Tailgate Crusher
Ellison Brewery & Spirits

 

 

 

I picked up a can of Ellison's Tailgate Crusher yesterday for $2.79 at The Lager Mill. It's been a while since I've tried a new Lager and I'm interested to see what they can do with this style, so lets see how it goes. 2017 Vintage. Poured from a tall 16oz can into an Imperial Pint glass.

A- The can looks ok, the design is a little plain and it's not the most eye catching. It poured a pretty clear golden yellow color that took on more of pale yellow color when held to the light and it had almost two fingers worth of creamy and slightly fizzy white head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and it left some a little bit of spotty lacing behind. This is a pretty nice looking beer and it's what I would expect from the style.

S- The aroma starts off with a slightly higher amount of medium sweetness with the malts being the first to show up and they impart a grainy, creamy, pale malt, biscuit and sweet malt like aroma. Towards the end there's a little bit of hops with a gassy and earthy aroma to it. This beer has a nice aroma, it's pretty standard for the style.

T- The taste seems to be pretty similar to the aroma and it starts off with a slightly lower amount of medium sweetness with the malts still being the first to show up and they impart all the same grainy, pale malt and biscuit like aspects that it did in the aroma with a little bit of that creamy flavor coming through. Towards the end comes the hops which show up just a little more than they did in the aroma and they impart all the aspects and it gives this beer just enough balance. This is a pretty nice tasting Lager, it's just what I would expect from the style.

M- Smooth, clean, pretty crisp, slightly creamy, on the thicker side of being light bodied with a higher amount of carbonation. The mouthfeel is good and it works well with this beer.

Overall I thought this was a pretty nice beer and it's a good example of the style, it had all the key aspects that I was looking for and it had just enough balance. This beer had good drinkability, I could drink a few of these, especially when it's warmer outside. What I like the most about this beer is the mouthfeel and the balance in the taste, to me those were the highlights of this beer. What I like the least about this beer is the aroma, it's not bad, but it's a little unbalanced. I would buy this beer again when looking for a good and easy drinking Lager and I would recommend it to anyone looking for the same, I prefer this over Budweiser. All in all I was happy with this beer and I'm a little impressed with how well this Lager came out, it's good for a brewery that is known for their hoppy beers. It's one of the better beers that I've had from this brewery and it's a good example of thee style. Nice job guys, this is a tasty and easy drinking Lager, keep up the hard work.

 

 

16 ounce can into lager glass; no can dating, but is a recent release. Pours crystal clear pale golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky white with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Dense soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of cracker, corn, white bread, lightly toasted biscuit, light pepper, and herbal/grassy earthiness. A bit fruity/yeasty in the aromas, but not overwhelming. Nice aromas with good balance of pale malt, corn, and light earthy hop notes; with good strength. Taste of big cracker, corn, white bread, lightly toasted biscuit, light pepper, and herbal/grassy earthiness. Mild herbal, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of cracker, corn, white bread, lightly toasted biscuit, pepper, and herbal/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice robustness and balance of pale malt, corn, and light earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and zero astringent hop flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from bitterness. Fairly crisp/clean finishing. Very clean on lager flavors, with minimal yeast notes present. Medium-high carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy, and lightly sticky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 4.25%. Overall this is a delicious American-style pale/light lager! All around nice robustness and balance of pale malt, corn, and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth, crisp, clean, and refreshing to drink with the mildly bitter finish. Very flavorful for the low ABV. A very enjoyable offering. I doubt it meets the low calorie/carb requirements to be a true light lager, but this is still a spot on style example.

A - Pours a clear straw yellow with a large foamy white head. Tons of soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is corn, grain and white bread.

T - The taste follows the aroma. Corn, grain, light maltiness and some light earthiness. Not overly sweet like most adjunct light lagers.

M - Medium/light bodied with medium carbonation. Soft mouthfeel with a crisp finish.

O - Pretty solid light lager. Easy drinking and pretty tasty. Perfect for a tailgate.