Wiseacre "Memphis Sands" Lager

It would not be my first instinct to say that Memphis has a lot of sand. However, I read the blurb on this can, and the sand that they are referring to is the sand that water filters down through and into a very large aquafer where Wiseacre gets the water they use to brew beer. It seems like there would be easier ways to get water. They say that this water is virtually mineral free, and there are plenty of ways to remove minerals from your water, if you feel that is something desirable. I guess we will see what these pure waters do for their lager.

Pale and yellow, the beer doesn't produce a whole lot of  head, and it's not going to leave any lacing. At 5.1% ABV, this isn't a light lager, and it doesn't bother to tell me how many calories might be in it, as a low-calorie beer might do. The aroma is fairly thick with malt, and it appears to be of a sweet bread variety. I can't say that this is delicious just based on smell, but it is already leaning that way. If the paleness of the beverage and the clarity with which it sits in my glass had made me think that this might be a light beer, the aroma has shunned the very possibility.

First sip is very good, crisp, clean, and they might be onto something with this sand filtering. I'm not sure that I will be able to pick out a beer that had been properly sand filtered to eliminate almost all minerals in a sea of other beers that were using a mixture of tap water or reverse osmosis treated water. If I recall correctly, the beer making process includes a step that is sterilization. Maybe that gets rid of the taste of the minerals? Either way, the sip is pretty good.

Tip-in is sweet bread, light lemons, and even a hint of coriander. The middle moves carbonation to the roof of the mouth where it sizzles indistinctly as the coriander moves center and forward with the sweet malt making a solid background. The finish is crisp, but it's not as clean as the sip was, as a bit of tartness hits the back of the throat before heading into the trail off.

Bottom Line: A pretty darn good beer that has not entirely sold me on sand filtering water.

3.25/5