Trigo drinking

Big-craft American lager is today's theme. Isn't it cool that Sierra Nevada and Founders, who built their reputations on hoppy ales, have a market for pils too?

But before the pils, a relatively recent arrival from Founders: Trigo. It's a wheat lager of 6.3% ABV and a pale hazy yellow-orange colour. The aroma is enticing, suggesting juicy chewy orange candy, and giving an idea as to what the brewery meant when they put "hoppy" on the label. The orange theme continues on tasting, presenting a zesty mix of satsuma, mandarin and similar small spritzy ones. A soft texture renders it very juicy, with no bitterness to speak of. The wheat side of the equation makes more of a contribution than the lager side, though it is unarguably clean with well-defined flavours. I drank it on a dark winter's evening but it had me immediately thinking of warm summer days. Sunshine in a glass.

The more orthodox PC Pils from Founders is another low carbonation one, a deep yellow topped by loose bubbles. The ABV is an approachable 5.5%. I'm guessing they've gone for something local with the hopping because it's citric: lemon, lime and jaffa oranges, plus a fun bathsalts buzz on the end. There's a thickness which feels quite ale-like and, while it's tasty and refreshing, I feel a little gypped by its claim to be a pilsner. It absolutely does not taste like one. Founders and I seem to have very different ideas on what lager should be.

Another American brewery whose lagers are generally hit and miss is Sierra Nevada. Today I have Southern Gothic. It's advertised as unfiltered, though I wasn't expecting it to be so pale: a wan and sickly shade of yellow. The head crackled away to nothing soon after pouring, and yes the carbonation seems a little underdone: just a faint sparkle in a beer that could have handled livelier fizz. You get your noble hops right on cue. There's a bitter weedy greenness which is a little harsh but doesn't hang around. Softer lemon zest follows, then the malt tips in, a slightly sticky golden syrup vibe. A fun herbal pinch brings the bitterness back at the very end. It's a flavourful beer but I think it lacks the smoothness and effortlessly integrated taste of good pils, though it's only a near miss.

It's hard to be too critical when these are all good beers in their own right. I'm certain there are American breweries making lager on a par with the best of Europe. We don't see it over here, though. Perhaps that's to be expected.