Dr. Saaz's Ponder Point
Utara Brewing Company

they called this one a czech lager on their menu, maybe a riff on a more traditional pilsener type, as this is not quite that, but its a nice beer, drinkable and hoppy as they go, fresh and tasty on site at their awesome little brewery. its a shade or two darker than a lot of pils types, a bit of orange and brass to it, and a pretty white head but not a lot of retention. aroma here is saaz forward, usually a hop i identify more easily in flavor than in aroma, but here its dry grassy and lime zesty qualities are evident, the freshness is really there, and it seems like it works well in this somewhat maltier brew. the lager yeast doesnt have a lot of character, so the hops are counted on to do a lot in the finish of this, and they deliver, somewhat less bitter than saaz often is, but enough to crisp this up a bit at the end, before some of the malt breadiness rushes back to the palate after the swallow. the beer is kind of minimal, but its not that light, if that makes sense, and its a nice transition lager from summer to fall, kind of on the fence between what works well in each season. a very well made beer, somewhat distinct for being as understated as it is. the only "normal" beer we had in here, next to a gin barrel ipa and a pale ale with pineapple and habanero. any beer drinker should like this, even if its not quite as refreshing as i thought it was going to be...