Tres Brujas
Barbarian Brewing

Taster at downtown Taproom. Initial taste was pure sweet grains, then some battery acid slipped in from out of nowhere, wrecking the palate. Lager turned funky. Trick of the palate, perhaps?

when its a pale mexican lager and not a vienna type i never know how to class it, we should have a category for them here on BA i think, as this isnt quite the typical adjunct lager, despite being brewed with corn. i have not had many lagers from these guys at all so i was excited to see this on their menu. its a bright and drinkable beer, light but with a lot of character, i can smell and taste the corn throughout it, which gives it some earthy layers, a harvest vibe despite being so refreshing, and a little more depth than is common in the style. i also get a little citrus to this, some limey character emerging late, perhaps from the hops, but it helps it finish crisp even though the ferment isnt quite as clean as it could be. i thought with the extended lagering this would be a little more dry and brisk but there is some slightly doughy yeast linger that stays on my palate longer than the rest of the beer, not a bad thing necessarily, just different than is common in the style. light body, high carbonation, and lots of life, this is cool beer, and what it lacks in flawless execution it more than accounts for with the corn profile in here. tasty session brew for summer, this is nice.

edit: its possible i didnt know this was made with lime the first time around, or even that it wasnt made with lime back then, fourish years ago now, but its obvious having it now, like they turned the lime part way up from where it may have originally been, and it now presents more like a flavored beer before it does a mexican lager, and there are enough others around that do that same thing, this seems somewhat less special to me now, although still tasty, drinkable, and well made, but not the best lime lager in the area right now and without as robust a corn profile apparent because the lime is as high as it is, no longer a hint or a suggestion. seems like this has changed quite a bit, but leaving original scores in place. the above review notes a citrusy or limey presence, but not its the lead note, maybe its my mind because im looking for it now, but its bold for sure...