Plainsman, an amazing American Light Lager from Structures Brewing
Structures Brewing opened their doors back in 2015 in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal city about 90 miles north of Seattle and just 17 miles south of the Canadian border. They have two locations in the city – their original taproom, which is 21+, and then another less than a mile away that is family friendly.
I haven’t had the opportunity to try many of their beers, so when I saw they had Plainsman up for grabs on Tavour, I jumped at the opportunity.
Plainsman is a “rustic, vibrant” American Light Lager that has the distinction of being rated as one of the world’s 25 best Light Lagers on Untappd, coming in at #22.. The beer was brewed with Saaz hops and features a lower 4.9% ABV. Not being in northwest Washington, I had to pay a tad extra for the brew, with my 16-ounce can costing $6 but it is cheaper at the brewery and in their distribution range.
This lager poured an insanely translucent golden color. This beer was so perfectly see-through that you could clearly read any and every word on the other side of the glass. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a lager this clear. Topping it off was just under two fingers of off-white head that quickly fizzled away. The foam quickly dissipated down to a thin ring around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing from there on.
Like the appearance, the aroma was quite clean and was very subtle…with a combination of sweet and earthy qualities from the grist and Saaz hops. The mash bill added notes of flaked corn while those hops provided some notes of grass, black pepper, and citrusy pithiness.
The sip begins with a solid buzz of carbonation that clears the way for the flavors to attack. But, again, there’s nothing overly powerful about this brew. The taste is very soft, very clean, and very subtle.
You do get those semi-sweeter notes of corn, biscuits, and honey that offer up a cereal-esque like characteristic early on. Those malty aspects continue on for a few moments before the hops begin to appear around the midway point of the sip.
At that halfway point, there is a tiny twinge that signals the hops’ arrival and, while the flavors are softer than usual, the Saaz did add a small hum of bitterness underneath for a few seconds. Also joining the party were some notes of lemon zest, grapefruit rind, and the tiniest tickle of black pepper.
Plainsman then begins its disappearance and the finish is relatively clean. There is a slight dry feeling and a bit of pithy citrus peel that lingers on for a few moments but it’s very, very palatable. This is a very crisp and clean lager that is ridiculously crushable. It’s so crushable because there wasn’t much to it.
The soft and subtle flavor profile throughout won’t blow your taste buds away but it’s a very good every-day lager that should be kept in the fridge at all times.
