Flat Earth Element 115 Lager

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Sampled March 2009
A solid pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a three finger thick head that is a pale tan color and just crests the top of my glass. The head subsides somewhat quickly and completely disappears after a bit. The beer is a brilliantly clear, light ruby color that shows a deeply red stained, bright copper hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells of toasty malt and berry-like hops. There is a slight lemon like note to the nose that comes off as being a little washed out. Sweet malt aromatics form a backdrop to the up front toasty malt notes that remind me of whole grain crackers.

Up front the beer tastes lightly bitter and it picks up a malty sweetness through the middle, but then dries out in the finish where there is a strong bitter finish that also has a bit of menthol to it. The bitter hop notes in the finish can get quite sharp and almost astringent at times; it really lingers on the palate with a spicy, almost peppery bite. This has a medium fullness to it that helps to stave off the biting hop finish when the beer is actually in the mouth. Malt flavors of toasted whole grain crackers, a touch of caramelized malt sweetness and just a solid malt character really help this to balance out much of the hop notes. This definitely has that signature mint-like / menthol note that is characteristic of Northern Brewer hops.

This is actually pretty nice; at first I didn’t like how jarring the transition between the smooth, chewy malt notes in the middle and the harsher hop notes in the finish, but after a few sips it begins to get a bit more integrated and balanced (though the hop character is a bit more harsh than I might prefer). This definitely seems to be an under-appreciated beer though, but I suspect that the breweries consistency issues have to do with much of the problem; I am just glad that I got a stable / fresh bottle.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

To be honest, I picked this one based on the label (no idea what I was purchasing at the time). Pours a cloudy orange with nice foamy head. Can detect a little malt and hops in the aroma but not much. Taste is similarly unexciting--a little yeasty, with more hops showing thru and a slightly bitter finish.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Another of the many bottles my American friends have brought me lately. The beer is orange, hazy, and has a foamy whitish head. The aroma is slighty yeasty, some weak malt and hint of hops. The flavour is slightly spicy with a bitter finish.