Level Par
Sketchbook Brewing Company

Aroma is mild fruit, malts and German lager yeast, light but classic. The flavor is mild fruit, slightly nutty German malts and a mildly sweet/spicy noble hop finish.

 

I had this on draft 9/4/24 @ Sketchbook.

Semi-opaque dark orange appearance.

Small white head; decent lacing remained.

Cereal grain & mild floral notes in the nose.

Syrup-y medium mouthfeel.

Cereal grain & mild floral flavors, but the finish was syrup-y as well.

Good notes in here but the mouthfeel killed this.

a rather basic lager here, just my second beer from these guys, nothing wrong with it, a little relaxed and fuller feeling for the style, especially as a helles, but its an easy drinker after some time on the road. i had it wish a proper chicago deep dish, and i think it does better in a food context, the fatty cheese, the greasy crust, the acidic tomato, all of it responding well to this simple brew. darker in color than expected for a helles too, almost into that new penny shiny copper range, not as blonde as expected, and it doesnt hold much head in the shaker pint its brought to our table in, less carbonated than i like in a drinking lager. the nose is a little muted, not much on the hop side, a slightly european tint to the yeast, and more malty than most beers in this style space, still not sweet, but more of a biscuit and honey malt thing, less one note, it gets its character from the grain predominantly. the flavor too is somewhat understated, light papery character up front, some toasted richness to the grain, some loosely german maltiness too, almost a marzen note to me, but lighter than that. the yeast doesnt quite dry this out or make it crisp, maybe not enough time in tank to really condition, so it seems a little rough around the edges to me, like it should be more refreshing to drink than it is, but again, the heavy pizza helps this beer find its groove i think. more carbonation would be good, and just a little bit more of an identity overall seemed to be missing, like this could have been made by anyone anywhere, nothing specific or distinguishing about it at all...

 

 

 

Served from the can in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Pours a clear amber-gold topped by a finger of lightly off-white foam. The nose comprises sweetgrass, flowers, sweet cereal grains, and a kiss of biscuit. The taste brings in more of the same, with a twinge of either lemon or orange zest creeping around the back corner, the whole experience feeling more grainy than hoppy. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fluid feel. A decent-enough lager, not really as helles-y as I'd prefer, but its plenty drinkable nonetheless.

Tasted in a snifter from draft at Sketchbook Brewing Company on July 14, 2021.