Lynnwood Brewing Concern “Lotus IPL”

Style: India Pale Lager
ABV: 6.4%

This week East Carolina Beer went west for our new release. Not very far west but west enough to land us in Raleigh, NC. We did a post on Brewery Bhavana’s “Grove” earlier this week so figured we might as well stick with the theme. The subject of tonight’s review is “Lotus IPL” by Lynnwood Brewing Concern. The brewer’s vast selection, great outdoor space, and next door restaurant make it an ideal hangout spot for a few hours of tasting. We have been intrigued by India Pale Lagers and figured we would give this new brew a try for our tasting review this week.

Nick’s Take

This IPL was clear and appeared as a bit of a straw-like gold. On top was a light foam that dissipated and left a little lace on the glass. My impression was that of a light, clean beer.

“Lotus” had one of the more interesting aroma profiles I’ve encountered lately. It came off as grassy or vegetal at first, followed by some dank hops. I detected trace amounts of malt as well. There was another aroma I couldn’t quite figure out but I would classify as a bit of funk.

On my first sip, I was met with a pleasant amount of carbonation that washed out into a good medium to full-bodied beer. “Lotus” finished pretty smoothly, leaving behind some dryness in the mouth.

I don’t have a lot of experience in IPLs but for a pale lager, I think the flavors were pretty enjoyable. The hop character was floral and vegetal, and the beer had some bitter, resinous compounds. Luckily this was followed by the malt flavor I had smelled earlier, and it made the beer ultimately go down smoothly. 

I liked exploring this style that is fairly unfamiliar to me, and think LBC did a great job with it. It’s quite hoppy and perhaps more bitter than some beer drinkers would like, and for myself, I’d probably not get more than one pint in a session.

Joe’s Take

“Lotus IPL” was served in an LBC branded pint glass, one just like I have at home (my fiancee bought it several years ago as it matches her initials…but that’s beside the point). The beer had an appearance similar to most other lagers with a straw-gold color and crystal clear appearance. There was a touch of white foamy head that managed to stick around for the duration of the tasting.

The aroma of “Lotus IPL” was very interesting and provided strong hoppy notes that were floral, a touch vegetal, and almost seemed a bit aged. There was a slightly detectable malt aroma but the beer was certainly hop forward. I’m not sure I would have expected much else from and IPL.

The mouthfeel was full of sharp and bright carbonation. On sipping, the beer provided a tingling sensation to the tongue and mouth and this made it difficult to keep the beer on the tongue to fully warm the beer and appreciate the full flavor profile. However, the carbonation and drying finish worked well together to make this beer exceptionally crisp.

The flavor “Lotus” was hoppy and washes away your preconceived notions of lagers. IPL as a style are somewhat uncommon and create an interesting flavor profile, one that mixes clean malt flavors with strong hops. The lack of fruity notes imparted by ale yeast make this combination a fresh twist on your traditional hoppy beers. You’ll find the muted malt flavors quickly yield to the floral, piney, and resinous hops.

Overall, the combination of crispness and hops make this beer one that I could enjoy on a hot summer day. I’ll be keeping an eye out for IPLs in other breweries I visit to explore the style further and get a better characterization of the flavors.