Beer Review: Bitter Brewer

Reviewing the Bitter Brewer from the Surly Brewing Company.
Score: 87

Canned 04/05/12. Served in a Surly Darkness snifter and enjoyed on 05/28/12.

Appearance: Pours a clear and clean-looking golden color with two fingers of foamy/soapy off-white head that slowly recedes into a thin layer with clumps of foamy head splotched around. Average lacing and retention, but some residual head seems to cling for a bit. 4/5

Smell: Bread dough, wheat biscuits, floral citrus, a little lemon pine. There's grassy straw hops and a distinct white tea/iced tea aroma too. A little red apple and a hint of dried banana and fruity yeast -- but not in a hefeweizen way. 4/5

Taste: Hoppy lemon iced tea is my first impression. There's some bitter orange flavor and barley in the tea flavor too. There's almost like a crescendo of the lemon flavor at some point towards the finish with each sip. Largely crisp in flavor, but there's some residual bitter lemony grain flavor lingering in the aftertaste. There is ample fresh and bitter grassy hops flavor too, but the hoppiness is much more mellow and less in-your-face than a pale ale or IPA. 3.75/5

Mouthfeel: Light bodied, medium carbonation. Oily mouthfeel. Modestly dry and bitter (but not super bitter) finish. 4/5

Overall: There is not too much going on in this beer -- what you smell is what you get -- and the flavors are relatively subdued overall, but Bitter Brewer is a very nice light and refreshing sessionable summer beer that's low in ABV (4%) without being low in quality. This beer is perfect for the 90+ degree weather we are experiencing in Chicago today.

Recommendation: Fans of lagers and summer beers should give this one a whirl as an alternative reward for mowing the grass on a Sunday afternoon.

Pairings: Tangy barbeque-slathered chicken on the grill.

Cost: $8.49 for a four pack of 16 oz cans.