3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottle labeled as Lager of the Lakes at BCTC. Pours a clear yellow gold with a thin white head. Clean crisp lemon notes. Thin to medium body and a light grainy finish.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottle at BCTC 2009: Clear golden with a white film of head. Bready aroma with a mild sweet Munich malt presence and a crackery drier note. Crisp feel. The flavor has a crackery bready base. Generous amounts of (tettnang?) it’s actually Saaz hops, and peppery bitterness in the finish. A nice lager.
2.9 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
From coyotehunter via trade. A "Lager of the Lakes" label on this one. The pour was clear gold with a two-finger tall, dense white head. The aroma was a bit of malt and corn with a slight hint at spicy hops. The flavor was corn, sugar and a touch of floral where I expected the spicy Saaz to be. Thin with a slightly unlpleasant, lingering mouthfeel.
1.7 AROMA 3/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 3/10 PALATE 1/5 OVERALL 5/20
This beer was, for me, was a bit too hoppy. Perhaps I was expecting something else, but this beer was tough to finish. Normally, Bell’s brewery is spot-on but the flavor was sub par and although the finish was OK, it didn’t make up for the hard taste. Normally, I like pilsners a great deal, but this was a swing and miss.
3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 12/20
33 cl bottle, Fargo, ND, USA via Bell’s General Store. Visibly carbonated pale golden with a frothy head. Balanced aroma, perhaps with hops edging out slightly. Malt flavor is pronounced for a low(er) alcohol beer - sweet and fuller body than expected. Spicy finish, nice bitterness and drinkable.
3 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
12 oz. bottle. Pours a hazy gold with a small, foamy, white head. A very lager nose if you will. Some spicy hop character, kind of a grassy-herbal note, and a little vegetative note. Medium carbonation with a medium-light, slightly dry mouthfeel. The palate follows the nose pretty closely on the grassy-herbal side with some dough thrown in from the malt. Medium finish with a bit of lingering bitterness. Highly sessionable. I didn’t find this one as terrible as some of the other raters, but it does pale when compared to some of the true greats in the category.
1.8 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 2/5 TASTE 3/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 6/20
My last sample at Bell’s Fest in OH. Looks like natty light and tastes about the same with a bit more hoppy bitterness. Uninteresting, a low point in the Bells profile.
2.8 AROMA 4/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 14/20
Pours to a light yellow, with halfway decent carbonation and little head or lacing. Aroma is skunky if anything, mouthfeel balnd, and taste grainy. Not surprisingly, this leads to a finish that is short and metallic.
Unfortunately, a very disappointing offering from Bells.
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