Shift Pale Lager - New Belgium Brewing

superspak

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

16 ounce can into pilsener glass, best before 1/27/2013. Pours slightly hazy golden straw color with a nice 1-2 finger dense white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of lemon zest, apple, pear, cracker, bready grain, floral, grass, pepper, and herbal earthiness. Damn nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and strength. Taste of lemon zest, pear, pepper, apple, cracker, bready grain, floral, grass, and herbal earthiness. Lingering notes of light fruits, pepper, cracker, bread, floral, grass, and herbal on the finish for a bit. Very nice flavor balance and good complexity of hop/malt notes; with zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth and crisp mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with hardly any warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very nice pale lager. Very nice balance of hop/malt flavors; and extremely smooth and crisp to drink. A very enjoyable and refreshing offering.

Serving type: can

01-31-2013 04:06:21 | More by superspak

teraflx

Arizona

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

05-18-2013 20:35:41 | More by teraflx

shelby415

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

05-18-2013 19:27:36 | More by shelby415

iHeartMNBeer

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

05-17-2013 04:57:38 | More by iHeartMNBeer

rheff

Arkansas

3.25/5  rDev -11%

05-17-2013 03:39:14 | More by rheff

eulerthegrape

California

4/5  rDev +9.6%

05-16-2013 17:57:37 | More by eulerthegrape

MinorThreat

Colorado

2.75/5  rDev -24.7%

05-16-2013 02:22:07 | More by MinorThreat

Slay40

Michigan

2.5/5  rDev -31.5%

05-12-2013 02:30:33 | More by Slay40

ystazi

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -11%

05-11-2013 19:50:33 | More by ystazi

ToddHolder

Illinois

3/5  rDev -17.8%

05-11-2013 01:27:14 | More by ToddHolder

JakeDebus

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

05-10-2013 15:05:38 | More by JakeDebus

Zimm

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -11%

05-10-2013 11:44:22 | More by Zimm

Xzfgiimtsath

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -11%

05-10-2013 00:46:47 | More by Xzfgiimtsath

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

From: Binny's, Bloomingdale, IL
Date: Best by 6/13/2013
Glass: Standard US pint

With Shift, New Belgium has a solid "mild" American lager. The beer is somewhat hoppy, somewhat of pale malts, neither striking the palate with too much intensity. The result is a drinkable, sessionable beer that won't overpower or saturate the palate into being tired, while at the same time letting one know that he or she is drinking an American-influenced beer (mostly due to the hop choices). This was enjoyable, and one to consider if I'm seeking out a mild, lager-like beer with American-influenced hopping.

The beer pours a 1cm tall head of fairly clean, white foam, with average retention of around one minute. The head fades to a thin ring around the perimeter of the glass, leaving moderate lacing, mostly a scattered array of dots, but also a few larger blotches clinging to the sides of the glass. The body is a golden yellow color, transparent, with light bringing out lighter, paler shades of yellow. Carbonation is visible through the body, and it is both somewhat vigorous and numerous.

The aroma is generally assertive, but not aggressive or blustering: the hops are present, but not dank or heavy, and the malt is consciously tame and in the background. The mix is an interesting blend of mildly fruity (guava, mango) and citrusy hops, arising from the Nelson Sauvin and Cascade, respectively. In this can at least, the hops seem to be most prominent, the slightly toasted and sweet malt appearing as more of an afterthought. A bit one-dimensional as a result.

The overall flavor is generally hoppy and fruity, with the malts being largely relegated to the background. Again, this leads to the beer feeling, at times, rather one-dimensional. Front of palate finds fruit flavors (guava and passion fruit, with a bit of pear) with a mild pale base malt sweetness. Mid-palate finds more "heaviness" to the hop flavors, with continued pale malt sweetness and perhaps a hint of the Munich malt that's in this beer. Back of palate features mild bitterness, slightly grainy and toasted malts accompany the sweet, pale malts, and slight fruit flavors (more pear than anything tropical). Aftertaste is with a somewhat tannic, astringent, dry bitterness, with continued citrus (orange) and marginal tropical fruit (guava, mango) flavor.

Beer is light to medium-light in body, with enough carbonation to gently foam the beer completely upon the palate. The resulting mouthfeel is soft, foamy, and somewhat creamy. Closes mostly dry, with little residual stickiness hanging on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 05:09:43 | More by falloutsnow

DasBoot2112

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -11%

05-09-2013 03:47:25 | More by DasBoot2112

KajII

North Carolina

3.19/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

[Suggested Glassware: Lager Glass]

The pour was a clear pale golden yellow with a small (less than 1 finger) white creamy head that diminished rapidly, leaving behind a thin film and small collar with very good sticky lacing.

The aroma was mild of a light grain malt, floral and grassy hops and a doughy yeast with a note of citrus (lemon and grapefruit) and a light fruity ester (apple and pears).

The taste was lightly bitter and rather grainy with a mild fruitiness from the start, becoming lightly hoppy with a nice grapefruit presence and a bitter lemon peel taste towards the finish. The flavor hung around for a good while following the swallow, with a bold citrus peel bitterness left behind.

Mouthfeel was light in body with a thin dry texture and a lively carbonation.

Overall this brew was a lot better than I expected out of a Pale Lager. It possessed a very nice bold bitterness along with a slight fruity sweetness, which working together created a well balanced and easy to drink brew...

http://www.facebook.com/KAJIIsBeerReviews

Serving type: can

05-08-2013 18:46:29 | More by KajII

Beerswag

California

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

05-05-2013 10:16:58 | More by Beerswag

ZEB89

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

05-04-2013 19:52:17 | More by ZEB89

BDF2000

Virginia

3/5  rDev -17.8%

05-02-2013 16:56:14 | More by BDF2000

BrianSherry

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +16.4%

05-01-2013 20:55:20 | More by BrianSherry

adam_e

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

04-30-2013 20:29:20 | More by adam_e

djs467

Colorado

4/5  rDev +9.6%

04-30-2013 16:20:27 | More by djs467

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

3.31/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

New Belgium Shift has a thick, fluffy, off-white head and a clear, bubbly, old-gold appearance, with lots of heavy lacing left on the glass. The aroma is faint, but one can detect bit of piney hops and tap water. The taste is of pine, citrus fruit (think lemon), tap water, and a shade of sweet grain. Mouthfeel is light and watery, and New Belgium Shift finishes crisp, clean, refreshing, drinkable, and dull. This is just another over-priced, flaccid, exceptionally dull failure from New Belgium, a company that seems to have a penchant for producing these depressing offerings. If you want to waste some money, this might be a fine choice.

RJT

Serving type: can

04-30-2013 12:51:34 | More by RonaldTheriot

ortie

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +9.6%

04-28-2013 23:40:08 | More by ortie

tswater

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

04-28-2013 06:33:33 | More by tswater