Shift Happens No. 02 DDH Lager
August Schell Brewing Company

Since Schell has an amazing reputation with producing fantastic lagers, I figured this would be a great trial. With greats like Arminius (RIP, but WHAT a PILSNER!!) and nearly their entire Cave Aged Barrel Aged lineup, it's nearly guaranteed I'll buy anything from Schell that's a lager. So here we go.

Shift Happens, No. 2, Double Dry Hopped Lager. Can into Ploughshare glass, born on 7/17/20, best by 4/29/21 (that's a long stretch).

Pours from the can a clear piss gold and forms a slightly hazier medium blonde. The head is very tall due to lots of hops I assume, and is 3 fingers, receding slowly and leaving lots of lace.

The aroma hits me from afar. I'm sitting a good foot or so from my glass, and I can smell the rich hoppy aromatics already. Bringing it closer, I smell a bouquet of effervescent strawberry and orange, with mango, starfruit, and banana behind it. Hints of bready malt. Wow.

Flavor is wasted. Unless I read the can wrong, which would mean it was "best by" 7/17 and underneath it was a date code. I'm starting to think so. I can't do it. Oxidized, cheesy hops, cardboard, grass, and lavender.

Feel is creamy while retaining a crispness with a nice starchy finish and some mildly clinging resins.

This is going straight into the yard. I can't finish it. I have to think that maybe this can was actually 4-5 months older than I thought. Hops don't do well with age (unless you're 120 minute). I'm really sad about this.

Price paid : $4.29 / can
Would buy again : No

From A 16oz can:

Appearance: Hazy gold, huge head.

Smell: Smells oxidized and old despite the can saying it is from early July. It was in a refrigerated case when I bought it, maybe not prior to that?

Taste: Tastes fine, sturdy malt backbone, moderate sweetness, mild citrus and tropical fruits. Heavy syrupy feel that disappears after swallowing, finishes clean.

Overall: Kind of all over the place, for a beer that is supposed to be showcasing hops, it doesn't really do so. It's "interesting", but not really one I'll be rushing to finish the last two in the 4 pack.

Looks are similar, cloudy with full white head. Aroma holds this to be a little more grassy in addition to the fruit. Still shows soft yellow fruit quality but not as prominent. Nice fruit basket flavors and not holding the grass of the aroma. At first a sharp little bite on the taste that settles some as it warms and opens up. Seems a little sweeter than no 1. Very soft bitterness finishes out the taste. Great body, just like the first one. Lager heavy and a DIPA stickiness (but not very heavy on this).
If you liked the first one, no reason not to like this one. Just a little richer and sweeter.

Can. White head with nice lace. Slightly hazy golden color.

Reminds me of a maibock. Strong flavored. Sweet and malty with a lot of hops. Floral, earthy, zesty. Orange with some citrus. Really unique. Solid.