• Mike Riedel

This week, we profile two craft beers that would normally be exclusive to the beer aisle section where light lagers are sold by the suitcases rather than the six-pack. Yes, craft brewers are trying their hands at making American light lagers in small batches—for people who still crave a little bit of flavor in their flavorless beer.

Ogden Beer and Fisher Brewing - Meanwhile in Ogden: This collaboration beer pours quite clear considering it's not filtered, though by the time you read this, the golden-colored lager should be perfectly clear. It's a bit more on the golden side than most macros. A lively, fizzy, one-finger head quickly fades to a barely noticeable layer across the surface, with bubbles of carbonation continually rising. The aroma starts off with a hint of sweetness, then light grain becomes noticeable and lingers, with some corn sweetness as well.

The taste starts a bit on the sweet side—whole grain crackers and with some minor flavors that are reminiscent of Corn Pops, but with a slight bitter twinge on the back end. The aftertaste is clean, and the hops come across as traditional euro varietals with some flowery essences. I wish there were a tad more bitterness or crispness in the taste, but overall, it's quite crushable—light-bodied of course, smooth, crisp and refreshing, with a perfect amount of carbonation.

Verdict: Drinkability is high on this one. I believe I've found my new (relatively) locally-produced "lawnmower" summer beer replacement; it's too bad this didn't find its way into my glass back in July. Hopefully, small batch collaborations like this make it into a wider platform, so more people can be exposed to them.

Proper Brewing - Daydrinker: This beer was designed for Proper's Moab Pub. In the spirit of the people who live and visit there, this lager emulates desert drinking and recreation—light in alcohol, big in hydration and crispness. The 2.2 percent alcohol may sound ultra-light, but when temps are high and humidity is low, lagers like these are important before, during and after recreating.

Daydrinker pours a very light pale straw yellow color. One-finger fizzy head shows light retention, as some light streaks of lace on the sides of the glass fall back into the beer. Biscuity malts with a strong hop aroma dominate the front of the beer, and there was a honeylike back-end aroma that appeared as well. Hop aroma tends to dominate what little aroma is present.

Biscuity flavors in the front of the beer change into a very light malt sweetness, with hints of light grass in the middle of the beer. Dank hops take you the rest of the way; the dankness is light and in no way bold or pungent, but it's there, like the ghost of a big hop bomb. You get no hint of alcohol at all. There's a light mouthfeel, with the carbonation high overall but on par for the style. Not a lot of grains, and semi-sweet malts are left on the palate, while the aftertaste is light and dry.

Verdict: When the state of Utah transitioned the maximum strength of "low-point beer" to 5.0 percent from 4.0 percent ABV, very few local brewers were making anything below 4.8 percent, and few dared to offer anything at 3.2, no matter if it was to style or not. Kudos to Proper for designing a beer with a purpose that finds a niche you didn't know was needed.

Daydrinker is available on draft at Proper Brewing in Moab, as well as the main Salt Lake City brewery. The Ogden Beer / Fisher Brewing lager is exclusive to those two breweries, and will be around until it's not. As always, cheers!