Wunderful Lager
Ankerbräu Nördlingen

 

500ml bottle, a special release for the DeLancey Direct Signature Collection, i.e. an ode to the import representative in Western Canada. The website and QR code on the label, 'meinbier.me', doesn't appear to exist at this time.

This beer pours a clear, very pale golden yellow colour, with three fingers of puffy, bubbly, and somewhat creamy bone-white head, which leaves some arched rock formation lace around the glass as it duly fades away.

It smells of grainy, biscuity malt, rising white bread, fermenting white wine yeast, and a floral, kind of perfumed earthy hoppiness. The taste is sweet bready malt, a touch of corn mash, a subtle lemon fruitiness, now ephemeral yeast, and leafy, earthy noble hops.

The carbonation is quite understated, and reserved for support duty only, the body a decent medium weight, mostly smooth, with just a hint of pithy creaminess. It finishes off-dry, the sweet bready, grainy malt adequately balanced by the lingering, tamely bitter hops.

A so-so, still but better than average standard German lager, of the southern persuasion. Simple, and drinkable, I'm certain, in large quantities, in the right company. However, I'm kind of nonplussed with the weak attempt at German/English cross-pollination in the name.