Portland Brewing Summer S.M.A.S.H
The acronym stands for Single Malt and Single Hop. Which malt? Which hops? It doesn't say on the bottle, but I looked it up and it was Simcoe and Goldpils Vienna, which might explain why I didn't really like it. I was guessing Cascade. Some slightly resiny hops were all that was coming through. I mean, there's a reason brewers normally use multiple varieties of these things, and the 'single' versions are to usually showcase a specific strain (Mosaic is popular for this), which may not yield the most delicious end product if the ingredient isn't versatile enough. This one could use more balance, but on the upside, it was quite inexpensive, as Portland Brewing beers tend to be, which handily lowers the barrier to entry.
This is going to sound awful, but it tastes better if you drink it faster. That is to say, don't sip it. You get more malt by drinking it a little quicker, and I'd buy that it's pilsner malt.
Portland Brewing claims they're out to brew the best craft beer in Portland. I don't buy that for a second. There's something to be said for value though, so maybe they are out to brew the cheapest craft beer in Portland; I'd buy that. And I did.
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