Brew Review – Streamline by Beat Culture

There’s the crazy stuff, and then every so often you just get back to basics.

And much like the classic, beautifully styled, sweeping lines of the vehicle gracing the can, Streamline (Amber Ale, 5% ABV) is just beauty in simplicity, a beer that is perfectly aligned to everything a beer needs to be.

And I knew that, since the first time I had it was the day of Beat Culture’s grand opening in Miami. My wife and I met up with a co-worker of mine and his wife, which was oddly funny since my coworker used to teach Spanish to two of the owners back in high school. Gave him a run for his money, from what I’ve gleaned.

Fully aware of my slightly impressive, slightly above-average yet nowhere near as intense as it should be beer knowledge, my friend’s wife asked me to pick her beer for her. I asked her a few questions and settled in on Streamline, a classic Vienna Lager.

Apparently I hit it out of the park, and because that is what she drank the entire night. And all you have to do is crack open a can or grab a fresh pull of Streamline and you can understand why. It’s been rebranded as an Amber ale since then, since you can’t have a ‘Vienna’ lager but a ‘Vienna-Style’ lager for some reason (Appelation laws are weird). Regardless, this works for me since the Vienna is one of my favorite styles.

The color is beautifully copper, with just the right amount clarity and otherwise murky depths. The flavor comes at you with big toasted bread and caramel notes, with just a hint of brown sugar. The flavor straddles the line between a caramel-forward Red Ale and the hoppier American Brown. In classic Amber/Vienna Style, you get wonderfully nutty notes of walnut, cashew, light caramel, and maybe a touch of oak here and a hint of floral there. That floral comes from a slightly earthy, slightly floral hop the beer entertains.

Even with all of that, the beer has a beautifully refreshing malt quality to it that is as welcome now as it was back then, and as it will always be. And much like the classic car that adorns its label, this is a beer that is not going out of style anytime soon.

P.S. Take it easy on your teachers. It’s a hard job.

P.P.S. No one in this state makes a ‘Cuban-style’ sandwich. Just saying.

Drink Florida Craft,

Dave
@floridabeerblog
floridabeerblog@gmail.com

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