Buzzards Bay Lager

Formerly brewed at Just Beer (fka Buzzards Bay Brewing)
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
Westport, Massachusetts USA

Serve in Lager glass

Rich copper colour (dark for style); nose is not that big, but packs a few different elements in - slightly oxidized hops, an almost kumquat-like fruitiness, creamed corn and Irish whiskey (or is it whisky?). The palate is malty, with a slight bit of tin, maybe 24 IBUs, with more DMS (slight at first, but getting stronger towards the finish).

12oz bottle-pours a thin off white head and yellow/gold color. aroma is sweet grain/medium malt, secondary fruity hops. taste is grain/medium malt, secondary fruity/herbal hops, musty, not clean. Finishes medicinal/cardboard. it’s a shame they stopped brewing but still put out beer near their closing.

Sparkling clear, light golden lager with a small, creamy, white head. Decent retention with sparse lacing. The aroma and flavor are both malty with notes of butterscotch, butter and light herbs. Decently balanced by the diverse hops. Medium-bodied with a syrupy/sticky mouthfeel and fizzy carbonation. Short, bitter-sweet, creamy finish. Good stuff... for a helles.

12oz bottle acquired in trade. Poured a medium and clear golden color with an averaged sized white head. Aromas of grass, citrus, and I get some spiciness. Tastes of citrus and grass. Like the tastes, the body was a litte on the weak and watery side. Lively body as well. Not one of my favorite styles, but still drinakable.

Bottle. Copper color with a moderate white head that diminished slolwy with fair lacing. Moderate sweet aroma. Medium body with smooth texture. Medium flavor with a good refreshing finish.

Hazy golden pour. Nose is surprisingly clear. A soft malt aroma with a kiss of light hops still coming through. A bit of age showing although the hopping is still there. Crisp and clean although certainly a little bit simple.

Pours a pale clean golden with light carbonation and a thin-lacing, airy white head. Aroma is mildly, sweet and toasty with some graininess and noble hoppy presence. Body starts with a mild light sweetness, turning more dry and bitter toward a crisp, authentic finish. Fairly true to style, it’s just not that exciting of a beer.

My Bottom Line:
This eminently drinkable but uneventful Helles suggests a few blond cereals to go with its leafy, spicy hop subtleties, before moving into a dry and moderately bitter finish.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A sheet of foam covers the clear golden.
-The nose doesn’t offer much more than whispering pale malts.
-The body is healthy and super clean. Flavors are so timid though that watery passages feel too present (even for the style).
-Malts could have been crisper. Nonetheless, this is the kind of product big breweries could (should) easily brew.

Bottle.