Hello and welcome back to the Eternal Hoptimists,
I was discussing with a friend recently how I am starting to enjoy a lager every now and again, by this it goes without saying that I don’t mean the mainstream stuff that you find in multibuy offers in your local supermarket. My friend said to me ‘Get yourself to Home Bargains, and try the Paradox Sonder Brau, you won’t regret it’
So, here we are, I am typing this review with a can of Sonder Brau in my glass. Let’s see if my friend was right and I certainly wouldn’t regret my purchase.
1. Name : Sonder Brau
2. Brewery: Paradox Brewery, (North Hudson, New York)
3. Hops : Not specified
4. Grain : Barley and yeast
5. Aroma : Clean and crisp aroma with subtle hops and a prominent malt base.
6. Appearance : Pours a hazy straw/light amber colour with a two finger fluffy white head and good levels of carbonation
7. Body : At 5.99%abv this is a lovely full bodied, true to style Dortmunder style lager with a very pleasant mouthfeel
8. Taste : Each mouthful offers something new on the palate from the clean, crisp light hop base to the strong malty backbone this one is really rather nice. Loads going on but never feels unbalanced, Sonder Brau is a quality brew that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I went with a friend’s recommendation on this one but still approached with a little apprehension. Surely Home Bargains can’t have something that great? An American brewery brewing a Dortmunder style lager? Whoa…. This caught me by surprise, it’s really good!
There is so much going on in Sonder Brau, from the wonderful aroma to the flavour profile that offers something new on the palate with each mouthful that I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed this beer. Whether this is a regular in Home Bargains or a one off I do not know but one thing that I do know is that I will certainly be heading back to buy more.
Paradox Brewery has done a stellar job with Sonder Brau and certainly alleyed any apprehensions I had before I bought this. Yes, an American brewery can brew a good German beer, and yes Home Bargains can certainly sell something great. If you have a Home Bargains nearby, get yourself there and pick up a can or two, you certainly won’t regret it! Highly recommended.
Mark’s overall rating: 3.9/ 5.0
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