After recently purchasing a four pack from Drop Bear Beer Co., all we had to do was trial one of each of the four beers that are currently on offer. In our first review, we trialled the Yuzu Pale Ale, which we were fans of.
The remaining three beers include the following:
- New World Lager
- Tropical IPA
- Bonfire Stout
For this review, we are trialling next in the list – New World Lager.
But, before we get into it, this is no ‘standard’ lager. Instead, it is an IPL – or Indian Pale Ale Lager. This beer is jam packed with hops, so you are not going to get the typical taste profile from something that calls itself a ‘lager’.
Anyway, let’s proceed!
New World Lager Initial Review
Just like the other drinks in this Drop Bear Beer review series, there is some important information displayed on the bottle to showcase. This includes the following information that might excite you if you consider yourself a craft beer nerd:
- OG – (Original Gravity) – 1020
- Malts – Lager Malt, Wheat Malt, Amber Malt
- IBU – (International Bitterness Units) – 16
- Hops – Motueka, Rakau, Wai-Iti
- Ingredients – (listed below)
This beer also came out of the following four pack ‘taster pack’, shown below:
First things first, it was time to pour this drink into a glass.
Immediately, the carbonation is obvious and a large, frothy head forms. Within a few minutes, the head settles and the beer appears straw yellow – typical of most lagers.
For the aroma, this is different from your typical lager or pilsner, and smells similar to an IPA. Initial aroma notes are malty and also similar to that of wholemeal. At the back, there are hints of sweet aromas, such as orange and grapefruit. But only slightly.
For the flavour, the expected lager taste is replaced with a much richer taste profile dominated by the hops. The taste matches the aroma; but initial taste of digestive biscuit with a hint of bitter citrus fruit to finish.
Although the lager appeared well carbonated upon first pour, the beer is very smooth and creamy. Followed with just a hint of carbonation. The body is heavier than your standard lager or pilsner, but not as heavy as an IPA. Unsurprisingly, this drink tastes like if you mixed a ‘bland’ lager with a fruity pale ale in equal measures.
Where Can I Buy Drop Bear Beer Co. New World Lager?
For this review, we purchased directly from Drop Bear Beer Co., with all four beers costing just £10 including postage fees.
However, if you are looking to purchase one or more beers as part of a bigger non-alcoholic beer delivery, you may wish to check out the following online retailers:
New World Lager Ingredients, Nutritional Information and Calories
The ingredients in this beer are as follows:
Water, Malted Barley, Wheat, Oats, Hops, Yeast
Barley, wheat and oats are the typical allergens in this drink.
| Nutritional Information | Per 100mL |
|---|---|
| Energy (KJ / KCal) | 64.5 / 15 |
| Fat (g) | >0.1g |
| Of Which Saturates (g) | >0.01g |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 3.7 |
| Of Which Sugars (g) | 0.7 |
| Protein (g) | 0.15 |
| Salt (g) | 0.003 |
| Alcohol Content | 0.5% |
If you are looking for a beer that is vegan or gluten free, then this is one you can have!
Overall Opinion?
On the face of it, I was expecting this drink to be an attempt at an alcohol-free lager. However, it is much more than your standard lager by going down the Indian Pale Lager route.
This New World Lager is light and refreshing – like a lager – but has a taste profile that makes it more interesting as a drink. With many lagers, I find that they feel ‘light’ or ’empty’ when dropping the alcohol content, but this is not the case here.
It has good aroma, a great taste and is well bodied. This was enjoyable as a single beer sitting, but I would easily up the ante to two or three at a go!
