Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Summer Beer Round-Up #8 and #9: Bell's Oberon and Great Lakes The Wright Pils

Now that summer is upon us it's time to start drinking autumn beer! Just kidding, but I'm not too far off. I'm sure you'll see Sam Adams Octoberfest by mid-August or even sooner. But that isn't going to stop me from drinking seasonally and on a resent trip to the lovely state of North Carolina I was able to indulge in a few "out-of-market" brands from two of the nation's larger better beer brewers.

Number 8 and number 9 in this series are Bell's Oberon and Great Lakes The Wright Pils. These two Midwest breweries are quite prolific, just not in New England...

Oberon pours a golden yellow with a lively white head. Slightly hazy with hints of mild peppery spice and citrus. Very slightly tart with some lemon pith-like hops and a pleasantly grassy finish. I drank this one after unloading a moving truck in near 100 degree heat, so I might be slightly biased as to the refreshing nature of the beverage, but it cannot be overstated that it provided said refreshment while delivering fragrant and flavorsome hop characteristics.


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The joke I made at the time (mostly to myself) while drinking Great Lakes The Wright Pils was, "is there a wrong Pils?" If there is you'll not find it in this beer. I deeply respect brewers who produce Lagers, mostly because it shows me that they're willing to tie up a fermentation tank for a longer period of time to brew the beer that they want. The Wright Pils is a Bohemian or Czech style Pilsener with a prominent noble hop character, slightly spicy, herbal with a rounded earthiness. The overall effect is crisp, drinkable with a slightly grainy finish.


Once again, I'm glad to have sample two fine out-of-market products. These two beers are great examples of summer brews at their finest.

2 comments:

  1. Just read a great article on Oberon in "Brewing With Wheat."

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    Replies
    1. For someone who isn't too interested in American Pale Wheat Ales, Oberon is definitely the acception, Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin' is in the same category.

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