I almost had the opportunity to visit the
Green Man brewery in North Carolina, but it was too early in the day for them to be open, and I didn't get a chance to go back. I really regret not having swung by there during the brief time that I was in Asheville to drink straight from their taps. I've heard other people say that beer taste best closer to the source, and that has also been my experience. I'm not sure what happens in the canning, bottling, storing process that detracts from the flavor of most beers, but I know it's something I want to avoid. Nevertheless, I have a can in front of me. It'll have to do.
The beverage is a very pale yellow with a slight haze that goes the whole way through it. The head is substantive enough, but it dies away fairly quickly to leave only a single lily pad in the middle with the expected ring of bubbles around the sides of the glass. Popping up through the middle of all of this is the aroma of bread, lemon zest, and tangy oranges. Wheat and yeast are not that far off, either.
First sip is actually very nice. It's very smooth at the start, and it has a tangy, slightly bitter twinge for the finish. For sip of a lager, it's not bad. I'm not normally one to sip most beers with an alcohol content below
5% ABV, and this one is just
4.2. But, I could see sipping this instead of a
farmhouse ale on the back deck on a warm summer evening.
Tip-in is mild carbonation tingle with lemon zest, a hint of orange, and grains. The middle heightens the carbonation burn, but the zest, yeast, and grains seem to keep everything well in check for a fairly pleasant experience. The finish is a flash of carbonation across the tongue before a bitter haze settles in.
Bottom Line: It's a keeper.
3.5/5
