Grabbing the Bull by the Horns
Bull Jagger Portland Lager
B+ / 3.85
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
I picked a bottle of this up at Oak Hill Beverage today and popped it right into the fridge. There’s no date on the bottle, but since this beer premiered on shelves earlier this week, I know it’s fresh. Being the new brewery in the Riverside Industrial Park, I’m pouring this beer into a logo pint glass of their neighbor Allagash.
The beer is translucent yellow with some orange tones. Plenty of carbonation bubbles cling to the sides of my glass. The head is egg shell colored and about a finger thick. It has settled down to a modest layer of foam that caps the liquid. Swirling the beer coats the glass with a tiny film and some patchy foam.
The aroma has some fruity and grassy hops. Some pale and grainy malts are also present.
This lager has a solid flavor profile. A slight sweetness has hints of toffee. The hops are grassy and provide a basic level of bitterness that compliments the style nicely. A good balance of the sweet and bitter flavors linger on after I swallow; they provide a earthiness that is a nice ending.
This beer certainly has a fuller body than any mass produced lager that comes in a can. A good level of carbonation plays games on my tongue and really foams up if I swish the beer around in my mouth. The coating is a little stickier than I’d like, as are my lips, but this is a minor complaint.
I enjoy this beer. I hope it succeeds, as Southern Maine breweries who make golden beers exclusively don’t have the best track record (any remember Sparhawk or Growstown?). Brewing in accordance to the German Purity Law is an admirable goal. I’m excited to see what else Bull Jagger can create. There are some fine products coming out of the Riverton Industrial Park; Portland Lager fits in with them nicely.