Lager
Ghost Hawk Brewing Co.

my first from these guys, never even heard of them before i dont think, but this is a lovely can of well refined unfiltered lager, full flavored, awesome mouthfeel, and a nice first impression, a beer i immediately want to drink a ton of, thanks to a new friend for sharing the can! the quality here is definitely better than its ratings. blonde and unassuming, pretty clean for being keller style, my guess is its long lagered, nice and cold, this has great crispness but also probably is cleared because of the process, frothy white head on it with nice retention, lots of bubbles, looks easy and approachable. the nose is expressive even when nice and cold, old world lager yeast treated well, lightly grassy and bitter hops, earthy slightly cooked pale malt, european in nature, biscuity and slightly warm for a beer thats drier and refreshing overall. the flavor is awesome, balanced and with nice contributions from all elements including the water. its grainy and old worldy, refined but rustic too, the unfiltered nature of this fully intentional and enhancing, well hopped but still true to style, fresh as can be, and as subtle as the yeast is, i really think the ferment overall is the defining element of this, super good! crisp and clean, soft but a little fuller in feel for what it is, smartly built and professionally executed. would love to have more from these guys, a real purity and quality about this one, impressive! an unexpected treat today!

 

On tap at The Pharmacie Bar + Kitchen in Montclair, NJ.

Poured into a shaker pint. Look was a clear golden/yellow color with little to no head present. Aroma was that of a sweet cereal. Taste was slightly malty/sweet with traces of bread/biscuit. Little to no carbonation noted.

A very easy drinking beer.

Delicious refreshing with a twist to the usual lager is what makes this different to your run of the mill craft lager. Notes of hay, biscuit malt balanced with bitter hops kicks this into premium lager territory for me. Delicious would buy again.

 

 

 

Offers two fingers of off-white foam, looks whipped up but the retention is decent enough, virtually no lacing to be had. Worn gold, dull but okay depth of hue, looks more unfiltered than hazy. Nose of malted milk balls, cereal grains, very light grassiness, touch of orchard pit fruit, nice soft texture in the nostrils. Medium-bodied, maybe needs a little more carbonation. More like pretzel dough or cracker here, quinine to mineral water notes. The more you sip the more honeyed it tastes. No particular fruit flavors leap out at you, likewise not getting much hoppiness, were that intended. As inoffensive as it is innocuous. My general apathy towards the category of beer may lead to some biased unfairness. My stepson loves it. (Did not see a canning date)

Not super heavy or hoppy, the ghost hawk still packs a lot of flavor.

 

Listed as a European-style lager, this beer has a huge malt character up front. It turned out to be a bit more balanced than my initial taste indicated, but still leans a little sweet to me.

A clear golden body had no head on a pour that couldn’t be moved without spilling some. A medium white ring lasted, though.

Nose of cereal grain, grass, honey, and a little pear fruitiness. Taste followed with a sweet cereal and some apple/pear (and even a little unripe plum) backed by a little grassy hops. The bitterness of the latter was appreciated but not completely balancing.

For a Euro lager, this is ok, but a little sweet overall for my tastes.

 

On-tap @ Village Brewing Company in Somerville, NJ.

Pale gold and mostly clear with a small white head. Mild aroma of slightly sweet pilsner malt and light floral hops. Flavor has impressive balance between the malt and hops. It's really nice to see a local brewery not go overboard with the hops on an Export lager like this, Clean and medium-light bodied. Some great potential here from this new brewery. I would definitely order it again.

Decent lager with good noble hops. Some bitterness and a yellowish color. Decent taste, above average for a beer of this style. Yellow color - white head.