Today, it’s the White Lager Hausbier, a Commons brewery/Bailey’s taproom collaboration. There’s a hint of herbal, lemony sourness in the nose. The beer itself is very light on the tongue, within the lemon flavors being the backbone of the beer and a hit of ginger on the finish. Wrapping it all up is a slightly bitter bite but the effervescence and ginger leave my tongue with a little tingle. I like it, though it really feels like a warm weather beer. Right beer at the wrong time, maybe?
Perhaps not; during winter with so many heavy, dense ales to choose, most of them mining coffee, chocolate, nutmeg and cinnamon, having an excellent contrast to those beers is not something to overlook.
The bartender tells me that this is part of a new series: Baileys is going to collaborate with breweries around town to produce seasonal ales to serve and this white lager should be on tap for about three months. After that, collaborations with Baerlic and Ex Novo will follow. I like this idea; having a house ale is a nice dollop of consistency in what is a frequently rotating tap list.
Today’s second pint goes to the Oregon Food Bank.
A pint for Dionysus 