Last fall I’d picked up a selection of lagers from out of town and decided it would be interesting to group them together when reviewing them. And because I have a backlog of review notes I’m just now getting around to posting these, but not to worry—two out of three are year-round lagers, while the other will return towards late summer/early fall.

There’s no overarching theme here—just three lagers to enjoy.

Hammer & Stitch Brewing The Lager

Hammer & Stitch opened in northwest Portland in 2020, focusing on pub-styles ales and lagers with a brewing team headed up by longtime industry veteran Ben Dobler. All of the standards are named similarly to The Lager—“The” particular style (The Pale, The Porter, The Weizen, and so on).

The Lager is billed as a “Refreshing hoppy lager with sweet citrus aromatics and a crisp, clean finish” that comes in at 5.3% ABV and 23 IBUs. The website description says:

This confidently-simple, easy-drinking beer has a foundation built on 6-Row and Pilsner malts. We add a touch of our PNW-grown hop blend to provide distinction. Our cooler, slower fermentation process gets the absolute most out of the lager yeast creating a fun and refreshing, crisp, clean lager.

Appearance: Pale golden yellow, decent clarity with a very slight unfiltered look. White, tall, lacy, delicate head.

Smell: Delicately floral hops with a very light sweatiness/dank aroma, with hints of passion fruit. Otherwise, it’s light and clean in aroma.

Taste: More of that sweaty passion fruit hoppy character in the flavor, with a moderately low bitterness that’s herbal and bracing. Really clean and mild malts, with just a touch of cracker, and a light grassiness. Crisp.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied, crisp, clean, with a malty-dry finish.

Overall: Really nice, it’s hoppy (as promised) yet balanced and super drinkable.

Black Raven Brewing Pilsner

Founded in 2009, Black Raven Brewing is based out of Redmond, Washington, with an additional location in Woodinville that opened up in 2019. Its Pilsner is brewed to be a bit a cross between a classic Bohemian pils and newer American lager, with US-grown Magnum, Loral, and Czech Saaz hops.

It’s 5.2% ABV with 30 IBUs and the website says:

This is the latest addition to our standard lineup and the first of many new lagers to be brewed in our Woodinville brewery. Crisp, clean and easy to enjoy.

Appearance: Pale golden yellow in color, a bit of unfiltered haze, with a nice white head.

Smell: Grainy, with bread crust malts, and maybe a light touch of corn. Good breadiness and rich. Mellow floral hops with a touch of herbal spice.

Taste: Tasty hop bitterness that’s peppery and herbal with a hint of tobacco, it accentuates the crisp, dry body. Malt is light and crackers with toasted bread crumbs, and has a good snap to it.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied, crisp, and nicely dry.

Overall: I’m really liking it and finding it really drinkable with an interesting herbal hop.

Rosenstadt Brewery Festbier

I always look forward to a good festbier, particularly those of the Oktoberfest/Märzen variety. Portland-based Rosenstadt’s version is a tasty example of the style and one I enjoyed quite a bit. No surprise: Rosenstadt, founded in 2015, specializes in German-influenced beer styles, contract brewed with various breweries as the company does not yet have its own physical brewery.

Its Festbier fall seasonal is 6.2% ABV with 28 IBUs, and the website description says:

Our version of the Festbier features layers of malts, with notes of everything from fresh bread and toast to almonds, dried fruit, and golden raisins that emerge over two months of lagering (aging). We use hops that produce a floral, spicy counterpoint to encourage longer sessions.

Appearance: Copper-orange color, crystal clear, with a white head showing good lacing.

Smell: Malty and bready with a touch of bread dough and fresh bread crust. The malts are just toasty, grainy, and really nice—appetizing. There’s a touch of mildly herbal hops.

Taste: Rich with notes of toasted grains and a nice balancing hop bitterness that’s earthy and firm. It’s nicely dry and clean, where it could easily go sweet with the rich maltiness (also balanced by the hops). There’s some nuttiness and toasted oats as well.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body with a crisp snap of bitterness and a clean, dry finish.

Overall: Quite tasty and one I think I could drink a few of!