Name: Lil’ Crib (2021)
Brewer: Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery (United States)
Style: Mixed-Style Beer (Base Style: American Lager)
ABV: 3.8%
Review Year: 2021
Lil’ Crib is a “Small Farmhouse Lager” brewed by Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery in Virginia. This lager features locally-sourced malts, Old World hops, and lager yeast.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Mixed-Style Beer (34B), combining Saison (25B) with American Lager (1B) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). Since this beer was reviewed before 29 December 2021, the mentioned guidelines were used. The 2021 Beer Style Guidelines, which is the most current version, can now be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Hazy straw with some degree of haziness; thick white head with excellent retention. Nose unveiled moderate grainy malts with subtle lemon zest and spicy accents. Light-bodied, high carbonation; effervescent quality. Fairly high grainy malty flavor alongside spicy hops, and bitterness at the forefront with some lemon zest to add vibrancy. Medium-high bitterness; very dry (no sweetness). Bitter, zesty, and grainy flavors lingered momentarily.
THE VERDICT
Lil’ Crib was benchmarked as a cross between an American Lager, which encapsulates the light-bodied and dry “supermarket beers,” and a Saison, also a highly-attenuated beer style but one that was originally brewed in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium, for consumption during the active farming season. The result is this concoction that brings forward the best of both worlds: a crisp, dry, and refreshing lager that showcases that distinct grainy malt and spicy “farmhouse” theme of a Saison. The citrus zest adds a nice vibrant touch to the overall profile. With all these, the appearance appears to just be the cherry on top of the cake. Overall, this one is a masterful concept; excellent.
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Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery
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