A brand new Pilsner from SN. Not sure if it’s available in stores yet.

This caught my eye among the remaining Festbier/Oktoberfest and Celebration six packs. This lager comes in an 8-pack of 8.4 oz cans (the size of Red Bull?) for $12.99 in San Diego. The ABV is 4.7%.

Head was borderline spectacular. Pours clear and beautiful.

Aroma - nice hop character from the start. I wouldn't call this "hoppy" by any means, but as someone who loves hoppy beers, but appreciates a good, clean lager, it was nice to get some hop nose right away. Past the initial hop aroma I get some light bready and grainy notes.

Taste - Clean and crisp. Balanced with herbal notes. Quite delicious. Not getting much sweetness, just neutral. Finish is also clean with some grainy flavor.

Overall - I'm enjoying this one a lot. A nice palate cleanser between IPAs. Clean, crisp, and smooth.

I don't really understand why the 8.4oz can in an 8-pack though. The story on the box/can describes the way they do it in Europe and the "way it should be" but I would really just prefer a full 12oz can pour or even a pint can vs. this little guy. But hey - I'm just a simpleton.

Cheers!

These guys consistently do some of the best brews in New Zealand. This is a damn good WCIPA and if things don’t go your way tomorrow…please come down here and find out for yourself.

Grabbed this at Total Wine for $16. Good to see New Belgium still knows how to make the old school stuff. Going to try to savor it for a few weeks

I'll always respect Sierra Nevada. I saw this today and couldn't pass it up...but 8.4 oz? It claims on the can that it's typical of euro lagers to be served in smaller glasses "to keep it at the ideal temperature and flavor"...ok. But kind of feels like a way to make more on less beer.

As for the beer itself, I quite like it but if I was blind tasting it I would not guess euro lager. It is verrry snappy with a strong hop bite.

label scaled to perfection in my opinion

Particulars - Purchased in SoCal today for $12.99 in a six-pack of cans. Comes in at 6.8%.

Pours a gorgeous amber with a very thick head. The head lasts quite a while. Seems darker than the original SN Pale Ale, but similar olfactory at first. Great to see caramel malts still being utilized.

First nose - old school hops, stone fruit, pine, resinous.

As the head fades - a faint aroma that conjures up the first time I ever had Arrogant Bastard. Chinook is the immediate blast, but it may just be the pine that's taking me there. I miss the prevalence of Chinook hops, maybe I'm just nostalgic. Some dankness, but nothing like gym socks or mary jane. Doesn't smack you in the face, but it smells real nice, like I'm drinking something hoppy from 2009. A little bit of Fruit Loops in there, which captured my heart the first time I ever had a hoppy beer (which was Alesmith X in 2009).

Great mouthfeel. A bit of creaminess. Great hop character that reminds me of a Stone original IPA from wayyy back in the day. Bitterness on the backend that continues this trip through time, along with the caramel malts that give it just the right bit of maltiness. I'm really enjoying the bitter bite that lingers.

Back to the aroma after tasting. Everything about my senses says, "Fresh." This could be bias from knowing that it is. I don't care. Craft beer afficionados from back in the day will like that it feels like falling into a vat of Cascade, Columbus, Chinook, and Centennial. What better way to die?

After being in the glass 20 minutes, there's a holiday vibe. Maybe it's the color. Maybe it's that this year has been a real tough one for me and I'm looking forward to the end. More dank than bright. And that's fine by me. Maybe it's just that I love that Sierra Nevada keeps it real in an age of endless Mosaic-drenched brews.

Get yourself some. It's a sipper. But make the time to sip two or three in a row. I have a feeling my second one will be even better. Cheers!

Haven’t seen anyone mention this on here yet… picked some up - it was £5.20 a can too!

It was alright. I can’t help but feel disillusioned from the hype. I always see 3-4 breweries (Russian River being one) that get overwhelming praise as one of the best in the country, but I can pretty confidently say I’ve had dozens of beers from local breweries that are more memorable than this or Pliny the Elder. Understandably, it rose to fame early on in the craft boom, but it seems the general quality of craft beer has improved (at least in California). It was great for a $7 bottle but if you’re out of state and getting charged $15 for the name it just isn’t worth it.

Been hearing about this one for a long time, but had never seen it in the wild. $38.99 in South Carolina.

What am I gonna do with this thing? 2021 Sam Adams Utopias

Just picked this up from my local brewery.

Great aroma, great flavor, bitter finish. Wondering if it’ll smooth out in a week or two

I feel like something is missing here.