There is an intense aroma of toast and baking bread up front. The beer is copper in color and brilliantly clear with good head retention. There are ale-like notes of red berries (cherry and strawberry) as the beer warms a bit. Some unexpected characteristics showed up in the flavor for a traditional Vienna Lager. The hop flavor is a bit higher than expected and more earthy in character than floral. There are moderate levels of caramel and a semisweet finish. This could be due to the caramel and low perceived bitterness. The sweetness lasts long into the finish, imparting a dry mouth sensation. Perhaps more carbonation would lessen the sweet perception. Despite its departure from the traditional style, I enjoyed this beer and would appreciate it while watching a football game with a grilled brat.
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Jomo Lager
Starr Hill’s Jomo Vienna Lager is a smooth, multiple-award-winning Vienna-style lager. Fermented with Southern German Lager yeast, its crisp, clean taste, and noticeable hop aroma are effectively balanced with a slight malty sweetness. This is a crossover beer that appeals to the broadest spectrum of brew aficionados.
Starr Hill’s take on the classic Vienna Lager style weighs in as a refreshing, sessionable beer exhibiting mild malty notes. Deep gold/light copper in color with great clarity, this smooth lager boasts a fine white head and delicate lacework on the glass. Aromas of light malt, honey and bready/toasty undertones mingle with a subtle, floral, spicy hop nose and a hint of caramel. Phil found the aromatics “very delicate and restrained, with a light, grainy, pilsner-like character.” A soft, silky mouthfeel gives way to mild flavors of malt, biscuits, toast and caramel – all balanced by moderate bittering and flavor hops – producing a pleasant, gentle, dry, tannin-like, lingering finish with a hint of honey. Cristina found some “subtle caramel/butterscotch notes,” and Ed noted a “malt character that fades to hoppy, earthy flavors and moderate bitterness.” Phil also commented, “This lager’s maltiness seems restrained but elegant, with just a trace of noble hop flavor. It invites another sip before the first one fades from the palate.” Overall, the aroma and flavor profiles come across as subtle but in balance. Owen mentioned, “This beer perhaps needs a bit more color, toast-like character and malt complexity and depth to be an exceptional Vienna-style lager.” Leaving a pleasing impression of a crisp, dry, somewhat thin, malty lager, Jomo certainly delivers an extremely enjoyable quaff.