SingleCut’s Frequency is a lager I want to have over and over again.
SingleCut Beersmiths opened their doors way back in 2012 in Queens, New York and takes their name after a style of guitar. In fact, most of their beer names have been inspired by music – including the one I have today.
The brewery now has three locations – Astoria/QNS (their OG place), SingleCut North (in Clifton Park, near Albany), and SingleCut Barn (in Manlius, near Syracuse).
They are making their second appearance on Belt’s Beer Garden and, in a very cool twist of fate, it is EXACTLY five years after their first. So that’s pretty fun.
While I have only had a few of their beers – all IPAs – today I venture off that path with their Frequency Lager. This lager won the silver medal at the 2021 GABF and features a decent 4.7% ABV. The 16-ounce can cost me $5.50 but, if you’re in the distribution range, you can pick up a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans, or four packs of pints for cheaper.
Pouring a pale golden color, with darker hues towards the top of the glass, the beer was mostly translucent with just a touch of haze to it. Two fingers of fluffy, eggshell white head topped off the brew and stuck around for a few moments. As the foam dissipated, it left some solid, albeit splotchy, lacing around the entirety of the glass.
The aroma was rather clean and light. There were floral notes, some earthy grains, and a honey sweetness that made this beer very inviting. But, underneath, it also had hints of spice, like that of black pepper, and just a hint of hoppy citrus.
Wow. From the very first moment this beer hit my tongue, I knew I was going to absolutely crush this beer.
It began very light and subtle, with the smallest body you could have that’s not straight-up water. Despite the massive amount of head, there was only a tiny fizzle of carbonation. There was no hoppy bitterness. It was simply delightful.
Up front there is a bit of pithy citrus, supplying a quick lemon zest characteristic to the brew that was soon joined by a bit of bready grains. But both those early flavors were quickly pushed aside by the stars of the show. Honey.
The honey is the flavor that hit the hardest – giving the beer a lot of sweetness while the thin body kept it light and very, very sessionable. There were also some sweeter floral notes that complimented the honey nicely but they were just the backups to the honey’s lead singing.
On the backend, there was a dash of that black pepper spice but it was much more prevalent in the smell than it was in the taste. It merely sat back and let the other attributes take the lead.
Frequency finished really cleanly, with the only lingering quality being a bit of that sticky-sweet honey flavor. And, because it was sticky, it was a bit dry on the finish. Nothing another quick swig wouldn’t clear right up though.
I can see why this brew won silver at GABF a few years ago. It’s an insanely delicious lager. They have 12-packs of this bad boy and I might have to find one. It’s that good. Perfect year round…in the summer heat, after yard work, tailgating, that first nice day in spring, or, really, anytime.
