Freedumb Hops
Black Lodge Brewing Company

a neat hybrid origin lager here, french hops which i love and which i think make this good, german yeast which makes it pils-like, and an overall ease of drinkability in the american lager tradition, although this is quite flavorful in that style space. blonde beer off from full clarity but tidy looking anyway under almost an inch of fizzing white head snapping and popping. it smells and tastes a little husky to me, like they got some tannins out of this malt perhaps unintentionally, bready and a little bit astringent, off dry which is fine, perhaps a little warm in the sparge, i do not believe this element to be intentional, but its minor, mostly late, and the hops still make this cool. french hops are underused by american brewers i reckon, and this is a nice style to work them into, id love to know what varietals are in play here, but its grassy in a noble way, floral uniquely, and brings notes of bee balm, honeysuckle, verbena, tea, and even petrichor, interesting enough to make this beer stand out. it has some european character in the ferment, but is mild there, and has zippy carbonation, a bit more upbeat than most of the others we tried in here. hay and straw and even some sort of farmhouse vibes later on as the hops evolve, a little late bitterness for crispness, very pleasant even with the hull aspect. a little refinement here would make this really cool, but i dig the recipe and the use of the french hops, lots of personality in this.