Not an adjective usually used to describe beer, Crispy is actually a pretty good description of this west coast style pilsner which could pass for a light pale if it chose to.
Brewed with mosaic and citra hops - known for their use in the fruity West coast ales, along with a selection of pilsner malt, Crispy is a missing link between lager and ale that could one day find itself in a museum.
Bringing the tropical fruityness from the hops into the classic bready, biscuity malt flavour of a pilsner is a ballsy move, but one that actually works really well.
In smell this one is almost indistinguishable to a pale ale or even a West Coast IPA, with a touch of fruitiness and hops being the main aromas. The pour is where it's lager pedigree comes to the fore, pouring with high carbonation and a deep golden colour.
The taste is malty and smooth, with some citrus fruit notes coming through towards the end of the profile with a little sweetness too to balance with biscuity flavour of the malt.
The aftertaste is malty with a very slight sweetness, providing a crisp and almost-dry finish that is typical of the pilsner style.
Groovy is almost the right way to describe this can, with a design that looks like it's straight out of a geometrics textbook; all contrasting colours and arching lines.
It's a little trippy if you focus too much on it, but that really makes it stand out on the shelf and is really very attractive. The red with yellow lines on the front contrasting with the blue and yellow lines at the bottom and round the back of the can creates a really pleasant contrast.
The bright colours and contrast mean there doesn't need to be too much in terms of wording on the can, and Drop Project have taken a minimal approach to the front, adding the beer name, style, and strength. The back has more information laid out sideways, which i'm never really sure of the reason why but I also kind of like it.
You can get your hands on this online from Hop Burns Black for £4.30, or you can root around in your local bottle shop like we did to find one.