Wednesday, 7 June 2006

Review: Gilroy Lager

Gilroy Lager from Gilroy's Brewery
Rating: B+

Wow, glad to be the first to review this one! It was definitely one of the most interesting beers I had in South Africa - ran across it randomly at a liquor store in Pretoria and I'm glad I did.

Appearance: looks like cloudy (unfiltered), pale apple juice. no head at all (the label indicates that it's "not artificially carbonated" - nor naturally carbonated in the bottle, apparently), obviously no lacing either.

Smell: yeasty, vaguely sweet, perhaps a bit vinous.

Taste: yes, vinous is a good description. slightly acid, fruity, sweet and yeasty finish. This much fruitiness in a lager surprised me, but when I spoke with a microbrewer in Pretoria who is friends with the brewer of Gilroy, and he indicated that this one is "not actually a lager" - I'm curious what yeast is used in this one and at what temperature.

Mouthfeel: very clean, finishing very well despite the lack of carbonation.

Drinkability: what an interesting beer! I only found one bottle, so I can't speak to how it would go as a sessioner, but it was definitely a delightful change from the ordinary. Very much like drinking a cloudy, low-alcohol white wine. Very unique.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 06-07-2006 14:37:38

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