3 Gringos
New Trail Brewing Company

Hey, kids, what time izzit? Nope, not Howdy Dooit time! It's Lager Time! I am CANtinuing to tie up some loose ends from The CANQuest (tm) as beers emerge from The Backlog during this time of self-isolation & quarantine. I have done brewery horizontals with these next few in the past, but these represent the lost lambs & strays that have finally turned up.

From the CAN: "MexiCAN Style Lager"; "Brewed with Lime & Salt".

This sounded good just on the face of it, but when coupled with it being from one of my new fave PA brewers, it was time to Crack! open the vent & see what's what. I CANmenced a slow, gentle, steady C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. resulting in the quick, but brief, formation of just under two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, eggshell-white head with limited retention. Color was a gorgeous Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7) with NE-quality clarity, prompting an impromptu visit from The Gelt Gang of Mammon, Midas & Croesus, all clamoring for a taste. Nose smelled like a pre-made Corona with lime and salt already added. Actually, it was better smelling than an AAL as it did not have any corn presence, but it still smelled like a day at the beach. Mouthfeel was barely medium, but not as thin as many Lagers. The taste had a light toasty maltiness, but the lime was definitely the star of the show with a hint of salt. That was fine since a heavy dose of salt might have ruined it. This was NOT a Gose, after all! Finish was semi-dry, a nicely-made, adjunct-free Lager with a lime/salt CANbination that CANtributed to its semi-dryness. I'd happily take this along to the beach in my cooler this Summer, if there is anywhere worth going. YMMV.

$ 3.00 (Including tax)/16 oz can ($ 0.188/oz) from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA. Reviewed 9/6/19.
“KEEP COLD DRINK FRESH 05/21/19” stamped on can bottom. Refrigerated at point of sale, stored at 42 degrees and served at 42 degrees in a hand-washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 3.25.
First pour – Light yellow, clear.
Body – Yellow, hazy.
Head – Large (Maximum 5.3 cm, aggressive center pour), white, medium density, short duration, diminishing to a three to four mm crown and a rocky partial cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3.5 – Grainy with lime.
Flavor – 3 – Grainy, no lime, no salt, no malt. No alcohol (5.1% ABV) flavor or aroma, no dimethylsulfide, no diacetyl.
Palate – 3 – Medium, watery, lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation – 3 – More body than an AAL but not more flavor. A “Mexican Style Lager” would be expected to resemble a Vienna Lager. This doesn’t.

Mexican lager with lime and salt. The lime is certainly noticeable, and perhaps just a bit too much, but otherwise it is a perfectly fine, perfectly generic summer lager