Love lager. Hate lager. Love IPA. Love barleywine. Love imperial stout. Love lager.
It’s a path followed by many craft beer drinkers. You discover beer’s diversity of styles and a world that goes far beyond the boring old lagers that you knew. You look for hops, you know the names of your favourite varieties, and you spend your evenings on Untappd checking your beers in and full of fury that a “friend” drank a bourbon-aged imperial stout without you. You wake up every morning and stare in the mirror, saying how much you hate lager and how you are better in every way than the poor fools who swill their mass-produced crap.
Then, you walk into a local taproom, see that a Lukr tap is pouring a pilsner, say “Why not?” and suddenly you discover a world of subtle bliss, of drinkability, and realise how wrong you’ve been. In other words, to quote Hop Nation and Balter, you’ve gone Full Circle and realise you’re less about chasing haze and pastry stouts and more about the West Coast Pilsner, where hops can still fire up your system. The collaboration between the two brewers is itself as natural an idea as they come; Balter’s Scotty Hargrave and Duncan Gibson at Hop Nation might be deeply devoted to all things hops but chat to either about lagers, and you'll see their eyes light up.
Naturally, the brewers soon turned their minds to hops and lagers and came up with a beer dry-hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Nelson Sauvin that enjoyed some extended time in the tank. It looks like it might be one of Scotty’s final collabs wearing a Balter shirt, too, with the founder and head brewer just announcing he’s moving on after a long time at the helm. So it’s safe to say Scotty’s ready to put his feet up, which is precisely how you should enjoy Full Circle, thanks to just how refreshing it is. Dive into it and you’ll find rockmelon, nectarine, orange zest, and a touch of grapefruit, while a zippy bitterness and gentle biscuit note all combine to ensure that as soon as you get to the end of the circle, you’ll want to go around again.
Will Ziebell
Published February 6, 2025 2025-02-06 00:00:00
