Elementary

Elementary is an American style lager brewed with corn and finished with New Zealand hops. It comes to us from Four Winds Brewing in Delta BC, who have rapidly become one of BC’s best breweries. Four Winds specialise in West coast and European styles and some of the slickest bottle designs on the craft beer scene right now. They are also particularly versatile at brewing a wide variety of styles and brewing them well.

Four Winds categorises their beers into different series of releases. In addition to their standards (which includes a saison, a pilsner and an IPA), there are the Eurus series, the Zephyrus series and the Notus series, each named after a different Greek god of the wind. The Notus series, named after the Greek god of the south winds, is a series of low-ABV beers brewed to be both flavourful and approachable. Elementary is one such beer.

I enjoy reviewing lagers as I believe that breweries can often be judged by their standards. A brewer can be making the craziest dry-hopped wild ale aged in Italian prosecco casks but if they are also making terrible lager they should probably rethink a few things. It’s the equivalent of a chef being asked to prove their salt by making a basic omelette. A deceptively simple task on the surface but surprising how many chefs mess this up.

So how does Elementary lager hold up? Turns out pretty well! The beer is crisp and refreshing as a good lager should be but with enough added zest to set it apart. Hints of Lemon and lime are accompanied nicely by the satisfying richness of the corn.

Tasting Notes

Classic lager pour. Light golden colour with a translucent glow. Head is foamy but dissipates quickly to leave a light sugary lacing. Light carbonation. Nose is faint corn, freshly cut grass, a little grapefruit zest, humid and wet. Taste is fresh, vibrant and refreshing with hops, lemon, lime and coriander. A slight richness from the corn is followed quickly by a lingering bitter finish.

Will I like it?

Most likely, yes! You can’t go wrong with well crafted lager. Even most hardcore craft beer fanatic still likes to kick back with a good lager once in a while. Elementary will pair well with most foods, especially the kind you’d find sizzling away on a summer BBQ. Lagers are extremely versatile companions for food and will play happily with shellfish, light seafood, grilled pork, chicken and spicy foods from Southeast Asia, Latin America and Mexico.