This may sound like the beginning to a Keystone commercial, but I promise it's not. As I've mentioned in prior columns, mass-produced swill beers like Budweiser, Coors and Miller seem to have co-opted lighter beer genres, and it's a shame. There is such a thing as a pilsner or lager that has flavor and appeal outside of tasting like alcoholic water — and it sure doesn't need Rob Riggle faking high-brow beer speak to sell itself.
I'm speaking, of course, of the mind-numbing Budwiser “Lager lesson” commercials that have made Riggle omnipresent during the commercial breaks of every major sporting event. Seriously dude — you were an above average Daily Show correspondent. Not top-notch like Stephen Colbert or Rob Corddry, but you were at least up there with Samantha Bee or Ed Helms. All I can say is that you'd better have money falling out of your orifices after this because when you start getting roles in full-length movies like Steve Carell, everyone's going to know you as that Budwiser guy. Ask the Budweiser frogs, the farting horse or those “Whazzzzup” guys how well that worked for them.
With that intro, I wish I could give a glowing review to this week's beer, Sierra Nevada's Summerfest Lager, but I'm a bit underwhelmed.
Sierra Nevada has done great work on some of its other brews — its Celebration Ale is a hop addict's dream and its Pale Ale isn't far behind. Nothing here is offensively bad — grainy aromas in the beer are even stronger on first taste, with the faintest bit of grassy, lemony hops fighting for its spot on your palate. The beer has a crisp, dry finish that is fairly common with lagers — something that can put off those that don’t drink it regularly. But this isn't the smoothest lager you've ever had, and the beer would benefit from bringing up those hop undertones. Instead your mouth is left with those same grainy tastes and not much else — like a bowl of multi-grain cereal in beer form.
Sierra Nevada's Summerfest is a decent choice at 6.99 a six pack, but nothing to write home about — kind of like second-rate Daily Show correspondents that sell their soul to corporate America. How’s that for a Lager lesson?
SEE THEM ON YOUTUBE
Budwiser frogs: youtube.com/watch?v=umwZdZoIu3Q
The farting horse: youtube.com/watch?v=umwZdZoIu3Q
“Whazzzzup” guys: youtube.com/watch?v=2GWrrTpJ1eU
