Beer Review, Cisk Lager

Last night at Crane Alley while waiting for the Champaign Urbana Beer Club to convene, I sat at the bar and asked Aaron what was new. Pretty much everything they had in bottle or draft was familiar, until he pulled out a bottle of a shandy, and also a can of Cisk. (This was after he told me that Meat owed the bar $10 from the April CUBeer club meeting).

I asked if I could have the Cisk, and he said sure.

It poured completely clear, no opacity to it whatsoever. The head wasn't very strong, even with an aggressive pour (from a can). I joked with Aaron that I had trouble taking the picture because my cell phone camera was focusing on something through the glass. It was that clear.

It smelled... well... like a lager. (Aaron said it smelled like a Bud or similar). It had that crisp sweet smell that summertime lagers are good for. Similar to Highland Shining Rock Lager. It felt thin on the tongue, and had scrubbing bubbles (even without the head).

It tasted like a decent lager. Macro or otherwise. It had that slightly tart flavor, with very little hops. It was crisp and refreshing. There was a slightly bitter aftertaste that showed up late, and it dried the mouth (not a lot) making it refreshing and still begged you to drink more. At 4.2% ABV, you can drink as much as you want.

This would be a great beer for after mowing; during mowing; or before mowing. It'd be good for mixing with lemonade for a shandy. You aren't going to impress too many people by showing up with a 6 pack of these, but it's not an snob beer. It'd be perfect for taking fishing; I can picture a six pack of these hanging on the second stringer... the first full of fish, the second with a sixer of beer in the water helping to keep it cool...