Shift Pale Lager - New Belgium Brewing

stangski83

Illinois

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

I have to admit, I am happy to see craft beer in cans in major retailers finally. Picked up a 4pk of tall boys to give this one a try. Not bad, good hop notes for a pale lager - much more than any of the big macro boys, but something isn't quite right with this one. Very frothy head, and very thin, light pour, but the balance is slightly off. Certainly not a bad pale by any means - but I can't quite put my finger on why I'm not in love with this beer. It's certainly not bad - and a better supermarket choice than most - but I'm not sure I can justify $10 for a 4pk when there are tall boys of Half Acre and Finch's waiting for my consumption in the Chicago area, and both of those don't leave me with a critical, pondering feeling like this one does.

I feel bad bashing this, as I really want to like it, but...it's just so-so. Cool packaging/can design for sure, and nice to see cans of craft I can take tailgating for baseball season. In other news, it sure beats the cheesy marketing of other canned beer lately, such as the Miller "Punch Top" can!

Serving type: can

04-25-2012 03:49:29 | More by stangski83

dertyd

California

3.54/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.25

16 oz tall boy to a pint glass

A:deep golden color,one finger head that lingers for a few,nice laceing that sticks around,looks a lot like an ipa

S:smells like an ipa nice hop aroma but with a corn presence

T:corn cereal,not to hoppy or as pale as I was hopeing but this is a damn good lawnmower beer

M:realy dry after taste almost like a wine leaves your mouth dry

Overall: overall a realy good drinkable beer like I can pound theese all day wile my bmc buddies drink there light lagers lol I was hopeing for a lil more I had the sam adams double agent yesterday and I was hopeing for something close but this was way diffren a lot of corn taste in this not bad at all just hoped for a lil more going on I willndrink this again at partys and sesion events...live life....drink beer....

Serving type: can

02-05-2013 07:47:36 | More by dertyd

JupiterJesus

California

3.33/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Tastes like an APA, but with a bit of the stinky lager character.
Richer than most pale lagers, with a good amount of malt character. Too bad half of that malt character is DMS >.<.

Still, the stinky bready, corn-like DMS-y lager character is lower here than in other pale lagers and has a bit more complexity. It's also masked partly by hops.

The aroma is typical nasty lager, but the taste is nicely bitter and has a cool hop character that is unfamiliar but delicious. Good summer brew. I wonder how it would taste with just a bit of dry hop at the end of the lagering period.

Serving type: can

04-30-2012 22:21:50 | More by JupiterJesus

irrgalaxy

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

New 16 oz. can from the New Belgium line.

Light gold color and good head. Smell is crisp, clean with hints of ocean. Surprising amount of hops for a lager, but well-balanced. Medium palate.

Excited for future outdoor events of all kinds, but mostly praying this appears at the ballpark at some point. For backpacking, I'll still go with Dale's Pale Ale for a smaller size, but can't wait to bring a four-pack of these to my next car-camping trip.

Serving type: can

04-05-2012 01:48:30 | More by irrgalaxy

joecalderoni

Texas

4.7/5  rDev +28.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: pours a beautifull golden/yellow color! Good fluffy Head!

S: Amazing hop aroma well balanced by pilsner malt on the back of the nose!

T: Sweet grainy taste with a well balanced bitterness! Some amazing hop taste at the after taste!

M: Light to medium body! high carbonation that accentuates the hop bitterness!

O: an amazing pale lager! suit for every occasion! perfect presentation! Cans mean you can drink them everywhere!

Serving type: can

05-28-2012 01:36:51 | More by joecalderoni

MouthfulOfchris

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a nice golden color with with a creamy thick head that hangs around and leaves good lacing on the glass.

S: A nice combination of grain and a light grassy/pine aroma.

T: The slight taste of caramel comes though from the grains with a slight pine hop bitterness. Really well balanced with a dry finish.

M: A pleasantly medium body mouth feel with moderate carbonation tingle on the tongue.

O: Nothing really stands out about this beer but that is not a bad thing. It is a really solid session beer when sitting out on a hot summer day. *edit* moved the taste and overall ratings up. The more I drink this, the more I appreciate the subtle balanced flavors.

Serving type: can

06-02-2012 00:43:33 | More by MouthfulOfchris

alexrichman

Oregon

3.65/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

I've had a few of these in 16oz cans, but my neighborhood Freddys had 6-12oz cans for $6.99 I can't pass up cans for $6.99 so here I am!

