Stating The Obvious
Aslin Beer Company

I've only had one other lager from these guys, and I do remember it being a bit below par (Doch, their Oktoberfest Märzenbier), but I had to buy a can of this because the label was just too funny to ignore. According to the label, this is a "bottom-fermented grain-based alcoholic beverage made with Vienna malt and some other ingredients." True to its dumb name, this beer is truly giving me only the most immediately-apparent information about its self. How quaint!

The pour is a clear medium-amber with a thin-retentive ring of slightly-off-white head that builds up to a half-finger at its highest point, leaving behind some slight wisps of lace as well as some moderate legs for the style. I do enjoy how utterly transparent this beer is, and the color is truly nicely-rendered and true to style, so I feel bad giving it less than a good score.

The nose is slightly lemony and sourdough-tinged with some biscuity malt and hints of toffee and caramel. Alongside these deeper scents are some hints of herbal hops and leafiness that kind of ground this in a more "Vienna lager" spot, but there's still something that doesn't feel superb or absolutely right here. Maybe it's a bit estery or something, but it isn't awful or overly-distracting, so I'll give them a bit of a pass.

Palate is a bit better, though still perhaps too distractingly hoppy and grassy for my taste. Very lemony with some pound cake flavors. Upfront notes of Vienna malts and light caramel with a crisp, leafy mid-palate that ends drinkable and quenching, while still lightly-sweet and full-bodied for the 5% ABV. Feel is medium, though maybe a bit too pushy/aggressive for this style. American brewers who like to do mostly IPAs probably shouldn't be doing things like this. I know that's a somewhat hot take, but... meh. Whatever. This is fine, and I'm probably giving it a higher rating than it deserves, but it is what it is.

12 ounce can - $2.50 at Woodstock Beer Market in Woodstock, Georgia.

Mystery production code on the bottom of the can.

Appearance: Pours a lightly hazed, coppery-gold body with an instantly evaporating head.

Smell: Sweet-scented, lightly grainy with an overly ripened fruitiness throughout.

Taste: A tad sweet upfront with a blend of ripe fruit, homemade cider and a pervasive musty, mushy yeastiness. A pretty poor excuse for a lager. Sweetish, twangy, earthy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium-plus carbonation.

Overall: I was going to say this was a pretty awful beer, but that would be stating the obvious.

Uniquely colored dark orange brew with a malty, bready, and hints of orange to the nos. The taste was bready with malty sweetness and a distant taste of citrus. Mouthfeel was full-bodied and thick. An exceptional Vienna lager, quite possibly the best I have had to date.

 

Look: It pours amber which is on the light side. There is a bit of hazing to it.

Smell: It has an off white head with average head retention. There is sweetness in the aroma with caramel notes.

Taste: It has caramel flavors that are a bit sweet. There are hints of honey in the background with a little bit of spice.

Feel: It has a medium body with a finish that is tilted towards the sweet side.

Overall, easy drinking and a bit sweet.

 

 

Can. Clear dark golden color. White head. No lace.

Biscuit, caramel, toffee. Toasty. Malty. Grassy, spicy, earthy hops. Light bitterness, but overall smooth and rounded. Really solid take on the style.

Very drinkable.

 

 

Pours a light golden-amber; scent of grain. There is a lot of sweetness and a lack of crispness that makes this a cloying, unrefreshing beer; the hit of bitterness at the end is welcome.

Poured from a can into a pint glass. Pours reddish orange with a tiny white head. Smells of caramelized grain, inviting. Tastes of caramelized grain with nice fruitiness. Beer is light bodied and easy drinking, good carbonation. Overall, a very good beer.

 

Pours a deep orangish color with a big white foamy head that sticks around. Malty on the nose as well as yeasty. Taste follows the nose with a nice balance of malt, bread and caramel-like sweetness.

 

I am stating the obvious here but the maltwork of this lager is fantastic! Crisp pilsner, sweet caramel, doughy biscuit, and accenting grain malt carry the smell and taste. Taste is a touch sweeter but the grassy hops and cutting bready yeast help balance over the sip. Feel is, obviously, malty, with bready and lightly hopped finishing touches. Again stating the obvious, the beer pours clear amber with a fat finger of cream head. Purists will decry the sweetness or the malt intensity, I on the other hand though it was a clinic in malt complexity in a light style... obviously

 

 

No can date
Pours a med fizzy bubbly almost 1 finger head with med retention, semi clear with sediment haze med orange-tan color

Nose brings biscuity toasty malts, grainy, toasted cereal and bread crust, a little caramel and sweet bread, hint of honey as well, a bit of a candy and fruity ester note, light herbal hops, a bit of toasted corn

Taste brings more toasted grainy malt, cereal, toasted cereal with some biscuity flavors, a little toffee caramel and bit of candy marmalade with touch of fruity esters again, grainy-sweet but not pilsner-y, a bit of sweet-bread crust, into med herbal hop flavors, a little floral as well, bitterness on the lighter side, a bit of a soft lager, drier finish a bit crisp with med herbal hop bitterness

Mouth is med bod, soft lager, med foamy carb

Overall not bad, doesn't blow me away but nothing wrong and lagered well

16 oz can with no date.
A case of another disappointing East Coast lager. A bit of sweet malt upfront but there is a severe lack of any staying power from anything. The good thing about this is it disappears from the glass very quickly. Which is a good thing so I can move onto something with more substance.