We Tried Lululemon’s New Craft Beer and Here’s What We Thought

Photo: Lululemon

Cheers, yogis!

In a ploy to “bridge the beer-yoga divide,” Lululemon Athletica is offering up a branded beer at select liquor stores called the Curiosity Lager.

From the athletic clothing label that brought you “anti-ball crushing” pants, the craft brew arrives just in time to toast the company-sponsored SeaWheeze Half Marathon being held in Vancouver’s Stanley Park on Saturday. They teamed up with Canadian brewery Stanley Park Brewing to produce the suds, which clock in at a 4.6% alcohol content and feature chinook and lemondrop hops, per the company’s website.

A Lululemon spokesperson recently said it was a ploy for the male consumer, eliciting eye rolls across the Internet. The bad news (or is it good news?): They produced just 88,000 cans and you can only find them at liquor stores across the border in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, and at the post-run party tomorrow. Admit it, though, you’re a little bit curious about what a yoga beer can taste like.

Well, just for fun, three Health staffers—and one Health husband!—graciously volunteered to sample it for you. Here’s what our team had to say about it.

Michael Gollust

Research Editor, Health magazine; Writer and Video, Health.com

Photo: Michael Gollust

To be honest, I’m no beer expert, but I’ve tried a few in my day and tend to favor hoppy products from Northeast breweries like Smuttynose, Peak Organic, and Harpoon.

Appearance: The Curiosity Lager can jumps out at you with its cheery, whimsical park-and-bridge design. (My wife actually worried it might look too cute and could be mistaken for a flavored ice tea, soda, or sports drink.) The brew itself is a pretty nondescript pale yellow.

Aroma: It offers up a pleasing citrus-y aroma, almost like a floral white wine.

Taste: It came off as a little limp, in my opinion. The flavor was mild, with only the faintest tanginess. It had little aftertaste and a clean finish, but alas, not really much of a start.

Mouthfeel: I’m typically a fan of hoppier, more herby flavors, but I can certainly appreciate a lager for summertime sipping. This one, though, lacked the crispness and the “ahhhhh” I’m usually looking for.

Food pairings: I can see it pairing with fish or chicken, or a bowl of chips and salsa, but it didn’t hold up to a bowl of chili in my dinnertime test.

Ahmad Shairzay

Product Manager, Health.com

Photo: Ahmad Shairzay

I don’t know if I can claim beer aficionado status but I do enjoy a good brew from time to time. I enjoy light and crisp lagers and pilsners in the warmer months while hearty and hoppy IPA’s and smooth stouts in the colder months. While some IPA are akin to sipping an old gym sock, there’s an enjoyment when it’s done well.

Appearance: Golden and light in appearance. Just about what you’d expect with a lager.

Aroma: Slighty fruity, very, well, “beery”.

Taste: Light but balanced lager, not at all hoppy. Slightly fruity, crisp, and refreshing. It’s a very easy-drinking brew.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and effervescent.

Food pairings: A light and crisp lager like this can go with just about anything, from salty to savory. Personally, I think it would be great with some chips and guac.

Matt Allyn

Resident Beer Expert; friend of Health.com

Photo: Matt Allyn

I’m a certified beer judge, co-author of The Brewer’s Apprentice ($16, amazon.com), web editor at Men’s Journal, and husband of Health.com deputy editor Christine Mattheis. Also, I am wearing all Lululemon clothes in this photo. I wanted to really complete the whole experience of testing this beer.

Appearance: Clear light gold with a soft white head.

Aroma: Bready barley aroma with a toasted edge.

Taste: Slightly sweet upfront, with a touch of crisp apple and bread crust. Mild, spicy hops balance the malts and add a little grapefruit.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light bodied, fairly easy to drink.

Food Pairings: Salad, soft fresh cheeses, grilled seafood and sushi, fresh fruit, burgers and brats.

Amelia Harnish

Resident Beer Hater; News Editor, Health.com

Photo: Amelia Harnish

I dislike beer. When I go out, I almost always overpay for a fancy cocktail from the drink menu. Or sangria. I really like sangria! If I’m going to have a drink, I want to enjoy the taste and not feel bloated afterward. I realize this makes me a very stereotypical “girl” drinker, and I’m more than okay with that.

Appearance: Yellow, like a sunflower or like pee. Sorry. All beer looks like pee to me. But, the can is really cute! I like that it doesn’t look like a beer. You could drink this on the beach without getting a ticket probably.

Aroma: Uh….it smells like beer? For the record, I Googled “how to smell beer” to make sure I was doing this right, and I found this Beer Advocate article and followed all directions. I think it’s just hard to compare it to something when you don’t drink beer very often. But if you are like me and you hardly drink beer, the “aroma” will conjure memories of watered-down keg beer from college, probably.

Taste: The Beer Advocate article said to resist swallowing as to “let [the beer] wander and explore your entire palate,” but when I did that it sorta burnt my tongue and all the flavor evaporated and it just tasted like seltzer. Like most beers, this beer tastes the best to me when drank quickly. There is a funky aftertaste, but I feel comfortable saying it’s crisp going down.

Mouthfeel: The other thing I liked about this (besides the can) is that it is easy to drink. I think in the parlance that means it’s “light-bodied.”

Food parings: I drank it with a veggie quesadilla. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Our verdict

For a company that made a fortune deploying Lycra to great effect, it feels like a bit of a “stretch” for Lululemon to venture into craft beer. But whatever the goal was, we suppose it was worth a shot (mostly because we got free beer out of it).

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1Et5VQ2

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