Look to the skies

I don't often get to do cross-brewery sets of lager reviews, but I have one today, with new lagers from two of Ireland's most reputable producers.

Cloudless from The White Hag says "ice cold lager" on the can, but it wasn't that in my house; my beer fridge runs between 8 and 10°C -- there's no hiding place for off-flavours in there. Poured, it's a startling pale and clear colour, looking every bit like the wan and watery industrial American lagers it is presumably copying. The aroma is crisp and grainy, with a little bit of richer malt sweetness. The carbonation is busy, even though the head isn't much cop. By design, I'm sure, there isn't much flavour. The hops are so understated that I couldn't even tell you what region of the world is represented. German noble varieties? They could equally be American, they're so indistinct. That leaves us with the malt from the aroma, and it's tokenistic: a slightly Czech-like golden-syrup sweetness at the very beginning, but fading quickly to a mild lemon tang and then no aftertaste. I can see why the brewery wants it poured cold, but it does bear a warmer serving temperature, to get at least some character into it. I can't complain that it's not as advertised, but whoever they've formulated it for, it's not me.

Third Barrel scored some plaudits from me for their Hello Yes? Czech-style lager late last year. When the brewer likes lager, you get good lager. Waterloo Sunset is the first one they've released since then, and is on a New Zealand theme, although that doesn't seem to be anything more involved than the use of Motueka hops. Appearance-wise, it's a very different proposition to the Cloudless, being a rich, almost red, golden colour, with a light misting of haze. The aroma is sweetly tropical, mixing mango and guava in a most un-pilsner-like way. It's quite heavily-textured, and very much not the crisp and refreshing sort of lager; it's more of a chewer, even at only 4.8% ABV. Fruit candy is the opening flavour, followed quickly by a very serious herbal rasp, dry and acidic, with noble notes of nettle and spinach. The aftertaste is an assertive waxy bitterness. It wasn't quite what I was expecting -- I guess I over-associate the New Zealand descriptor with Nelson Sauvin, and this has nothing in common with a Nelson-forward beer. It is good as its own thing, however, showing plenty of character from both malt and hops. It's maybe a little on the sweet side and perhaps shows more in common with a modern pale ale than a classic pilsner, but we can allow such missteps from time to time.

Two very different takes on pale lager on display here. I don't think either is entirely to my taste. I appreciated the technical skill in The White Hag's one, and the punchy hops of Third Barrel's. I would have liked one's crispness with the other's flavour. Maybe I should have blended them.