The Compleat Lager
E9 Brewing Co.

a tasty and old worldy lager here, done with heirloom rustic ales, who i am unfamiliar with. its a darker lager, similar to a english mild, but fermented as a lager not an ale, pretty interesting concept, and it translates well to the glass, especially in the fall season, where a little malt is in season. deep amber to brick red in the glass, huge couple of inches of off white head very fizzy and lasting, and a cool nose, toasted, nutty, lightly smoked to me, and a bit doughy from the lager yeast, less sweet than it looks to me, autumnal and relatively complex. the flavor comes in waves, some light astringency runs all the way through it, but its caramel and maple up front, wet leaves and campfire smoke in the middle, chestnut and toasted almond late, with the yeast rising up more and more in the mix as it warms. less hops than expected for these guys, but high carbonation and a relatively clean finish given the style. i like the european malt depth this has, the high drinkability for its color, and the way it seems to be ushering in the fall right now. another nice lager from these guys, they do everything well. this collaboration series of beers has covered a lot of ground this year!