Wet-Hopped Hopfenlager
Dovetail Brewery

I had this on draft 11/13/25 @ the Hopleaf.

See-through orange/yellow appearance.

Big white head; a thick curtain of tree-rung lacing remained.

Guava, bubblegum & dry pine notes in the nose.

Medium thin mouthfeel.

Bubblegum & faint guava flavors up front; a dry pine note on the finish.

Interesting but a bit punishing on the palate, for this timid soul at least.

 

 

2025: Zuper Saazer cans.

After DIY wet-hopping Hamms at home at the end of the hop growing season, it’s time for a professional wet hop lager.

Pours into a fluted glass with a slight haze and a billowing head that resembles a doughy biscuit. Long lasting retention with ample lacing.

Aroma is soft and grassy, light botanicals, mild biscuity malt.


Taste is pleasant, the Zuper Saazer are front and center, lending a dry herbal character and a mild grassiness. Bitterness is not too dominant, well balanced with a hint of grapefruit pith and resiny greens in the aftertaste.

Medium bodied, creamy texture, light bite of CO2. Carb level is easygoing.

Overall this is a nice wet-hopped lager with assertive fresh hop character. Easy to have a couple.

This is not an "IPL". The brewery doesn't at all describe it like that, it doesn't fit BA's style metrics, and the beer itself is more like a mildly hoppy helles.

Pours a light beige-colored foam that fades in longer than average time to a medium-sized ring around the perimeter of the glass. Lacing is very good, with a wide ring of small dots and blotches clinging to all sides of the glass. Body is a semi-bright golden orange color, with light bringing out golden yellow-orange hues (SRM 4-5). Transparent, no apparent sediment at bottom of can.

Aroma of light sulfur with lemon-lime, unique mild grape with a touch of other fruits, light spice, a hint of savoriness, and a slightly odd phenolic-plastic character. Some faintly toasty maltiness emerges from time to time as the beer warms.

Flavor with background pale maltiness (and perhaps a slight nod towards a light-colored caramel malt?), some sulfur, lemon-lime-like and a slightly fruity hop character, generally light hop spice and bitterness, and an occasional touch of savoriness. Front: pleasant levels of sulfur and lemon-lime with a light pale malt sweetness and possible hint of light-colored caramel malt (CaraHelles or something else at a low percentage). Mid: light sulfur and lemon-lime with very slight hints of pineapple and grape, light hop spice and bitterness, a touch of savoriness from the wet hops; slight plastic/phenolic note, pale malt is present in the far background. Back: stronger sulfur and lemon-lime characters; medium-light hop spice and light hop bitterness; nuances of pale malt character and perhaps a hint of light-colored caramel malt sweetness/character in the background. After: lingering light hop spice and bitterness with mild notes of sulfur and lemon-lime; base maltiness far in the background.

Beer is medium-light to medium bodied, with carbonation of medium intensity (~2.3 vol CO2) that still leads to a mostly foamy and pillowy mouthfeel. Closes not dry, with fairly heavy stickiness on lips.