Solar Lager is a straight down the line, traditional-ish lager. I say ‘traditional-ish’ because while it uses traditional ingredients, it doesn’t lean all the way into the breadiness of a helles, or all the way into the spicy bitterness of a pils. Think of it as a delightful hybrid of the two - super drinkable and with solid flavour, as well as a slightly candied malt aroma.*
And since Solar doesn’t fit the category of any one traditional European-style lager, Future Magic entered it in the Australian Lager category at their first AIBAs. The judges tasted it (again, and again, and again - it’s a thorough process), assessed the clean-in-the-mouth feel, the balance of bready malt and hop spice, the laudable work of the Weihenstephan yeast… and ended up awarding it a gold medal.
The proof is in the pudding… which is the medal, I guess? Or is the beer the pudding? I’m not sure where the pudding is. But the lager is nice.
Mick Wüst
*Is candied malt a thing? It should be.
