Judge’s Review: 93 Rating – AZ250 Arizona Lager by Mother Road Brewing Co.

American Lager | Year-Round | USA

By Nelson Crowle

Judges Rating: 93.00
Aroma: 22.00
Appearance: 6.00
Flavor: 38.00
Mouthfeel: 9.00
Overall Impression: 18.00

AZ250 Arizona Lager by Mother Road Brewing Co. was evaluated as an American Lager, Style 1B, per the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines.  

The beer was poured with a large, poofy head of tiny bubbles, which faded fairly quickly to a thin layer on the almost brilliantly clear, very light straw liquid. The aroma is fairly light, as appropriate for the style, with a low bready malt component and a low floral hop note. There is also a slight grainy character to the malt that adds interest.

The flavor is medium-low grainy malt with very light floral and spicy black pepper hop character. Hop bitterness slightly tilts the balance away from the grainy malt while still maintaining the light malt character. The beer is very light-bodied with a crisp, short finish. Fermentation is clean, with no fruity esters, no phenolics, no diacetyl, no DMS, and no yeasty character.

The mouthfeel is light-bodied with fairly high carbonation, and bubbles continued to rise in the glass, leaving a slight carbonic acid bite. This is a tough style because there is nowhere to hide defects, but this brewer pulled it off nicely. As the beer warms, it loses some of its carbonation and crispness, so it is best served cold after mowing the back 40 or moving a trailer-load of hay bales.