Mano Del Puma
Commonwealth Brewing Company

A: The beer is crystal clear golden yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high bright white head that gradually died down, leaving a thin collar around the edge and some lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of biscuit malts and corn are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and has additional notes of grainy malts. The hops also contribute a light amount of bitterness and mask just about any bits of sweetness from the corn.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied, clean and crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. There also is a bit of dryness in the finish.
O: This Mexican Lager is anything but bland and has a nice mix of flavors in the taste.

Serving type: can

Poured for a 16oz can into a tulip glass

Look: Crystal clean golden with a thick white head. A very pretty beer.

Smell: Crackery malt with a hint of wheat, corn, and noble hops.

Taste: Big malt on the the attack. Wheat, fruity lager notes, and a hint of honey. Then a bitter noble hop takes over. Very floral but nuanced. Balanced over all. Finish is a clean mix of the two.

Fell: Clean and quenching. Finish is bone dry. Good carbonation. No alcohol. Mild plus bitterness.

Overall: A clean, and well crafted lager. Another good one from Commonwealth.

 

 

 

 

 

Commonwealth Brewing Company "Mano Del Puma"
on tap @ Bottlecraft, Virginia Beach, VA on 19 June 2017
$3.50 / 8 oz.

Notes: Listed at 4.8% ABV with 22 IBUs. Odd name, it translates from Spanish into "human hand of the puma". Perhaps they meant "zarpa del puma" which means "the puma's paw". What's the Steve Martin Joke? "Boy, those French. They have a different word for everything!" I guess the Spanish do too! Anyway, it's a clear gold beneath a short head of white. The head retention is OK and there's some spotty lacing. The aroma is limited but displays some bready, lightly sweetish malt with just a suggestion of hops in the background. This is kind of a Mexican-style lager though, so you shouldn't expect anything more. The flavor then follows, and I'm a little surprised that Commonwealth would make a beer like this, it just doesn't seem to be their style, it's too simple. Maybe they're looking to sell more beer at the beach though, which would make sense. And just because it's a boring style doesn't mean it should be ignored or scored badly. It's nicely balanced, and really well polished. They know what they're doing over there and they've done it up right. Moderate bitterness, light-medium body, slightly less than standard level carbonation... just a basic golden lager really, although there must be some adjunct in use as it's not that grainy. On a hot day in the sun I'd say you could hardly turn this down.