Yes, the calendar says late autumn but, except for 3, maybe 4 days last week, the thermometer says 80 degrees out. And the barometer says… says… oh my god, you ATE the barometer!? Jesus, man! What were you thinking!?Well, we’ll deal with that mess later. For now… yes… Pacifico–a summer beer’s near-vernal reprise.

OK so let’s just say it: this light lager beer has basically no “beer” qualities to it. That is not to say it’s not, in its own way a quality brewed beverage, it’s just that the usual criteria for beer assessment—IBU’s, hop variations, malt balance, toasted or smokey or molasses notes, et all—basically can’t be applied.

Pacifico has no hop aroma to speak of. The littlest bit of bitterness in the taste and finish exists but it’s entirely unrecognizable as hops. The malt body is light and mildly sweet. It doesn’t taste “malty” per say, just… lightly “beery,” if I may. Here’s the thing: whether it’s July and you just mowed the lawn or it’s November and you put on a sweater and then went outside and remembered you live in California, this is a damn refreshing beer. And frankly even when there is a winter chill to the air sometimes I will reach for a Pacifico (provided there is not a Sierra Nevada Celebration or Yuengling or Sam Adams Anything or… yeah…) with pleasure and quaff it down in 3 to 5 sips. Not a lot of taste, maybe, but treat it like the refreshing beverage it is, toss in a lime and you’re golden, baby. Very pale golden with a finger width of rapidly dispersing head if you poured it right.

Well, it’s still summer. It’s still hot (as all hell) here in Southern California* so yeah, I bought some Molson lager. It was priced to sell and I was in no mood to uh… like… I don’t know where this sentence is going. Anyway, it’s not going to win any medals or accolades at snooty (snotty) beer tasting events, but it’s crisp and refreshing and inarguably beer.

Which sometimes, just being beer, is enough. So… details… it’s a lager; golden yellow body, decently thick head, crisp with an active carbonation. Said sparkle swirls around a mild hop note, very light in the aroma and present if not assertive in the taste. A light, faint malt character without much distinction (i.e. bready, toast, coffee—any of that business) leans towards the sweeter side. And um… it’s a good light summer beer. Grab a Molson expecting little and you will indeed be refreshed.

* which is where my mind stays but is not, incidentally, my state of mind. I’ll always be an cheerful, screaming Aleut at heart.