A> Poured into a pint glass, this brew produced a 3/4 finger head that quickly dissipated but left some decent lacing. Crystal clear with plenty of carbonation, although a little darker than your run of the mill lager.

S> Not much of a smell. Light pilsner malts with a bit of lemon.

T> Light pilsner malt backbone with a bit of lemon & pepper. Finishes with a slight bit of hop bitterness, which I think keeps things interesting.

M> Good mouthfeel, It's got a bit of thickness but also has lots of carbonation which cuts through everything nicely and leaves the mouth feeling refreshed. I imagine this would be delightful on a hot day.

O> A pretty average beer that has a few things going for it. It's a reasonably priced beer that comes in a can (cans are perfect for the summer) and it has just enough character to keep things interesting. Perhaps the strangest thing about this beer is the mouthfeel was the highlight. Although this beer is uneventful and inoffensive (I imagine anyone could enjoy this on a warm day) it's lager, and perhaps even a bit adventurous for the style. All around a good beer and I know later this summer when I'm heading to the river, I will grab a couple of these.

Serving type: can

04-05-2013 01:33:09 | More by alexrichman

Beast35

Indiana

3.7/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

For a lager this is a pretty good beer. Poured into a shaker pint, nice golden color, not your piss colored adjunct lager. Smells hoppy for a lager. Taste surprisingly does not live up to the smell. Overall though this is a good good beer, wish it was cheaper though.

Serving type: can

05-13-2012 23:19:46 | More by Beast35

southeastmat

3.35/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: A nice almost cloudy orange. A good head on the pour that sticks around and produces some nice lacing.

S: Not a lot going on here for me. Hops on the finish, a bit of sweetness.

T: Great example of what an every day beer should be in the US. It's clean, drinkable and doesn't batter your taste buds with aggressive hoppiness.

M: Clean. Almost light.

O: A terrific go at what beer can be to those folks who may never reach for a barley wine or an imperial stout. It's exactly what it aims to be: a tasty beer after a long day on the job.

Serving type: can

08-24-2012 23:06:19 | More by southeastmat

BikingDutchman

Iowa

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Has a two finger white head that stays for a while. The lacing sticks to the glass very well. Beer is a very clear golden color.

S - Smells like bready malts that are overpowered by a citrusy hop smell.

T - Surprisingly large amount of citrusy hop flavor is in balance with clean bready malts. There is more flavor here than I expected.

M - Moderate amount of carbonation. Not much to say here. Not bad, but nothing spectacular.

O - Very easy to drink, but it has more flavor than I expected it to have. A very refreshing beer, and a pleasant surprise.

Serving type: can

08-10-2012 04:06:13 | More by BikingDutchman

MIBeerRanger4

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

These beers have just arrived here in MI. I had Shift at a tasting event. Poured from can into glass.... much too cold but it showed well.
A= Very nice color, relatively little head. Looked very enticing in the glass.
S= Light hoppy aromas of citrus.. mango, orange.. quite a nice aroma that gave up nice nutty and citrus notes when worked around in the glass.
T= This beer tasted great! Very easy going brew. Sessionable and well balanced.
M= light/medium carbonation was nice on the mouth.

O= I enjoyed it. a nice addition to the already great beer selection we enjoy here in MI.

Serving type: can

09-20-2012 16:22:38 | More by MIBeerRanger4

HappyPappy2X

Oregon

4.75/5  rDev +30.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

A: Pale Orange Yellow. Clear. Dense head with medium retaining.

Smell: Bread Yeast, Citrusy hops.

Taste: Dry malt, hops bitterness, lagerfunk yeast, ends slightly toasty and more hops.

Mouthfeel: Medium-high carbonation. Medium body for a pale. Creamy.

Overall: A favorite of mine. This is what BMC wish they could have been. A refreshingly dry pale lager.

Serving type: can

02-19-2013 19:32:57 | More by HappyPappy2X

mjshearer1

Michigan

3.23/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Like a lager should be. Standard gold color, nothing too fancy.

S: Smells like a lager should be as well. If Budweiser got rid of it's stank and actually was brewed with any amount of effort, it'd smell like this.

T: Muted hops, clean finish, refreshing.

