Sol Crusher

Declared as a Mexican Lager, Sol Crusher by Pontoon Brewing pours a very clear almost amber deep gold color, so it seems to fit best as a BJCP 2015 2B International Amber Lager. A moderate off-white head disappears quickly. Aroma is bready and of toasted bread crusts – quite a bit of malt backbone for a Mexican lager. There are also low black pepper notes and a light herbal character. Flavor is more a Vienna malt with toasty notes, and also a light tart minerality (not quite salt-like). There’s a moderate smooth white pepper note that lingers into a malty but quite dry and well-attenuated finish. Medium-low bittering balances the fairly prominent malt. Medium-low carbonation. As a lager, the beer is pretty clean – no fruity esters or flavors are produced by the yeast. Overall a tasty and quite malty beer and much more malty than typical international pale or amber lagers. With the nice toasty notes, this beer would pair nicely with oysters on the half shell, adding a crouton-like character but also complementing and enhancing the mineral/salty character.