Friends, let’s talk about Sierra Nevada Vienna Lager, but before we do, let’s talk about craft beer 12-packs. You know the ones I’m talking about, a box of 12 cans or bottles of craft beer, usually in an assortment of various beers. Therein lies the problem, too: quite often, brewers will sneak in one new beer you can’t get anywhere else with another 9 or 10 bottles of beer from their regular or seasonal lineup.
Such was the case with the 2015 fall 12-pack from Sierra Nevada that included three bottles of the aforementioned Sierra Nevada Vienna Lager along with the same number each of Flipside Red IPA, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale. Mind you, all of these are delightful beers, but my current problem is that I just have too much beer on hand already, and just didn’t need to add another dozen bottles to my stash.
Taco Mac to the rescue! Sierra Nevada beers are featured beers of the month for September of 2015, and Sierra Nevada Vienna Lager is one of the offerings. Here’s what Sierra Nevada says about the beer on their website:
Vienna-style beers are among the world’s first light-colored lagers and were on the brink of extinction until American craft brewers helped revive the style; it’s a good thing they did. These delicate and extremely balanced amber beers rely on semi-sweet and bready malt flavors but walk a fine line with both malt and hop character shouldering equal weight. Our take on the style features whole-cone European hops, which add to the dry finish.
Ingredients from the website:
Yeast Lager yeast
Bittering Hops Bravo, Mandarina
Finishing Hops Mandarina, Crystal
Malts Vienna, Munich, CaraRed
Sierra Nevada Vienna Lager has an alcohol content of 5.3% by volume with 28 IBUs. I paid $5.50 for a full mug pour at Taco Mac; the 12-packs run about $13.49 in these parts.
My mug of Sierra Nevada Vienna Lager arrived a beautiful light caramel color with a moderate head formation and a soft nutty malt nose. Taking a sip, I got a stellar medium nutty malt palate, a hint of caramel, and a dose of soft grassy hops on the finish.
Vienna Lagers are not overly complex but they should feature the malt, and this one does perfectly with nutty notes and light caramel. It’s truly a beautiful beer, but would we expect anything less from Sierra Nevada? Of course not…..
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler