Moment of Zen
Karl Strauss Brewing Company

neat to drink a few in a row from these guys at a tap takeover event they were running. this is a pretty solid and sturdy take on a rice lager, yellow colored with a puffing near inch of white head, looks the part, but is also somewhat unassuming in the glass, nice carbonation is apparent. the nose on this is lightly floral, a bit starchy from the rice, and a little bit bready to me, white bread specifically, mild but distinctive, light on the hops, some lager yeast character is there too, but overall i think quite subtle, maybe not as snappy and clean as the best of these, but i dont mind the little bit extra this brings from the malt and from the ferment. the flavor is grain forward, and i can both taste and feel the rice in this, which is not always the case, fuller in here than is common, but the beer overall is still very drinkable, some pils character too, doughy, good water chemistry, light on the hops, maybe not quite lagered as long as it could be, i do like these a bit more crispy, but what we sacrifice in refreshment value, which is modest, we gain in flavor, which is worthwhile, and this hits fresh, floral, and still rather summery. i can see this as a good football watching beer, would play well with salty snacks or wings or the like, solid on its own too, not as minimal as many, trace white grape and white tea as it warms, oyster crackers, wet rocks, petrichor. a style i am becoming a huge fan of.