Idle Hans
Künstler Brewing

 

a well made india pale lager here, but not a recipe i totally love. its cool its not all dry hoppy and without malt and modern, but its a little mild to me for the style, not as drinkable because its got some grain sweetness, and more bitter than flavorful in terms of hops, i think it could be tweaked to be a little more dynamic and expressive, but the lagering part is nice, the yeast has some flavor and the beer has that crisp character even though its a little heavier on the grain side, they got that part right. the hops have a little astringency to me, subtle orange and pine too, nothing too dramatic with the dosing or the varietals, but the come through well enough, especially in the nose. bitterness is high, which is needed for balance, but when the grain fades and the hops remain, its a little exposed and not as nice as it could be in that way. a little cakey on the grain side to me, wintery and more hearty than i want a hoppy lager to be i think, but the execution is there, as was the case with pretty much all the beers we had in here. if they lightened it up even a little bit it would be closer to the target, less current and american than many, and to its detriment i think.