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There is the strange, almost conspiratorial way some types of beverages all cluster around, say, 30% ABV. And then there is this little guy sitting at 4.04%. There was a plan, and they executed that plan. the 404 area code is dear to these guys, and they wanted something befitting it. I get that, and I won't yuck your yum, so long as this doesn't suck. Mind you, at effectively 4.0%, this is competing with a string of light beers. This doesn't say it's light on the can, but I have my suspicions.
The beer pours a lighter color than many - possibly most - of the light lagers that I've had. This very pale yellow beer has a very slight haze to it, and the head is pretty lackluster. It doesn't come out very much, and it goes away pretty quickly. The aroma is lime-lemon over a seemingly weak malt. This isn't shaping up to be the beer I wanted tonight.
First sip is a classic light lager - it's trying too hard, and it can't cover up the water. As a result, the limited citrus that is in it is pretty weak, and the malt is.. off. I don't know how to describe it better than that. The malt (and possibly the yeast) just seems discordant with the hops, and the thin nature of the beer just magnifies that imbalance.
Tip-in is lemons and little else. The middle rolls into more heft than I tasted in the sip; it gives grains and a fairly bland yeast. The finish is a little tanginess, and then there is bitterness and an unpleasant note before taking that into the trail off.
Bottom Line: A light beer by any other name isn't great.
1.25/5
