Iron Hill Light Lager

Brewed by Iron Hill Newark
Style: Pale Lager
Newark, Delaware USA

On tap at Wilmington brewery. It pours a light but crisp golden color with a frothy head. The aromas are faint, but there is a slight hop sweetness and a touch of malt. The flavor is more of the same. There is a crisp cleanliness to this one and it is refreshing if nothing else.

Wilmington. My rule of thumb is that you can generally tell the quality of the brewpub based on the light beer. Though the light is never my favorite, if it is done well, then the other brews will be done well too. The converse is true. In this case the beer was bland, watery, and very lightly bittered. Cereal, nutty sweet aroma. Clear, light, filmy head. Cereal-oat-puffed wheat flavor.

(On tap in Lancaster) Tastes a lot like miller lite, perhaps a bit creamier. Too sweet. Bad aroma: the nasty sourness is present like in any macro lite beer. Plus one point over miller lite just because it’s not owned by a big conglomerate corporation. I am not convinced it’s any better as a beer.

Aroma is sweet with some dish soap. Taste is mild corn sour mash. Mouthfeel of spicy carbination and slight lingering bitterness. Crystal clear yellow with little to no head.

On draft at the Wilmington location. Pours a clear light gold with a small white head. Not much to the aroma except watery corn. Taste of light corn and water.

pours light yellow with no head. smells like bud. watery, lots of corn in the taste. slight sweetness. slight bitterness. lingering aftertaste of roast corn. better than the average light lager, but NOT my kind of beer.

On tap at the brewery. Pours light golden into the glass, with an initial head that leaves soapy lace. Some small citrus and wheat, maybe, but no real substance to the flavor palate. The finish is small and grassy, with a seltzery and hollow mouthfeel. My least favorite of the entire sampler offered. (Meeting with the brewer, he explained that this was the "macro" light offering, trying to offer this to patrons in the hopes that it might "switch" palates to better beers down the line. At least a nice incorporation to the business plan.)

On tap. Clear yellow color with no head. Some hay in the aroma with a taste of water and wheat. No bad, not much.