Offset Just Me Series Tettnag and Salt Lake Brewing Brewers Batch
2024 is on course to be a special year for lagers.
By Mike Riedel @utahbeer
I predict 2024 will be the year of the lagers in Utah. With so many locals rediscovering them, and the fact that our brewers love to make them, the math is simple—and who doesn't prefer simple math? We begin with two fine examples to get you started.
Offset - Just Me Series (Tettnang): This new series of single hop pilsners from Offset Bier features Tettnang hops, a member of the Saaz hop family and is widely used around the world. A lot of brewers make single-hop pale ales, this is the only Pilsner single hop series I can think of in our market.
The Tettnag pours a pale straw to straw color with great clarity, maybe a hint of chill haze. The pour gives two-and-a-half fingers of fine, bone-white head. Floral and herbal notes, light notes of noble spice, a hint of earthy black tea and a light malty-sweet character emerge, along with some baked bread, as well.
Grassy hops mix with some lemon zest and herbal flavors as the huge bready, grainy biscuit malt follows up. The biscuit malt powers through to the finish with some more grassy hops. The finish is bitter, but not overly so, and the finish is drying; this is a really nicely balanced beer. Mouthfeel is slightly bitter at the finish, but still very smooth through the middle. It's almost perfect. None of the 5.0 percent alcohol is present, as it offers perfect carbonation and great drinkability.
Verdict: This is a really balanced, super drinkable pils. I think I'm going to be a huge fan of the Just Me Series, and this one does not disappoint. It really needs to be enjoyed by any fan of local lagers. If you like Pilsners, you will love this latest winner from Offset.
Salt Lake Brewing - Brewers Batch (Vienna): Named after the city in which it originated, a traditional Vienna lager features a subtle use of Noble hops, with the malt having a crisp quality, a toasty flavor and some residual caramel-like sweetness. This Vienna pours a pale amber color with excellent clarity. A small frothy off-white head, with tiny bubbles effervescing, looks great. The aroma is malt-forward—toasty, bready and doughy. I'm also getting nutty notes that resemble chestnut, followed by sweet caramel with subtly spicy, crisp and floral hop notes. Some fruity notes in the nose as well like dried cherries?
Very easy to drink—light in body, flavorful, and uncomplicated. While this beer is malt-forward, Head Brewer Jason Stock did a good job with the bittering hops to provide balance to the caramel malt backbone of this beer. The finish is surprisingly dry, which prevents the beer from tasting cloyingly sweet and keeps you going back for more. The 5.0 percent ABV keeps the mouthfeel light. The finish is initially sweet, then feels like my mouth has dried out and I need to drink more beer. The carbonation level on this beer is spot on.
Verdict: A well-done Vienna-style lager. This is the kind of beer that you want to drink when you don't want to think too much about what you're drinking, yet you also don't want to sacrifice flavor or balance. I see this as the kind of beer that you would want to pair with a soft pretzel with spicy mustard.
SL Brewing's Vienna is only on draft at SL Brewing/Squatters and at SL Brewing/Wasatch/Top Of Main Brewing. Offset's Park City brewery of course has the Tettnang, but I found some in SLC at The Bayou on State Street. Enjoy your lagers and, as always, cheers!
About The Author
Mike Riedel
Local boy and pilot of City Weekly’s best gig, The Beer Nerd column since 2017. Current photojournalist at KSTU TV (Fox 13) and host of the Utah Beer Blog and Beer Nerd Radio on KUAA 99.9 FM radio.
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