Eckert’s Select Lager

Gluten Free Lager Style Rice Beer

Brewed By Eckert Malting & Brewing

This is my second review of Eckert Malting and Brewing’s beer. Actually, it’s the third if you count the gluten free Resilience IPA I reviewed of theirs a few weeks back! But this is the second flagship review to grace the blog.

Eckert Malting and Brewing is based in Chico California, and they are a dedicated gluten free facility. They are both a producer of rice malts and of gluten free rice beers. Their rice malts are used by other dedicated gluten free breweries around the world. (That’s right, they even distribute to Australia!)

Today’s tasting is for Eckert’s Select Lager, which I expect to be among the lighter of their brews. A couple weeks ago I reviewed their “hop-forward rice ale“, so it seemed appropriate to springboard the other direction for this one.

Eckert currently bottles a handful of flagship brews and has very limited distribution in Northern California. They package in 12 ounce bottles and the only grain used is their very own gluten free rice malts. This is the only gluten free brewery I know of that produces the malt for their own beer. Pretty cool, huh?

The Taste Test

Eckert’s Select Lager

Right off the bat I can tell you that Eckert’s Select Lager is a beautiful beer. This lager has a  vibrant sunshine yellow color with a faint haze. It looks like a luscious blonde! The carbonation looks perfect and it has a nice head upon pouring. Several minutes later, the top of the beer is quite active still.

The fruity aromas coming off this beer are off the charts. Very tropical and citrusy. Heavy mango and wafts of pineapple are hitting my nose. The aroma carries through to the taste. Eckert’s Select Lager is crisp and quite fruity. The carbonation sets the tone for the mouthfeel quite beautifully.

There’s also a warmness in the throat after you swallow. It’s gentle, but noticeable. I wonder if it comes from the ginger root…the bottle doesn’t list ginger as an ingredient, but their website does. The Select Lager carries very little bitterness on my palate. I believe this beer rests at 23 IBU. It’s very mild.

There’s certainly a lot going on in this beer. The complexity leads to a bit more density in the mouthfeel than I’m used to experiencing with lagers. It’s certainly a refreshing beer for a sunny day. And I’m going to say it again…very fruity.

I’ve been very impressed with Eckert so far. The all-rice grain bill they brew with has proven much more dynamic than I would have expected. I love drinking beer that was malted, brewed, and fermented all in the same place. I look forward to tasting what else they’ve created.

The best part of all of this is that I’m enjoying this Eckert Select Lager on my porch in 70 degree weather, which I must say, puts me in a very good mood. That’s right…it’s warm enough to be OUTside again! (At least this week…next week it could be snowing. Welcome to Central Oregon.)

For now though, I will continue to soak up the Springtime alongside this gluten free rice lager. Where are YOU taking your happy hour this evening? Let me know!

Cheers!

P.S. Like what I do for the gluten free beer community? Consider buying me a beer for my efforts! ;)