One New York Life

Wagner Valley Brewing Dockside Amber Lager

Brewed By: Wagner Valley Brewing
Brewed In: Lodi, NY
Type: Vienna (style) Lager
ABV: 5.1%
Awards: Bronze Medal – 2002 Great American Beer Festival

What They Say: This medium-bodied Vienna style Lager is rich in caramel maltiness. The clean ruby hue shows impeccable detail to the historical style. Brewed with only imported German and Vienna malts, its delicate, smooth flavor and aroma are perfectly balanced to provide a soft yet crisp world-class lager.

Website: Addressed in Part One (Sled Dog Doppelbock).

Why I Picked It: This is the third of the four beers I brought home with me from Wagner Valley. I don’t really remember this one at all from the tasting. Since he went from light to dark, I’ll presume this one was, if not first, pretty early on.

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Presentation: According to the bottle: Throughout the 19th Century steamboats were in their prime on Seneca Lake transporting people and produce from one end of the lake to the other. As I said previously — the Wagner Valley beer labels are serviceable but don’t seem very polished. The product is very good but there’s nothing about the labels that make them pop. I guess with a primarily local distribution they don’t see a reason to step-up the marketing. Probably valid. I give it an extra point for the creative names. 3

Originality: I’m going to go ahead and say an “amber lager” has been done by just about everyone — including Budweiser. 1

Taste: As I do more of these, I’m usually a fan of any beer claiming “caramel malts”. Most of them taste similar. The marketing blurb claims a “crisp taste” and that’s a very good description of the beer’s flavor. The taste was extremely crisp and refreshing while cold. The aftertaste was a little drier than I care for but the caramel sweetness was delicious and perfectly balanced with malty bitterness. 7

Body: A very dark amber lager with a minimal head and almost non-existent lacing. I was pleasantly surprised that the carbonation was much lower than expected. Lower carbonation is always a good thing as super carbonated beers just taste like carbonation. This is a great example of the style. 7

Efficiency: This is a delicious version of a Vienna lager with an average alcohol content. The flavor’s extreme dryness is a detriment to fast consumption and it lacks an ABV high enough to offset it. I also noticed the bitterness became more pronounced as the beer approached room temperature. If I could give the beer a sliding efficiency rating based on relative temperature, I would. Instead, I’ll just rate the average trending up. 6

Versatility: While I do love the beer’s flavor, its uses are limited. Caramel malts, while tasty in a standalone or a slow-drinking beer, have their limits. The sweetness and dryness doesn’t pair well with meals and I don’t know if it would be particularly refreshing on a thirsty summer day. But the decent alcohol content make this an excellent option for a slow Sunday sixpack. 6

The Beer Snob Says: Other products from this brewery blow this beer out of the water. If you’re filling a sampler pack, shy away and go for the more unique offerings.

Final Score: 30 of 50 – Good beer

Related posts:

• Friday Beer Snob: Wagner Valley Brewing Sled Dog Trippelbock Reserve
• TravelDL Beer Snob: Wagner Valley Brewing Sugar House Maple Porter
• TravelDL Beer Snob: Wagner Valley Brewing Grace House Honey Wheat
• TravelDL Beer Snob: Wagner Valley Sled Dog Doppelbock
• Friday Beer Snob; Top Ten Series: Blue Point’s Toasted Lager