I was quite surprised to run into this brew at my local bottle shop. The last time I was there I bought up their remaining stash of Dovetail's Rauchbier. On my way out, I stopped to ask the guy behind the counter what they'd be getting next from the venerable Chicago brewery and wouldn't it be nice if it was the Grodziskie. He replied that it would be a much less smoky brau, their Pils.
On a recent return visit I did indeed see the Pils in the cooler. But also this, Summer Hopfenlager, which is a hoppy lager for the lazy, hazy days of summer. While I might have run into mention of it at the Dovetail website, I had never seen it in the wild and so I grabbed a 4-pack. It wasn't until I got home that I actually read the label which noted traditional brewing methods - yay! - and modern hops - uff da! Oh boy. What was I getting into here?
The nouveau hops in the recipe were Vista and Strata. Strata rang a bell but Vista only registered bad memories of the much-maligned OS from Microsoft. While I knew that I'd have fruity flavors on my hands, I avoided researching them on the interwebs so as not to prejudice things or set any expectations. I wanted to drink this stuff and taste what I could taste instead of tasting what some hop dealer's webpage told me I should be tasting.
Beyond the hops, I wasn't sure what kind of brau we were looking at here. Was it their Old Country Helles given a New World hop makeover? Or perhaps it was more of a Landbier, some kind of bespoke lager brewed to accommodate a modern hopping regimen. Whatever it was to be, I expected a pale lager of some sort. And for my sins they gave me one.
Is it me or does the label have a Pet Sounds kind of thing going for it?
My tasting was done outside shortly after I had mowed the lawn which seemed wholly appropriate.
I think I did a heckuva job with my pour because I got a couple two tree fingers of firm, brilliant white foam and this stuff held out for a while so I managed to get some decent photographs. The brau was a hazy yellow and I spied a few bubbles here and there inside. On one hand, smelling grass in the aroma wasn't out of line as I had just mowed but I swear that this brew had a very traditional kind of smell to it: bread and grassy hops, in the main. Maybe a hint of fruitiness in there too but I thought I was smelling a Helles. Maybe the Strata and Vista were added to do more for flavor than aroma.
A light-medium body and a healthy dose of fizz greeted my tongue along with a luscious bready taste. Then came the New World hops. They were piney, at first, but also kept the grassy thing going. Fruitiness followed. It began as something like honeydew melon and became more strawberry-like on subsequent sips. While my tongue couldn't help avoid the fruit flavors, the beer didn't have a cloying resemblance to Hawaiian Punch or Froot Loops like a typical hazy IPA does for me. The fruity taste was more than an accent but less than the Kool Aid man running through a wall at me.
The piney-fruity hop combo lingered a bit on the finish with the malt bubbling beneath. Things turned towards the pine which left me with a moderate bitterness and a medium dryness.
I was not expecting the pine notes here and so I was a bit surprised at the West Coast kind of taste. At 4.5% A.B.V. this stuff is on the lighter side which befits a summer brew but there was still a rich malt flavor and enough hops to stand out but not overwhelm. It was hoppy but Dovetail wasn't trying to kill you with them. And for that, I thank them.
I enjoyed this brew and my notes say "very tasty". But one was enough for me. It was indeed refreshing and delicious but I had to find something else to follow it up. I suppose I should clarify and note that one was enough for me at that session, not in total. There's something about pine flavors paired with fruity ones that satiates me quickly. Citrus flavors are different as they're sharp and biting whereas strawberry and melon flavors from hops are really mellow and lack any kind of bite.
By no means do I regret trying this stuff. I enjoyed it one can at a time and found it to be a fine summer brau. And pine or not, it tasted damn good sitting outside after having put the mower away for another week.
Junk food pairing: Food pairing for beers with fruity hops is always difficult for me. I want something complementary yet to not go overboard with the fruit. I recommend pairing your Summer Hopfenlager with a bag of Rold Gold Flamin' Hot Honey Mustard pretzel twists.
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