Epic Lager

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

I’ve been drinking a bit of this lately after not initially enjoying it and now the time has come to rate. Yellow, frothy, appetising looking. Surprisingly lacking in aroma - just a hint of citrus, and bready malt. The flavour is a lot more impressive. I swear it never used to be this good. Initial blast of interesting spicy hops (I get lemongrass, lime, and ginger) flow slowly to an almost tropical fruit flavour and finally to a lingering and delicate malty sweetness. It’s a beer I can drink in quantity, and it’s gone from being something I’ll drink if there’s nothing else interesting to something I’ll actively seek out when the weather turns warmer.

Good carbonation nice head on top a gold pour aroma fruity hops some floral pine flavour citrus passionfruit grapefruit piney bitter is citrus taste resinous beer fizzy malt sweetness finish hop goodness nice bitter/sweet lager.

Golden pour with a small, short-lived head. Aromas show a fair bit of NZ hops, with passionfruit, clean sweet malt, some spicy hops. Light, but pleasant. Flavours show some grassy and passionfruit-like hops, slightly grainy and bready malt, and a dry bitter finish. Light body, but the carbonation is on the high side.

Looks gorgeous in the glass, yellow golden colour and head shows a lovely persistancy. Classic noble hop nose and toffee malt. Vaguely astringent in the finish

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.

Possibly a bit funky/vegetal on the initial nosing, then citrus and a whiff of banana. Enduring fluffy white head. First taste was dry with roast barley, coconut rough and golden syrup. Cleansing with a lovely lingering hop character - a twist of bitterness and citrus and the end. Inviting. This beer was described by the brewer as a gateway for New Zealand palettes into the Epic Pale Ale. It uses German/Czech pilsener malt and hops. This beer was brewed out of a brewing philosophy rather than as an outright assault on a tired mainstream market.

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.

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.