Sunday, November 15, 2009

James Squire Sundown Lager (4.4%)


I first spotted this beer while browsing through the beers at the local bottle 'O and thought that I had to give it a try.  It looked to be something right up my alley with a combination of malts and hops with a hint of citrus, and I was right.
On the label it said that had a 'fresh grassy aroma', and so I thought that perhaps it was going to be something along the lines of a Fat Yak, but it had a much milder use of hops.
The combination of the malts added a very subtle sweetness to the beer which was nicely complimented by the hops and the citrusy flavours.  I kept trying to think of where I would place this beer among other favourites of mine and I think I ended up settling on: in between a Boag's St. George and a Little Creatures Bright Ale.
The Citrus overtones makes the Sundown quite a light beer to drink, but the combination of malts and fruity flavours also lends itself to a more refined air of complexity.

- Stass

As a side note to Stass's offering, I would like to say this beer tasted very watery after the Choc Stouts/Porters that we had been drinking before it. The label stated a 'cut grass' aspect to the beer which, like Stass, made me think it may have something similar to Matilda Bay Fat Yak, but I was unable to taste this. The one thing that did stand out in my mind was the typical James Squires body in this beer. This is something I appreciate greatly throughout their range and am happy to see them capable of producing this in this lager. I will have to go back and try this beer again when I haven't just had 4 Chocolate Stouts. Still, I wasn't going to ruin my tastebuds by trying this before having the stouts!
Additional Additional: have just been in the park playing frisbee and had one of these beers. not a sessional beer as the citrus is strong in aroma but taste settles as it gets warmer. the body is good, but found a slight acidic aftertaste which did not sit well with me.

- Beef

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