Ex Novo Brewing Company - The Most Interesting Lager in the World

Stay craft beer-y, my friends...

Do you know what I would love? Do you? Okay, you probably don't know and don't care, but I'm going to tell you anyway. What I would LOVE is to walk down the cold case aisle of my local grocery store and see dozens - nay, HUNDREDS - of fine, premium, tasty craft beers lined up in single pint cans. Holy frijole, I would fill up my cart with them! I would stack them up in my fridge like a veritable cavalcade of AWESOMENESS!

Let's face it, a 22 ounce bomber can sometimes be too much beer for a casual drink. An entire six pack, while taking down the individual serving size a notch, is a considerable investment AND commitment of valuable refrigerator real estate. For me, a pint is just right! And I've already sung the praises of craft beer in cans on many previous posts.

Cans are lighter, more easily transported, chill faster, better for the environment, easier to store, AND keep out 100% of beer-destroying light. Personally, I'm happy to see that more and more craft brewers are packaging their brews in cans. There's a tiny section of the cold case in my neighborhood New Seasons with pint-sized singles and it has slowly increased in length over the years. My dream may eventually come true!

Tonight, I am drinking a beer from Ex Novo Brewing Company that came in a pint-sized can: The Most Interesting Lager in the World. As the moniker would imply, it's a Mexican-style lager. The can advises that it was brewed with Vienna and Pilsner malts with a hint of flaked corn and Saaz hops. "Don't fear the lime," the can proclaims. ABV is 5.0% Sorry, I'm skipping the lime. I'm not afraid, but I think limes belong in margaritas, not beer.

The beer poured into my pilsner glass a light, golden yellow color with a bubbly, white head. The head dissipated quickly leaving only a thin ring around the rim of the glass. Only the thinnest film of lacing was left behind. Rows of pinpoint carbonation marched continuously up from the bottom of the glass.

Aroma was light, spicy hops with a hint of grain. No appreciable corn or sour dishrag skunkiness noted in the initial olfactory intake, which are the common scents that emanate from most adjunct lagers.

Taste was a nice, refreshing balance of grainy malt, yeast. and light, lemony hops. This beer went well with the Moroccan chicken breast I had for dinner. Perfect brew for a spicy meal, especially when you don't want a beverage to complete with the flavor of the food.

Light bodied with excellent carbonation. Smooth, crisp finish.

Overall, this is a nice little lager. I would say it's like a high-quality Corona. No lime necessary. I'm giving The Most Interesting Lager in the World a respectable BeerGuyPDX rating of 3 crushed cans out of 4.