One of the world’s best light lagers from Charles Towne Fermentory
Charles Towne Fermntory opened their doors back in 2016 in Charleston, South Carolina and after years of success they now have three locations across the city – a beer garden in West Ashley (aptly called The Garden) a few blocks away from their OG location and another one six miles south in James Island.
Today I have their classic American Lager – Yacht Party. This is supposed to be one of the best lagers out there, as it ranks FIFTH in the world for light lagers on BeerAdvocate and gets a style score of 99 on Rate Beer. It has a lighter 4.2% ABV and a four-pack will cost you about $15.
This American Lager poured a pale straw color with a bit of a murky haze to it. About two fingers of eggshell white head built up and quickly fizzled away. The foam was quite airy and was soon nothing but a small ring around the edge of the glass.
On the nose the beer was clean but a bit muted. Leading the way is a combination of a flaky biscuity quality and a sweeter cereal-like scent that blend together nicely. A dash of peppery spice and just a hint of pithy citrus can also be picked up but, for the most part, it was a very simple and forthcoming aroma. Nothing too big or too bold.
However, upon my first sip, there was a lot more flavor to the brew that I was expecting. And it was that cereal sweetness that really popped.
It began slowly, with the tiniest fizzle of carbonation before the grist added notes of caramel and bready, with that biscuity flavor building up more and more. However, after a moment, some super sweet floral and honey notes slammed into my taste buds and cut out most of the grains.
Midway through there was a slight hop prickle and a bit of citrus rind and bitterness. However, that honeysuckle sweetness quickly quelled the hops and continued to make this a very delicious lager.
Yacht Party ended mostly clean. There was that lingering dryness from the sticky honey and pithy citrus peel. But it was nothing another sip didn’t cure. And it was light enough that going back for another sip was quite easy to do.
I can see why this is rated as one of the best lagers on BeerAdvocate. It’s very easy to drink and has amazing flavors. It’s a bit sweeter than most lagers and does finish on the dry side but, if you like those qualities, then this is the brew for you.
