Relaxing Weekend
Highland Park Brewery

 

 

Straight pour from a 16oz can to a flared pilsner glass—AZ Wilderness’ Wilderpils glass. This has a canning date of August 30, 2018 printed in black ink near the bottom of the can (“Canned On 08.30.18”), making this beer … five days old at the time of consumption.

Appearance (4.75): Three good fingers of bone-white foam rise off of the pour, capping a slightly hazy, straw-yellow body. The head slowly dissipates into a cap of pock-marked meringue, leaving a panoramic trail of chunky, spider webbed lacing. This beer is gorgeous.

Smell (4.25): A bright mélange of fresh-cut grass, tart lemonade, and citrusy, resinous dankness overlays a soft passionfruit note, dusty, cracked wheat boule crust, dry rolled oats, and floury sugar cookies. Faint notes of kumquat and bergamot come out some more as it opens up.

Taste (4.25): On the palate, the beer leads with lemon peel and grass, blending in a big, big mineral note that seamlessly marries citrus zest and lawn clippings with the grain bill. The grain comes out with the same character noted in the nose, evoking floury crispbread, dry rolled oats, soft dumpling dough, and common crackers. It’s light, but offers enough structure for the hops to vault all over goddamn place, like lemurs that got into that trapeze place your friend went to for their “definitely-not-a-quarter-life-crisis” birthday. But again, a lot it comes back to that big, refreshing mineral component, like a summery whirlpool pulling your dinghy down into its, ahhhh, hole. Just the faintest hint of soft melon flesh floats a somewhat brash, but not distasteful blend of fresh grass and weedy resin into the finish, which takes a few seconds to resolve. Appropriately, no booze or off-notes detected.

Mouthfeel (5.0): Summer crusher, man. If a fresh pack of cans came through my fridge once a week, my recycling bin would be full of ‘em. The carbonation is moderately full, fluffy, just barely tingly, and deeply refreshing. It carries a body that stays comfortably on the lighter side of medium-weight, easily dissipating behind a combination of that fluffy carb, grassy hops, and that prominent mineral character. I’d be hard pressed to find a way that this could be a more enjoyable drink, in terms of feel and drinkability.

Overall (4.5): For the style, this beer is absolutely killer. Is it the best or the most memorable lager that’s ever crossed my lips? I’m not sure—hard to compare something like this to Schlenkerla or a Jack’s Abby DIPL—but it’s not far off from perfect for a lager designed to scratch the particular itch that it’s meant to. It reminds me most of a Czech Pilsner, grassy and a little starchy and minerally, but it’s put together with Nelson (ugh, I love you) and … river rocks. Not sure if that’s contributing to the minerality or not, but hey, why not. In the meantime, this is crushable and memorably delicious. Highly recommended.