While in NYC over the past two days I went to an awesome brewpub called Heartland Brewery. The worst part about this place is that you can only get its beer here. I had a 7-beer sampler, which offers their 6 regular brews plus one of their seasonals. Not bad for $15. I’ll review the seven beers over the next couple of posts, and we’ll start with a 2-for-1!

First up, Indian River Light.

This was an excellent summer beer, reminiscent of Blue Moon, but MUCH better. It’s also not cloudy like Blue Moon. The aroma is nearly all orange with hints of coriander. The taste is the same: LOTS of orange, bits of spice, and a clean, finish. This is a great summer beer–I could drink this for hours.

Try this if you like: Blue Moon

5 Stars

Next up, Cornhusker Lager. This was a very generic lager, made with corn hops like many of the American macrobrews. The website even claims that it’s similar to Bud. No wonder I didn’t like it.

There was really no aroma to speak of. On first taste I thought “yup, this is an American lager.” It was quite bubbly (a very tingly mouthfeel,) with a mild malty taste. This definitely had more taste than your typical Bud or Miller (a plus for it), but other than that it wasn’t anything special. I’m glad I only had to drink 5 ounces of it.

Try this if you like: Bud, Miller, Heineken, Amstel