nice-looking white head that slowly settles to a lid, leaving good lacing behind

Aroma: Grapefruit flesh and rind, navel orange, lemongrass, diesel-led Cannabis, Cara cara orange, and soda crackers

Taste: A big punch of citrus fruits kick this off, hitting hard up front before settling in and followed with a kiss of pilsner malt. Cannabis comes into play in the middle and meshes with the citrus before closing with more dank and citrus

Mouthfeel: Light but not watery, clean, medium-high carbonation, and clean and crisp on the finish

Overall: This is some tasty stuff. I love any and everything pilsner and although I dig traditional takes on the style, I also like when brewers bring a modern and/or American twist to one, as they did here. The Citra and Strata come through nicely but don’t make the delicate pilsner base obsolete. Definitely worth the purchase and since this is now apparently year-round, I’ll be drinking plenty of this this spring and summer