Helper Beer
Helper Beer

a basic lager but not one of their best beers, some weird nuance to this, i think its relatively hoppy for the light lager style space, modern and crafty sure, but probably a little robust for the yellow beer crowd, and it also has a curious tartness, faint but there, odd to me, but not unpleasant or infected or problematic really, its just not what i think of with a typical lager of this nature. blonde, super light yellow, pretty clear, looks almost watered down, fizzy and even holding a little bit of white head, this pops. the nose is minimal to me on the grain side and the yeast seems neutral, grassy and floral hops almost a jasmine note to it and slightly green, nice minerality, maybe a lemon thing giving it some of that tang. the flavor is grassy at first from the hops but it moves to bitter before the swallow and i could see this level of hopping being a turnoff for some. the tang is mild but persistent, and i taste this slightly longer than i want to despite it being as light in body and in overall grain character as it is. the high carbonation gives it some needed textural interest, but i reckon this is a couple of tweaks away from where they really want it. still refreshing and easy, but its the least impressive of the beers ive had from them so far. will revisit this down the road...

edit: a little better about a year later, from the can, still with that back end tang but now a toned down hop profile and some of the weirdness is more endearing now, warms up not amazing so i drink it cold and quick, still not among their best beers, but it has definitely been improved some, and its easily the lightest in their regular lineup, lots of personality for a yellow beer, intentional to me now in a way that either wasnt there or i previously missed, improving a few scores...