Beer of the Weekend #847: #Merica!
BotW is back after a two-week hiatus. I decided to take the weekend off a few weeks ago and was too lazy to get any cash to buy beer last weekend. Besides, I had a lot of PBR and New Glarus brew in my fridge, so I was good.
I’ve been moonlighting as a painter again, this time at my uncle’s new house, so I treated myself to a beer last night: #Merica!, brewed by the Surly Brewing Company of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.
The color is almost clear and very pale yellow. A finger and a half of beige, bubbly, thin head dissipates slowly and unevenly, leaving spots of foam stuck to the glass. The aroma is reminiscent of the Fourth of July—or at least something one would drink on the Fourth. (This is obviously a summertime beer. The date printed on the can is 4/21/17.) It has as strong, sharp, hop-driven herbal spice and there is a light scent of grass. Lemon zest is also prominent. The flavor features the same prominent herbal spice and zest, but also has a creamy, malty element that provides balance. A spicy, zesty bitterness lingers on the taste buds and tonsils. It may be the most bitter lager I have ever had. The zest and bite fade as the beer warms. Light malt and grass become much more noticeable and the beer becomes much more enjoyable. Glassware is way too fancy for this beer; drink it out of the can!
Fun facts about #Merica!
• Style: Surly calls it pre-Prohibition American lager.
• Price: The four-pack of 16-ounce cans was on sale for $6.99 at the New Pioneer Co-op in Iowa City. I don’t know what the regular price is.
• Alcohol content: 5 percent ABV.
• According to the Surly website, #Merica! “was brewed in 2015 for the Annual D4th of July party put on by the Minneapolis-based punk band Dillinger Four.”
• Also from the Surly website:
Hmm . . . I don’t get much corn.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
I’ve been moonlighting as a painter again, this time at my uncle’s new house, so I treated myself to a beer last night: #Merica!, brewed by the Surly Brewing Company of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.
The color is almost clear and very pale yellow. A finger and a half of beige, bubbly, thin head dissipates slowly and unevenly, leaving spots of foam stuck to the glass. The aroma is reminiscent of the Fourth of July—or at least something one would drink on the Fourth. (This is obviously a summertime beer. The date printed on the can is 4/21/17.) It has as strong, sharp, hop-driven herbal spice and there is a light scent of grass. Lemon zest is also prominent. The flavor features the same prominent herbal spice and zest, but also has a creamy, malty element that provides balance. A spicy, zesty bitterness lingers on the taste buds and tonsils. It may be the most bitter lager I have ever had. The zest and bite fade as the beer warms. Light malt and grass become much more noticeable and the beer becomes much more enjoyable. Glassware is way too fancy for this beer; drink it out of the can!
Fun facts about #Merica!
• Style: Surly calls it pre-Prohibition American lager.
• Price: The four-pack of 16-ounce cans was on sale for $6.99 at the New Pioneer Co-op in Iowa City. I don’t know what the regular price is.
• Alcohol content: 5 percent ABV.
• According to the Surly website, #Merica! “was brewed in 2015 for the Annual D4th of July party put on by the Minneapolis-based punk band Dillinger Four.”
• Also from the Surly website:
One of the only beer styles truly born in the U.S.A, pre-Prohibition American Lagers used corn as an integral part of the flavor profile, rather than as a simple substitute for barley malt.
Hmm . . . I don’t get much corn.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
