Welcome to Beer Tastings, a series in which Utah Beer News highlights an interesting (and tasty) local brew. This time: Señor Pepino Cucumber Lime Lager from Epic Brewing. What are you drinking? Let us know!
Beer Tastings: Señor Pepino Cucumber Lime Lager
A quick calendar check might suggest that now isn’t the ideal time to sip a Señor Pepino Cucumber Lime Lager. As days get gobbled up by night and swimsuits give way to sweatshirts, craft beer drinkers tend to move away from crisp, beachy summer refreshers.
Fortunately, summer’s still got a little life left in it. So let’s sit right back and hear a tale, a tale of two buddies in search of adventure.
Señor Pepino, Mr. Cucumber, and best-friend sidekick Perro de la Playa are out flying kites, catching waves, strumming guitars, and more.
Through it all, as the story goes, they’re never without Señor Pepino Cucumber Lime Lager. The 4.5% ABV pilsner is the latest installment in Epic’s rotating 16-ounce can series.
“It’s kind of funky in the way that it’s cucumber and lime,” said Gus Erickson, Epic’s marketing manager. “They’re two ingredients you don’t see too often together, yet they’re both really refreshing.”
That’s right. Salt Lake’s Epic Brewing, perhaps best known for its barrel-aged beers, brewed a lager with fresh lime and cucumber. In 2019, Epic collaborated with Red Rock Brewery on a 4% ABV cucumber lime lager as part of the Utah Brewers Guild Collaboration Fest.
Epic designed the beer as an “end-of-summer” lager. Brewed in Denver, the brewery planned for it to hit the Utah market toward the end of August. But a series of delays, capped by a freak 100-mile-per-hour windstorm that knocked out power up and down the Wasatch Front, pushed the release back a couple weeks.
Señor Pepino: A Lager for End-of-Summer
Pop the top of a Señor Pepino and a wave of cucumber hits the nostrils. Faint bread comes through, as does a healthy dose of fresh lime. In addition to cucumber and lime juice, the beer features Pilsner, Munich and Carapils malt, as well as Tettnang and Saaz hops.
Flavors are a bit vegetal, though the cucumber dissipates and more of the tart lime finishes the swig. It pours a pale yellow and isn’t quite as crisp as one would expect from a summertime lager. Yet the citrus tang and subtle earthy hops offer a nice balance.
And at 4.5%, two or three could serve as thirst-quenchers after a day flying kites, playing beach volleyball, or laboring through end-of-the-summer yard work.
Señor Pepino Stats
- Brewery: Epic Brewing
- ABV: 4.5%
- Serving Style: 16-ounce can
- Date Tasted: Sept. 15, 2020
- Purchase Location: Epic Brewing
- Availability: 16-ounce cans to-go from the Epic beer store
Señor Pepino Cucumber Lime Lager
Product Name: Señor Pepino
Product Description: From Epic Brewing: Introducing Señor Pepino & his best friend Perro de la Playa! They’re bringing this refreshing cucumber lime lager on all of their summer aventuras. We hope you will too! Crack open a can for your next fiesta!
- Aroma
- Appearance
- Flavor
- Mouthfeel
Summary
Señor Pepino Cucumber Lime Lager is the latest in Epic Brewing’s rotating 16-ounce can series. It’s billed as an “end-of-the-summer” beer perfect for sipping as summer fades into fall.
- Aroma: Big cucumber and some subtle bread-like notes.
- Appearance: Pours a pale yellow with a thick, white foam cap.
- Flavor: Somewhat vegetal, though the cucumber dissipates and gives way to some tart lime. A slight fruity tang is balanced with some earthy hop character.
- Mouthfeel: Not as crisp as other summertime lagers.
But you don’t have to take my word for it.
Notes: The tasting notes format is adapted from a Homebrew Academy Beer Tasting Mastery course. A version of this article originally appeared on PorchDrinking.com.
