Lager has come to East Concord. Well, I’m sure lager has always been there in some form or fashion, but Mystic Hills Brewing has introduced craft lager to the very real town (trust me, it’s a majestic drive to a brewery that once a barn that sits on a rolling countryside with immaculate views of the sunset) with The Gusto, the brewery’s first ever lager.
The 4.9% crispy boi is a tribute to all the fathers with pull-top beer can lids. This beer is still a craft beer that any major brewery enthusiast can love and appreciate. It’s a pale, bubbly lager with just a kiss of hops. The Gusto pours a nearly transparent pale straw, with a white prominent head, nice lacing, and enough of a hop presence to know that they are there, but not overpowering. The Gusto features more flavor than a macrobrew and slightly more hop bitterness. It’s light, crisp, very smooth, and sessionable.
Head brewer Daniel Uhl says The Gusto is a beer that both you and your father will enjoy, even if it was a beer that really put their brewing system through its paces. As someone whose father has only ever drunk Budweiser, I’d like to put The Gusto to the test.
“I was approached by the owners and asked to make a certain beer with some criteria,” Uhl explains. “A traditional American lager was a perfect fit for us to test out our new lagering system as all the rest had been ales. I always found it fascinating with the early American styles to be a mixture of old world techniques with new world ingredients. The brewing and the lagering went flawlessly and the results made the owners and I very pleased. The Gusto put our glycol chiller through all the proper trailers of fermenting temperature, raising to room temperature, and crashing down and maintain near freezing lager tempertures. We definitely accomplished our goal of an easier drinker that both the major label beer drinkers and the crafter drinkers can enjoy.”
You can find The Gusto on tap right now at Mystic Hills Brewing.
“The owners make sure that everyone that walks into Mystic Hills Brewing has something for them and I know The Gusto is a fine addition to the collection of our many unique products,” Uhl adds.
Brian Campbell is co-founder and Brand Manager of the Buffalo Beer League, and writes the weekly Buffalo Beer Buzz column. If you have beer news that should be included in the Beer Buzz, Brian can be reached at brian@buffalobeerleague.com, on Twitter (@buffbeerleague), Instagram (@buffalobeerleague), and Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague).
