Headstrong Munich Lager

Brewed by Matt Brewing Company
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
Utica, New York USA

Re-rate: New 474 ml can: puts an amber-orange lager in the glass with a nice frothy 2 finger cap. Good lacing of the glass...moderately carbonated. The aroma is very promising...sweet caramel toasty-bready tones over a light whisp of medicinal hops . Up front the mouth feel is slick... medium body with fair malt spine...... caramunich sweetness becomes balanced by ample Piney-herbal Yakima nugget hopping....aromatic without being too bitter......at any rate the judicious use of hops and non standard lager yeast ( or warmer fermentation?) in this spicy Pacific NW amber variation works and gives it near perfect balance and a wet, spicy-malty finish that turns lightly metallic in the after taste...the 5.5 AVB seems to be just the ticket to make this a very satisfying session lager. Far from being a standard Munich lager this beer has many characteristics in common with California common steam beer ...and has a flavor profile similar to Anchor steam...perhaps that is the niche/vacuum this hoppy, malty, spicey lager seeks to fill. Well made...good malts...bold use of hops...well balanced...tastey, and most of all, very drinkable. A lager head’s staple beer.

650 ml brown bottle. Poured deep gold, small creamy white cap. Seems to be a slight haze. Malt aroma, slight flowery hop hiding beneath. Malt flavour, late hopping. Long malt hop finish with a touch of bitterness. Light body and carbonation, pretty drinkable.

650 ml bottle. poured orange with a small quick white head. malty aromas with citris, pale malts are detectable. aromas become much more pronounced as it warms. flavours are sweet malty with a nice hop punch in the finish. again id recommend letting it warm. this is a great session lager.

UH...IT’S CRAP? Yup. Dumped into my glass. Ended up with a nice clear light amber brew with a good sized light light tan cap, decent retention and good silty lacing. Man, the smell of this is pretty brutal especially on the initial pour. Warm, unclean, stinky and unappealing with mild malt! The taste was an odd mild fruit with a decent grainy malt backbone early on but that fades quickly, seems alcoholic with some weak watery mouthfeel and weak bitterness. This beer is ass at best.

Bottle: Poured a medium copper with very little head really. dominated by a malty blend of flavours and aromas. I felt it was pretty standard. Some sour fruit bitterness keep the finish sharper. Decent enough, but not alot to distinguish this one for me though.

Spankin’ new bottle at LCBO! This is not really a beer Germans would ever make, so the ’Munich’ appelation is merely a cop. Not a bad beer but it alludes to Macro tendencies in the lighter non-comittal body & taste and the processed-feeling hop profile (albeit in a fairly smooth clean package, just the finish is a bit unpleasant by Bavarian standards.) Is this Headstrong’s bid to penetrate the blasee Jioe Regular market, because it’s right on mark. This is fine but I honestly wouldn’t bother to pick it up again; I might assume the far superior Headstrong Pale Ale has failed to grab the BeerTard’s attention in Ontarrible Canada (’Huh? What’s a Pale Ale, that’s like weird man!) That Pale has been the LCBO’s sleeper bargain for fresh micro beer. Wellington County Dark Ale is a far better session drinker if I needed one, or Creemore is still the best Lager going here

650 mL bottle. Translucent orange-brown with almost no head at all. Mild, slightly sweet aroma. Taste is mild as well, and a little hoppier than usual, for the style. I think. Not bad, but nothing noteworthy.

canette de 500ml. rien n’indique qu’elle est brassée par fx.matt mais c’est écrit big hole donc ?bière blonde presque cuivrée, nez malté, bouche sucrée, maltée, peu de houblon, ressemble à une münchener helles.