Epic Lager

Brewed by Epic Brewing Company
Style: Pale Lager
Auckland, New Zealand

Pous a bright golden yellow with a densely frothy thick white head showing excellent retention and decent lacing. Nice perfumey fruity hop character along with clean pale malts, perfectly balanced and in generous proportion make this one of the best lagers I’ve tried in a long time. Nicely nuanced flavour, really really good.

Pale yellow body with a mainly lasting head. Some passionfruit on the aroma along with some floury notes. Noticeable hop taste but dont dominate, low to medium body, light carbonation, light bitterness. I was probably expecting a little more from this Epic beer.

Bottle, pouring a clear light gold with a large white foamy head. Hoppy aroma with grass and citrus - similar to that of its big brother. A dry hoppy palate with earthy malt. A little bland when it comes to flavour, though I guess that it is being honest to the style.

Draught. Pours golden with a lively white head. Malt, cut grass and citrus. Good hoppiness for a lager. Thin-medium bodied with good carbonation. Crisp and bitter finish. A refreshing beer. It’s great to find well crafted lagers out here.

Bright golden colour with thick white head. Good lacing. Mild hop taste. Hoppier version of the C&B Blue Goose. Very clean, well balance hop/malt lager.

Tasted 04/05/2008. 330ml bottle from New World, Thorndon. Pours a bright yellow gold with a thinning creamy white head. Delightfully fresh, zingy herbal hop aroma has a hint of floral note. A little cornflour malt character on the nose too. Very clean. Superbly fresh! A little sweet aroma of biscuit dough malt at the bottom of the glass. The first few sips are bursting with that herbal hop flavour. Very clean malt character supporting. Medium bitterness. Stops short. Spot on carbonation and weight. Pretty good recipe, great execution (wouldn’t expect less from Epic). In then end, like an amped up Stella (a beer I do like), it feels like it needs a little less hop flavour and/or a more assertive bitterness. I’d have preferred to see Epic Brown Ale than a green-bottled premium but I’m not the target market and this is a pretty solid addition to the family.

Brand new beer on tap at the Malthouse. Pours a nice gold. Hops come through nicely but do not dominate, with a hint of fruit before. Very similar to Epic Pale Ale only easier to drink and much less malty. Very nice.

By far the worst of the epic stable, pours with a fluffy white head but is an unappetising pale yellow colour, soap on the nose and in the flavour with a twist of lemongrass, rather uninspiring for the hefty price tag!