Rio Grande Outlaw Lager

Rio Grande Brewing Co. (Sierra Blanca Brewing)
Brewed at Sierra Blanca Brewing Co
Style: California Common
Moriarty, New Mexico USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker

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This has a pretty strong caramel aroma. The body is also carmelly and sweet, really thought this was an Amber lager more than a California Common. I liked it.

On draught at the taproom. Pours a clear amber color. Rich, malty flavor with slightly dry character. Solid hop presence. Clean and nice.

Slight toasty malt and cardboard aroma. Light amber in color. A slightly less spicy version of the Desert Pils. Overall, it’s drinkable...

Golden in color with some light white head. Maltier in both aroma and taste than expected; fairly full bodied. Lagers still rarely impress me.

Pours an amber color with minimal white head. Hazy. Aroma is sweet caramel malt, and a bit doughy. Flavor is sweet with a bit of banana. This is okay, but not something I would look for again. Outlaw seems like an odd name for this beer. I’d expect "outlaw" to be high ABV or highly hopped or something along those lines.

UPDATED: JUL 27, 2012 Tasted from 12oz brown bottle into nonic pint glass, thanks gregwilsonstl. Poured a clear, medium amber color with weak off-white foam which subsided to a thin ring of bubbles and some lace. Aromas of mild malt, some caramel, no real hops or yeast presence. Equally neutral flavor. I would contest the "very complex" claim, because the grainbill and fermentation are pretty standard, but I suppose it’s tastier than run-of-the-mill light macro lagers. Light-medium body, light carbonation, weak and watery, snappy lager finish. Reminded me of some macro American dark lagers (Killians, AmberBock, Shiner Bock, etc)

Bottle. Pours an amber color with a small frothy white head leaving sticky lacing along the glass. The aroma is a bready malt and metal. Medium mouuthfeel with a sweet caramel malt. Not too much going on with this one.

I don’t know, people, maybe I had a bad bottle or something (although I bought it within an hour’s drive from the brewery). My total score of "1.1" reflects my actual un-biased rating of this beer. I’m not trying to be a hater, just honest. Here goes... It looks like a cheap amber ale. It smells like dirt, weeds, and cardboard. It tastes worse than it smells. In contrast to the brewer’s description on this site, the palate is nowhere close to "crisp." Hops are mostly absent, while the malts and yeast present a funky fungal sweetness that’s not enjoyable at all. Immediate drain-pour.

[Bottle] Pours a darker shade of amber without much head on top. The nose is mild, but mainly herbal and grainy. Tastes of toffee, grassy and herbal hops, chlorine and sweet fruits. Muddled and dirty hop finish is somewhat abrasive. Highly carbonted. Overall, too unbalanced and with too many off flavors to really enjoy.