In times like these, I always turn back to mountains. Great, tall peaks of stone, tree, and snow. They rocket into the sky, piercing the clouds and sending an earthly challenge to the heavens. Walking at their base is an experience of sublime wonder. The air is fresh and clear around them, as they abscond the pollution of big cities. It’s hard to build around mountains, given their rocky and uneven ground, so they often act as shields for untouched wilderness.
Now, that’s all due to our perspective. When you stand at the base of a mountain, they look very impressive. The wide base and high peaks have the veneer of truly stupendous size. However, they are often not much bigger than a skyscraper. In the nearby Rocky Mountains, they are around 4km above sea level at their peak, and 2-3 from their roots. If we were to look at them from an airplane, they are only really noticeable in contrast to the wide, flat expanse of plains around them.
That said, the angle you look at a thing will change how your perceive it, and how a person will interpret the object in question. If you’re standing at the base of a mountain, as most people who see them will do, they will appear big and imposing. If you see them from an airplane? Not so much. The effect is different, but the thing is the same.
I can do the same thing for beer. Perception is important in the world of taste. I might perceive that a beer has a nutty, toffee flavour, but other people might get chocolate and fruit. As much as the taste and texture are objective, since they are just a bunch of chemicals mixing together to create flavour, you might find one stronger than another.
So when a company markets their beer as “crushable”, as in it’s refreshing and easy to drink, that moves from objective to subjective, from describing what’s actually in the can to trying to argue what experience you might have. That’s what Banded Peak is trying to do. That’s trickier to justify; some people can put down a smooth, heavy stout in a single go, where others much prefer lighter, fizzier fare. So in many ways, that kind of marketing is like selling a mountain. Depending where you stand, you might see it differently.
Banded Peak Mount Chrushmore
Appearance
The label has a more animalistic Mount Rushmore. We have a wolf, a bear, a mountain goat, and a buffalo. These animals are the large, iconic creature that inhabit the Rocky Mountains. Now, I get the idea. These animals represent the majour figures of the mountains as Mount Rushmore shows the most important presidents for America. But what exactly does this have to do with a pilsner? I suppose it’s just branding, but it’s a little confusing.
As for the pilsner itself, the beer looks pretty damn good, The clear golden hue, the heavier carbonation, the lasting white head. Everything is here. Even though the label may be a little bit odd for the beer genre in question, the actual lager definitely looks the part.
Taste
The lager’s nose is about normal for most beers of the type. Pilsners are hop-forward lagers, and indeed this one has a grassy/spruce nose from the hops. The malt is there too, a mild cereal flavour. Together, this pilsner smells like any other pilsner I’ve had before, if on the mild and unassuming side. So far, so good.
As for the entry, it is also mild. The malts have a very light toffee taste, alongside a bit of cereal and straw. There are lemon-peel notes too. They taste fresh and clean next to the malts, bringing a nice acidity. Ultimately, everything so far is subtle and calm, without the complexity some pilsners have.
The finish is, indeed, hoppy. It doesn’t hit you straight in the tongue with bitterness, mind you. There’s a bit of spruce, a bit of sage, some peppercorn. It comes across as a dry, well-balanced lager, while still being hop-froward. Altogether, I’d call it tasty and well conceived.
Mouthfeel
The texture for this pilsner is where the “crushable” label will come from. That descriptor tends to refer to beers that are lighter in taste and texture, without being too gross, to where you can down them in a quick fashion. Another term for these sorts of beers are “session beers”, which refers to smooth, light, and low-alcohol ales or lagers. Now, does this one meet that sort of standard?
Well, like I said, it’s not easy to just grade it objectively and move on. I found the beer on the fizzy side, though it was crisp as all hell. I’d call it refreshing for sure, and definitely tasty. But for me, when it comes to drinking a beer with some speed, this one had too much carbonation. It might’ve been the pour or the age of the beer playing a role, but in my opinion, a “crushable” beer should be a little smoother.
Verdict
Is this beer crushable? It depends. If you can handle fizzier beers, or prefer a little more carbonation than I do, you might find this pilsner easy-drinking. I find it tasty and refreshing, but a little too bubbly for me to call it “crushable”. I think that’s where taste an preference plays a big role;: where you might find it tolerable or delightful, I might find it a bit to fizzy.
Ingredients
- Barley Malt
- Hops
- Bottom Yeast
- Water
Quaff Thine Bev'ridge 