Snake River Brewing

I went and splurged on beer! I was watching one of Rachel Ray's Food Network shows one night last week and she was doing a show on pubs - a pub crawl, so to speak. One of the places she went to was Snake River Brewing in Jackson Hole, WY. They showed a bartender pouring a pint glass and the glass looked really nice:



I collect nice pint glasses like these and when I saw it on TV, I immediately wanted one! :cross: So, I went to their website and they had them for sale! So, I bought one.

While I was on their website, I saw that they also sold beer for shipment! I read a couple reviews and they got some pretty high marks for their lager. You sure can't get their beers where I live! So, I decided what the heck and I bought a 12-pack of this!:



It'll be one of the more expensive 12-packs I've ever purchased. But I thought, "why not?"

Well, it just arrived here at work. I have it chilling in the trunk of my car right now and I plan to crack one open while I'm wrapping presents tonight. I'll report my opinon of this brew later.

Anyone ever had this stuff?

I've stopped in at Snake River on a few occassions on my way out to GABF in Denver over the years. Beautiful Pub right at the base of the ski runs. Always great beers. Consistent, clean and good representation of style. My favorite is their Pale Ale but my tastes lean more towards the hops anyway. The Lager is very good as well though. Another favorite brewery in the area is Grand Teton Brewing Company on the Idaho side of the pass in Victor, ID.

Brewtopia said:

... My favorite is their Pale Ale ...

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I was torn b/w that and the Lager since I like hoppy beers, too. But the lager had gotten more medals and higher marks in the online reviews I read, so that tipped the scale for me.

Well, here's my review:

Poured a nice, clear amber/copper color with a small head that quickly dissipated. It had moderate carbonation. Smelled malty with a hint of hops; relatively clean - it smelled like a homebrew! That's good!

Taste was medium bodied with a mild toasted malt and very smooth. Subdued hop flavor, low bitterness and a slightly sweet finish. Very drinkable; you could stick with this beer all night.

In fact, I believe it may be a perfect example of the Vienna Lager style! Too many American versions are too strong and dry and the European versions tend to be too sweet - too much like an Oktoberfest, IMO. The Mexican versions used to be authentic, but not anymore. They now have all the worst traits of both American and European versions!

Overall, Snake River Lager is very good! I wish I could get this locally. It is flavorful enough for 'beer snobs' like us, but a good gateway beer for the BMC crowd. 4.5 of a scale of 1-5.