M: Light body, lots of carbonation

O: It's a decent brew, certainly one that I'd recommend to someone looking to get their foot in the door of the craft beer world.

Serving type: can

01-14-2013 21:53:57 | More by mjshearer1

imthaschmidt

3.9/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is one of my go to beers

Pours light, with a great head and leave lace down the side of your glass.

The taste is exactly how it looks, light, crisp, and hoppy. Though it seems to be a bit sweeter than most hopped up beers. not as bitter of an aftertaste

The smell is hoppy

A clean taste in your mouth , doesnt leave a bitter aftertaste on the tongue

New Belgium does it again!

Comes in a pack of 4 cans

Serving type: can

12-28-2012 16:52:02 | More by imthaschmidt

homohabilis

Washington

2.1/5  rDev -42.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

First off, what the fuck is a pale lager? Sounds like some suspect bullshit to me. Like they didn't want to commit to either pale ale OR lager. I guess the focus groups must have eaten it right up though.
Regardless, this stuff tastes like fat tire mixed with water. Same dirty, decaying hop taste without all the malt backbone.
I drank all four of these bastards today just to get them out of my house and I just got angrier with each one that went down the hatch.
Shoulda saved myself three dollars and got PBR instead. Woulda got two more to boot!

Serving type: can

06-29-2012 05:53:25 | More by homohabilis

Papabear55

3.83/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 16 oz. can into a willi tumbler

Appearance: White head with large bubbles. Good lacing for such a light beer. Very clear but a nice golden yellow.

Smell: Citrus-hoppy and sweet malt makes it a bit bready.

Taste: Sweet malt flavor to begin with and slowly shifts to a more central hop flavor as it warms up.

Mouthfeel: Very thin and drinkable. Crisp finish thats very refreshing.

Overall: I was pleasantly surprised by this beer. I was expecting a slightly varied lager that still fell flat but got a unique beer that's well worth the price!

Serving type: can

10-17-2012 05:05:59 | More by Papabear55

thepliceisright

3.43/5  rDev -6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Drank this straight from the can.

Have no clue what it looks like, although when I popped the top a white head foam poured over on the top of the can.

Smells great, very fruity and slightly biscuit-y. Heavy pear, grapefruit smell.

I was actually surprised by the taste of this. Definitely a pale ale, but sweeter than I would have imagined. Definitely fruity, a nice forward hop taste, sometimes bitter and a definite dry finish.

Mouthfeel is dry. Thats all I can say about that.

Overall, this is a great beer to drink on a hot summer day; especially if you are looking for a session beer. The 5% ABV will catch up to you sooner than later though, with this beer.

Serving type: can

07-08-2012 22:11:32 | More by thepliceisright

RedMosquito1

3.85/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Really enjoyed this one out of the 4 pack of cans. Can't review the appearance; drank it straight from the can. Like all NB beers, this one is just solid. Easy to drink with a surprisingly complex taste.

This was my first experience with a pale lager, and it's the first I've heard of one. This was a strong mix of the best of the hoppy bitterness of a pale ale and the smoothness of a lager. I was impressed.

My only complaint is that the cans looked a lot like Red Bull.

Serving type: can

12-23-2012 03:04:09 | More by RedMosquito1

benjiski

Kansas

3.53/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on can at the Burger Stand.

A- light in color as is expected. Pale golden color with modest carbonation.

S- definitely has a larger than expected hops character, although not out of balance at all. Maltiness comes through after the brief hop smell.

T- hops disappear quickly and the maltiness takes over almost completely.

M- smooth and definitely easy to pair with a variety of foods. nothing out of whack just not super exciting.

O- overall quite a nice beer. reminds me of most other New Belgium brews, i.e. better than average but nothing world class. quite a sessionable beer (16 oz.) although i don't understand tall cans. i would rather have two 12 oz cans. i like that the brew is 5%abv though. hops were nice but not present enough for my liking. probably won't be returning to this beer unless offered for free as i feel that it is somewhat easy to forget. i also don't like the serving type.

Serving type: can

03-27-2012 06:53:48 | More by benjiski

mattpmurph

3.85/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

The name says it all...perfect after a long day at work. It has a light golden color, slightly hoppy but not overpowering with just a hint of citrus flavors. Light on the palate. It would pair very well with grilled food, especially burgers. Very sessionable beer.

Serving type: can

06-17-2012 15:42:29 | More by mattpmurph