"Corporate Beer Still Sucks" proclaims Elysian's Loser bottle, and well in hand with the bottle's Sub Pop theme it goes. We could start splitting hairs here and mention Warner's ownership of Sub Pop, but whatever. Corporate or not, it doesn't stop Beach House's last album from being good.
Loser is a good beer too, and it's interesting to see the web's split opinions about the beer. I land firmly on the positive side, and I'd say it's one of the better pales I've tried in a while, right up there with Red Chair.
There's nothing to crazy or exciting as far as the look of Loser goes: A vaguely hazy golden orange topped by a foamy white head looks perfectly inviting, just in line with what you'd expect from a pale. The nose has a good mix of malts and citrus, with the hops making themselves known toward the back.
Loser is very, very refreshing flavor wise, which, to me, is the backbone of a good pale. The citrus makes itself known straight away, which goes very well with the dry finish. The malts have a clear presence, yet are balanced out by the hops. A sweet caramel flavor lingers after each sip.
This, then, is certainly a balanced pale. At 7% ABV it might be just a tad on the strong side for being a session beer, though with those refreshing notes... Enjoying a couple of them seems somewhat appropriate.
We could probably discuss back and forth if Loser is quite up there with Red Chair, so it's probably best to try them both side by side. You know, for science.