Juicy Lager
Ecliptic Brewing

Canned 4/14/23. Pours a slightly hazy amber, frothy head, sticky lacing. Nose right out of can is highly fruited - catch it before it fades away. First taste is a well-tempered bitterness, which lingers around. Aftertaste has a malt, bready flavor, nicely done and as a lager, stands out from the normal IPA with its start-to-finish hops, hops, and more hops. Good carbonation, light on the tongue and just shy of dry.

This beer would be great with food, paired with something that woud complement the fruity background, such as a well-made tuna salad sandwich.

16-ounce can purchased at Uptown Beer Co. Canned on 04/18/23. Poured in a nonic half-pint glass.

Look:
Juicy Lager is a pale, perfectly clear yellow-gold beer. A measured pour raises a finger-tall head of bright white foam that is rich and creamy and slow to dissipate. It leaves plentiful, intricate lace on my glass.

Smell:
Pretty standard lager profile. A mild combination of dry, somewhat crackery malt, some delicate earthy and spicy hops, and a touch of sulfur. This is brightened by well-integrated citrusy notes (orange and a bit of lime zest).

Taste:
Crisp, grainy malt leads the way. Not too sweet. An appealing combination of unobtrusive fruit notes make an appearance through the middle: orange peel, a bit of lime zest, a note of red Swedish fish candy. Subtlety is the word here. The dry, crisp finish has some satisfying toasty malt flavor. A nice and unexpected bonus.

Feel:
Light-bodied with bracing carbonation. Clean and quenching.

Overall:
Not gonna lie: I was a little worried about this "juicy lager," mostly due to the near-overwhelming fruitiness of my previous beer (Great Divide/Boneyard Great Bones IPA). But I know the two breweries involved here are reliably good, and New Beer Weekend demands New Beers. I was pleasantly surprised to find a clean, well-made lager with just enough zesty fruit character to make it interesting. Nice one.