Frau Lisa
Situation Brewing

1L howler from the brewpub, where I'm happy to report, I had a genial experience with the bartender taking my order, for once! Oh, and this is their 'seasonal' offering, a sidestep on the German brewing continuum, and named after their departing head brewer.

This beer pours a clear, medium copper amber colour, with four chubby fingers of puffy, loosely foamy, and rather bubbly beige head, which leaves some stellar creepy autumn woods lace around the glass as it very lazily recedes - no hurry, ladies and germs!

It smells of crackery and biscuity caramel malt, a hint of black pepper spice, sharp apple and underripe pear fruity notes, a subtle earthy yeastiness, and some tame leafy and herbal noble hop bitters. The taste is bready and crackery caramel malt, a further doughy graininess, mixed citrus rind and pome fruit esters, muddled earthy spice, and a further understated weedy and herbal verdant hoppiness.

The bubbles are quite pleasant in their even-handed frothiness, the body a solid middleweight, and mostly smooth, with a nice airy creaminess arising as things warm up a bit. It finishes off-dry, the complex Teutonic malt not having it any other way, verstehen?

Overall, this is one tasty, tasty malt-forward brew, which shares more than a few things in common with the Oktoberfest/Marzen offerings from its neighbouring country . Zingy, attractive, and oh so easy to put back - happy Alberta Beer Week 2016, y'all!