Session "Fest" Red Lager

"Nibbles" (nibbles) 11/27/2013 at 20:16 • Filed to: beerlopnik

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Please use your imagination. Picture here, in the place of text, a dark stubby 11 oz glass bottle. In focus is the label. Its background is British Racing Green. "Session" is placed out front in a bold, red typeface. Underneath the brand are the words "PREMIUM RED LAGER" and the brew's name, "FEST". The bottle is sitting on some nicely speckled granite. Out of focus in the background is a nice red candle that I thought would accentuate the "festiveness" of the presentation.

This is what you would be seeing if Kinja worked on Windows Phone.

Off to the beer now. FEST is Session's seasonal brew. They call it a red lager, but it is more likened to an amber ale in taste. It is brewed with 2 Row Pale malt, Munich malt, Caramel malt and Wheat malt, and hopped with a blend of Glaciers and Cascades.

Pour is initially impressive. A beautifully dark copper colored liquid, with a light pencil-thick head, light red tinge. The head dissipates quickly though the ring stays for a while. Activity leaves quickly, leaving a fairly poor presentation if you let it sit. I recommend drinking from the stubby.

Scent is mild, spicy, with notes of caramel and raspberry.

Flavor is rather excellent, especially being an American beer doing its best to be English. Good cold, better at about 44 degrees. The different malts used really show their strengths here. Hops come out initially, with a nice slight bitter. Malts round off the taste afterward, for a nice change of pace. Tastes of hibiscus and wheat, followed by what I can only describe as Christmas.

I can recommend this brew to anyone looking to try something just different enough to be, well, different. Highly drinkable. Flavor persists throughout the entire glass. Would be better straight from the bottle.

Session "Fest" Red Lager, purchased at Total Beverage for $11.99/12 pack.

Aaron James > Nibbles 11/27/2013 at 21:12

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minus the red candle.