HUB Lager - Hopworks Urban Brewery

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.86/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

An American shaker pint @yegbeerrevolution.

This beer appears a hazy pale golden yellow hue, with one finger of lazily puffy, tightly foamy off-white head, which leaves some various island atoll lace around the glass as it genially abates.

It smells of crisp pale grainy malt, mild indistinct citrus, a soft leafy, grassy hoppiness, with a subtle earthy mustiness kind of skulking about. The taste is a nice uptick from the aroma - edgily bitter grassy hops, lemon wedges, gritty biscuity malt, and a further earthy, leafy essence, the mustiness kind of wafting away.

The carbonation is fairly peppy, and well sustainable, the body just on the lee side of medium weight, and as smooth as the sassy Bohemian hop agents will allow. It finishes barely off-dry, the zingy hops standing a few leagues taller than the heretofore equitable malt.

A fairly enjoyable rendition of a style near and dear to my beer-guzzling heart. The organic thing, I can take or leave, sure, but beyond that, what we have here is one drinkable ode to true Pils aficionados everywhere.

Serving type: on-tap

05-17-2013 21:50:51 | More by biboergosum

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.43/5  rDev -10%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours gold with a lasting white head.
Nose shows lemon/dill sorachi-like notes, soft bready malt and banana. Quite nice.
Flavours include more bready notes, soft dill and spicy hops. Enjoyable stuff.
Carbonation could be higher.
Not bad stuff, great for a warm day.

Serving type: can

03-08-2013 01:25:40 | More by CrazyDavros

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.54/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The legend woodychandler comes through with this beer. Poured from a 16 oz. can. Has a light golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is malty, some grains, slightly sweet. Taste is the same, malts, grains, bit of hops, refreshing and easy drinking. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a decent beer.

Serving type: can

02-14-2013 00:54:11 | More by tone77

Spikester

Oregon

3.28/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear gold with one finger of white head. Good micro bubble lacing sheet. Head is a ring by the halfway point.
Smell is very mild biscuit dough. A tiny bit of lemon zest.
Taste is bready malts with a slow onset of mildly bitter hops.
Mouthfeel is well carbonated and fairly thin which is normal for this style. Medium dry bitter finish.
Overall it is a tasty West Coast Pils. Very refreshing and low abv. which invites another.
From a yellow and black pint can.

Serving type: can

01-22-2013 06:26:26 | More by Spikester

Brad007

Vermont

4.55/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a mild gold with a thin white head into my glass. First beer I've had from this brewery I believe. All their other products are currently sold out here.

Light, crisp and grainy with a touch of buttered bread in the nose. Hop bitterness is known as well.

Tasty with a good hop bite that's counter-balanced by grainy, baked bread. Chewy. Like liquid dough to my mouth.

Mouthfeel is much like chewing freshly baked bread with only a touch of hops remaining. It's very flavorful.

I can see myself buying more than 1 of this beer. Wow. Very nice for the style. It's not in-your-face like some other examples.

Serving type: can

12-02-2012 01:08:21 | More by Brad007

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

2.4/5  rDev -37%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured from the can at Reno's 4th annual canfest. HUB is one of my favorite breweries, much less in Oregon, and the pour here looked impressive, yellow, bright, cloudy with an inch of head. It quickly dissipated, possibly indicating what lay ahead. Aroma was nondescript nonoffensive stuff, there really wasn't anything to speak of or latch onto in that regard.

Taste, immediately the words diacetyl crept into my mind. I continued to sip, tasting an off cardboard like presence. This wasn't buttery like some, but it had the other indentifiers of being compromised. Perhaps it was just stale caramel/toffee like notes in the beer, sometimes in a lager it cuts both ways. I'm not saying for sure there were diacetyl problems with this beer, a better way to put it is that the beer simply lacked good flavor. Given that the IPA cans they sent were also old (I know that beer to be damn good when fresh), it is probably just as likely that they just sent old cans to the festival (clear out the inventory!).

Ultimately, stale cardboard flavor dominated, I couldn't tell you about hops, or the yeast profile, any alleged crispness. It was just old cardboard. Given that HUB is an elite brewery, I would try this beer again, I think they just dumped old product onto a beerfest tended by volunteers rather than reps.

Serving type: can

11-06-2012 18:29:17 | More by Beerandraiderfan

dirtylou

Washington

4.33/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

16oz can

appearance: great can design, served in a hilliards can-pint. nice hazy golden body, thin layer of sticky white film

smell: crisp crackery malt, lemony hop profile

taste: as i mature in this craft beer wave that has been the past decade, i've found i really really enjoy a well crafted lager. This is a really well crafted lager - crisp lemony hop profile, light citrus, crackery malt, light lingering bitterness. More of this will be purchased.

mouthfeel: light bitterness, slick light body

overall: solid

Serving type: can

10-20-2012 22:13:02 | More by dirtylou

beertunes

Washington

3.38/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into 9oz pilsener glass. Poured a cloudy pale yellow color with less than a half-inch of white head that had low retention and lacing.

