Review: Stone/Maine DaySlayer India Pale Lager
This Stone collaboration with Maine Beer Company, based in Freeport, is an India Pale Lager — a hybrid brew that takes the form of a heavily malted beer that’s loaded with tons of hops. The India Pale side of the equation definitely rules the roost here, the hops giving it an almost crushing bitterness — to which the malt really can’t hold a candle.
The bummer is that rather than piney and/or citrus-forward, DaySlayer’s hops are tough and overbearing, building a generalized pungency that isn’t nearly as refreshing as the devil skull on the label might have you believe. The sweet malt gets lost in this mix, too, and when the finish comes it’s a bit muddy. Drinkable in the way that many ultra-bitter brews are, but muddy.
7.5% abv.
B / $8 per 22 oz bottle / stonebrewing.com