From the Freedom Brewery comes this English take on an American lager. Good thing for me I love an American lager! Find them on Twitter.
What they say:
4.6% abv. Pioneer is an English take on an American style Pilsner. Its blend of 3 malts produce a full-bodied beer with just a hint of sweetness, and combined with 3 of the finest English hops, creates a refreshing fruity bitterness on the palate. Left to mature for a minimum of 4 weeks for balanced flavours, Pioneer is then dry-hopped, which maximises its punchy mix of spicy citrus notes and cedar tree aromas. A beer with English, Continental and American influences all in one.
Food Matches:
Pioneer’s complex and intriguing depth of flavour suits a New York deli sandwich on rye bread, nut roast, Bavarian smoked cheese or a slice of coffee cake.
What I thought:
I poured the beer and took a good look at the colour and vibrancy. There’s no doubt that this looks like a lager, but not a pasty light lager, a proper one. It’s a deep yellow colour, and has a lovely effervescence.
It’s citrusy on the nose and has a nice level of citrus taste too from the hops, and enough malty backbone to satisfy the tastebuds. Mouthfeel is not like a watery cheap lager- it has body to match the taste.
It’s a great beer, and I think the battle for the Freedom Brewery is that people don’t understand that a lager can be a craft beer. Lager doesn’t have to mean Budweiser, Stella or whatever. This is a craft beer like any other- made with love by passionate brewers. Maybe some ale drinkers aren’t fans of lager, or maybe some ale drinkers just think that lager means cheap, fizzy pi**.
This is a beer that you could use as a gateway to educate your cheap lager swilling friends with.
Have you tried this beer?
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