The aroma was mostly very nice grains, a good earthy scent, with just enough gentle hops to provide accent notes. Sadly, there was just a slight trace of skunkiness. The taste was much better than the aroma, everything was sharper and more well-focused. The earthy grains gave a good foundation for the crisp, sharp hops to stand out from.

The body was solid, nicely clean and had a pleasant dry finish. Drinkability was good, you could easily have a few of these guys. Overall, a pleasant take on the style, worth a shot if you see it.

Serving type: can

10-11-2012 18:51:49 | More by beertunes

Flightoficarus

Washington

4.33/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Type - 16 oz "tallboy" can poured into a glass.

A - Pours a slightly hazy, light gold hue, with a single finger white head, giving way to mild lacing.

S - Smell is of doughy malts, lager yeast, lemon, and subtle hops

T - Taste is of doughy malts, w/a subtle graininess, moderate citrus/lemon notes, and mild hop spiciness, with a slightly dry finish. Simple, but very well executed here!

M - Body is somewhere between light and medium. Carbonation is modest, but just right. Sessionable, but satisfying at the same time.

O - Overall, this is a top notch example of this style of beer, with just the right blend of sessionability, and character. HUB has yet another winner here!

Serving type: can

10-10-2012 06:09:00 | More by Flightoficarus

flagmantho

Washington

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 16oz tall can into a pint glass.

Appearance: light gold hue with a little bit of haze and a light effervescence. Head is a finger of frothy white foam with a decent lacing on the glass.

Smell: light malt aroma with a good lager-yeast character. Hops are light but spicy in character. Good, but I'd like the volume turned up a little bit.

Taste: malty with a very toasty/biscuity flavor which is decent but doesn't really suit my palate. Hops and bitterness are both on the light side. Not bad, but not my favorite.

Mouthfeel: medium-light body with a strong, well-integrated carbonation which creates a very nice creaminess. I like it.

Overall: this is a pretty solid beer, although it doesn't suit my taste well. Still, drinkable and refreshing.

Serving type: can

10-01-2012 22:52:18 | More by flagmantho

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.78/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Can from the Whole Foods in Tanasbourne.

Golden yellow with a thin, white head that falls off to a disk rather quickly, leaving little lacing. The nose is decent. Rather mild, it's a blend of doughy and mildly bready malt, a little dusty lemony hop character, and some yeast. The lemon character has a mildly preserved lemon aroma.

The palate opens moderately bitter, almost surprising in its strength with a blend of dough, a faint diacetyl and dusty and preserved lemons. The mid-palate has some honey and floral hop character. The bitterness is a little too high for the style IMO. The mouthfeel is quite nice, light but having a pleasant fullness and moderate carbonation that lends just a touch of acidity to complement the fruitiness of the hops. Solid stuff, I will revisit this.

Serving type: can

09-12-2012 03:58:19 | More by DefenCorps

Reidrover

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

16 oz can bought from "Lifesource" in Salem. $2.99 Typical pale yellow lager body with a nice sized,frothy white head. Pleasing lagerish aroma..sweet malts and grassy,slightly spicy hop nose. Taste is very well balanced with nothing dominated..but the sweet toffeeish malts blend well with the grassy hop. Nice on the palate, quite honeyish actually. Overall a very well made lager..i hesitate to call it a Czech Pilsner however!

Serving type: can

09-03-2012 22:24:28 | More by Reidrover

KDawg

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

had this on tap at Hopworks. Pours a real nice clear straw color with a small head.

Balanced with real nice aromas of grains, crackers and some hop aromas as well.

Very smooth and complete feel with good flavors of grains, biscuits and a touch of hops.

This was a real quality pilsner. It was very smooth and had a real nice subtle take to it.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2012 05:16:23 | More by KDawg

cmac1705

Florida

4.7/5  rDev +23.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This is one of those eureka beers for me.

Pale, straw color indicative of the predominant pilsner malt. Aroma is grainy with hints of noble hop spice. Flavor is crisp, bready, balanced by assertive yet restrained hop bitterness. Goes down easy and quickly and finishes dry, begging you for more.

I can't say enough good things about this beer. It takes a special kind of American brewery to concoct a classic German style as impeccable as this.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2012 02:07:02 | More by cmac1705

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

2.53/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

First had: on tap at HUB, Portland, OR

My normal initial description of a beer like this is: "it's a lager," or "it's a pilsner." And yep, that's what this was. Poured a clear straw-yellow color with a thin, wispy head, active carbonation. Cereal grain and light corn notes in the aroma, tiny bit of herbal hops. Light and crisp on the palate, tastes of grains, light herbal hops, and a touch of honey sweetness. Light body, goes down very easily. Good for the less adventurous and/or those who like the style in general I suppose, but it's really not my thing.

Serving type: on-tap

01-09-2012 16:29:25 | More by Rifugium

MsRif

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on-tap at HUB in Portland, OR. Poured a straw yellow color that was very clear, with a thin white head that receded and left minimal spotty lacing and a ring of bubbles. Had an aroma of grains and sweet malts. Tasted of malt sugar, grains and wheat...pretty typical of the style.

