November 18th, 2009LanesyBeer Reviews, Fruity Beers, Lagers

After discovering this week that some friends of ours have brilliantly spoofed our efforts to appreciate good beer with their own lager reviews site, it seemed fitting that I should come across a bottle of lager I picked up in Beers of Europe a few weeks ago brewed by a company that have had rave reviews for their ale products on our own site.

Williams Brothers Brewing Company have couple of lagers in their range, including Ceilidh (reviewed here). Rather unusually, this beer is described on the bottle as a ‘lagered fruit beer’, which suggests that it is something of a hybrid product aimed across a couple of beer styles. Based on an old Scottish harvest beer recipe from the 16th century, we should anticipate a fruity beer infused from the gooseberries prevalent in the ingrediants.

The nose is extremely sweet, with the citrusy, fruity aroma backed up with a chocolatey note that cuts through at the end. In the glass, the liquid is a very pale blonde that lets the liveliness of the lager shine through. Despite the fruit beer connections, the appearance is definitely one of a lager, so it seems natural to describe it as such.

Despite the effervescence of the beer in the glass, the fizz on the tongue quickly fades away to something of a creamy mouthfeel that is surprising as it is pleasant. The taste continues the sweet theme set up in the aroma, but does have a citrusy sharpness about it as well.

In fact, the sweetness from the fruit – most likely from the natural sugars from the gooseberries used in the brewing process – is the most striking element of the flavour. This is definitely a lager for sweet tooths, and it would be interesting to see if it appeals to avid fans of fruity beers, or possibly wine drinkers.

The aftertaste is particularly dry and disappears with a fresh, citrusy flavour that lingers satisfactorily some time after the final drop. The fruity element, in my opinion, makes this an interesting lager as opposed to a lively fruit beer. It is a nice twist that should appeal to fans of both styles should they be looking for something a bit different that may expand their palate somewhat.

In a week where ‘real lager’ has caused some controversy, it is interesting to see how the microbreweries are tackling the lager commundrum. We are well aware that CAMRA has its principles, but examples such Grozet suggest it might want to be careful before casting a stone in the direction of certain, well-meaning breweries.

Beer reviews and words like this

1. Cotswold Premium Lager, The Cotswold Brewing Co Following the brief response I made to comments asking about this lager left on an earlier unrelated post, I have now taken delivery of a batch to get a full review done. Firstly I...
2. Ceilidh Lager by Williams Bros Beer review: Williams Brothers Ceilidh. The Scottish brewery sets a high standard for lager with this crisp, slightly citrusy beer and a pilsner style body...
3. James Boag’s Premium Lager James Boag’s Premium Lager – 5.0% Brewed in Tasmania, Australia, this little green bottle has travelled some distance to find its way in my hand. I’m glad it did. This full bodied crisp...

Tags: Fruity, gooseberries, grozet, lager, Premium Lager, Sweet, williams brothers