Tonight I am enjoying another one of Pete's beers - one simply labeled "German lager". It is packaged in a green Grolsch flip-top.
The beer pours up a clear golden/straw color with a creamy white head. There is just a touch of chill haze. The aroma has a crackery malt note paired with spicy/grassy hops. There is the faintest hint of skunk in the background. I'm sure the light in my fridge, coupled with the green bottle, had something to do with this. It's not enough to be off-putting; in fact it almost makes it seem more like an authentic import.
On the palate the malt comes through as saltine crackers and the inside of fresh french bread. Hops come through primarily as an herbal/spicy noble hop character, but there are fleeting moments where I can pick up a faint citrus note as well. The bitterness is smooth, but at a moderate level right on par with a German Pils. I get just a touch of diacetyl right above my threshold, but it isn't off-putting. The finish is clean with the hop flavor carrying through to the end.
Pete, for your first lager this is really well done. The diacetyl note I got would be perfectly within the limits for a Bohemian Pils. I'm pretty sensitive to D, and it was just barely noticeable to my palate. Also, if this were for a competition, I might scale back the hop flavor just a tad. The hops may be where that haze is coming from, too. But that's all just for constructive criticism - I'd be very happy drinking several liters of this on a summer day as-is.
By the way, what were your hops on this one?