Charlie Wells Dry Hopped Lager

When I cracked my 500mL can of Charlie Wells Dry Hopped Lager, it fairly crackled. The lager within decanted beautifully--clear and gold, under a bright white head. Brewed in Bedford, England by the establishment of Charles Wells Ltd., this little number contained 4.7% alcohol.

The beer had an unassuming bouquet--slightly grainy and dryly bitter--but nothing too assertive. The flavour, too, proved to be a bit on the mild side. Grainy first, with only a touch of the promised hops, manifested as a floral charge that was admittedly pleasant, but nowhere near the bombast I was salivating over.

Truthfully, this dry-hopped lager had only the IBU heft of a Czech pilsner. Though it might have been hoppy by U.K. standards, it didn't offer the jolt I was counting on. I thought that this was, mostly, a fine beer, but if you're gonna boast about your hops, you'd better deliver.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.