Light bodied and smooth. Moderate carbonation. EXTREMELY sessionable, but obviously you need to be a fan of the style. For me it is too one dimensional, but this beer is still well made and I enjoyed the taster that I had.

Serving type: on-tap

12-27-2011 23:26:36 | More by MsRif

jdanyeur

Oregon

4.55/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I personally love this beer, its my favorite Czech pils on this side of the Atlantic. It is unique in respect that the after taste is extremely malty and warm. I wish they bottled it so I wouldn't have to eat at a restaurant to enjoy it. The color is golden and the mouthfeel is full. If only it wasn't a sessions grade abv, I can't drink enough of it to get a nice buzz.

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2011 20:03:46 | More by jdanyeur

dgilks

Australia

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear straw colour with a smooth, white head. Good head retention.

Light grainy aroma with a very mild herbal hop character. Good.

Smooth and slightly grainy. Just a hint of sweetness. nice crisp hoppy finish.

Light body with a moderately high carbonation. Good and suitably crisp.

A really, solid, easy drinking session lager with great flavour.

Serving type: on-tap

08-08-2011 11:16:51 | More by dgilks

ccrida

Oregon

4.53/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

On draught at HUB, their pils is gold with lazy bubbles forming a white collar.

Smell is faint, sweet cereals, light herbs.

Taste is malt forward, a very clean breadiness, with a bit of a herbal, and less so citrus quality to the hops. Full flavored but in a clean, balanced, way, an exceptional lager for sure.

Mouthfeel is dry, a sharp crispness, light body.

Drinkability is high, this is a very tasty brew, a great session beer for a hot day.

Serving type: on-tap

08-04-2011 23:57:55 | More by ccrida

HopHead84

California

3.78/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12/16/10

On tap at the brewery. A Bohemian Pilsner.

A: Perfectly pellucid vibrant burnished straw golden with a small frothy head. Not a good pilsner glass or a proper pour so I can't judge the head.

S: Big Saaz bouquet with floral and grassy notes. Malt is rich and complex. Diacetyl is light. Subtle lemon notes are evident. A bit too much fruit for the style.

T: Assertive noble hop bitterness with and some rich malt. Tasty, with a touch of diacetyl and some grassy notes. The fruity lemon esters are a bit out of place, but doesn't hurt too much. Finish is crisp and dry, though not quite clean enough.

M: Light body, upper moderate carbonation, dry and crisp mouthfeel.

Overall: A nice, enjoyable Czech Pilsner. Definitely worth a try, the only real fault I found was that the fruit esters were too strong for the style.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2010 19:15:59 | More by HopHead84

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.1/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured a clear light golden color with good carbonationa nd a small white head

S: Some honey, light dose of hops, floral, sweet cornperhaps some corn

T: Has a nice fresh, crisp taste, floral notes and some honey

M: Crisp, light, frefreshing

D: Very easy and pleasure to drink

Serving type: on-tap

12-09-2010 01:24:12 | More by barleywinefiend

jdense

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at HUB 7/21/2010, poured into 16 oz. stein.

One finger white head, medium dissipation with significant lacing. Deep gold body, numerous streams of carbonation risiing from the bottom of the glass. Sweetish nose balanced with dryish (Pilsener) malts, floral hops, aroma very close to style. Taste is quite well balanced, a bit sweet but not too much, floral and grassy hops against the above malt profile. Medium mouthfeel, good effervescence, exceptionally clean finsih. Really drinkabile, quite a nice tasting Pilsener.

Serving type: on-tap

07-21-2010 21:19:46 | More by jdense

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had a pint at the Horse Brass with friends. Man this is a heck of a beer. I certainly wouldn't mind having a liter-stein of it. There's a soft, bready malt character with very mild hints of spice and vanilla. There's also a note or toast and a little citrus. The beer is dry and super drinkable, and frankly, I'm glad I have the self-control to move along.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2010 01:39:43 | More by tempest

djbreezy

Washington

4.33/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

served on tap at the brewery out of their standard iconic mugs

appearance - pours golden with transparency, solid white head, frothy

smell - bready and sweet nose

taste - bready malts dominate and are balanced by some sweetness

mouthfeel - a light and characteristic body

drinkability - this one is one of HUB's easier beers to down, due to the low abv

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2010 22:51:01 | More by djbreezy

cbarrett4

Oregon

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pretty ordinary beer here. Doesn't have that nasty metallic note those fake American lagers have. No rice here!

Very clear yellow color... pretty ordinary. Smells good, some mild hop hints, clean fruitiness. Good flavor, more flavor than I first expected. Still a little thin (it IS a lager). Very balance, drinkable, and has good abv for how drinkable it is. Good stuff though I won't be buying a bottle at the market! I would spend my money on the IPA or 7 Grain Stout

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2010 23:56:06 | More by cbarrett4