Stoop American Pilsner

When I think of Mash Gang I think of experimental brews bursting with exotic-sounding hop varieties, some straight from whatever hop gene-splicing mad laboratories are producing these funky plants. Beer taste combinations you’d never have dreamed of and may not be technically legal, but immediately want to try. Hazy colourful concoctions with label artwork straight from some extreme metal or crust punk album cover. Liberal usage of the words ‘dank’ and ‘thicc’. What I certainly don’t think of when I think of Mash Gang is lager. Yet here they are with Stoop, their first pilsner, identified by the gang as a ‘dad beer’.

Stoop American Pilsner was apparently meant to be Mash Gang’s first release, but endless tweaks to the recipe meant that the brewing of their other beers took precedence, and as the boys continued to go from strength to strength with their hop-forward beers, the lager was put on the back-burner. Designs for the can’s artwork have been cropping up on their Instagram for months though, so the beer has always been on their minds. And now thanks to the brew space offered to Mash Gang by Northern Monk the boys finally realised their first love as of July 2021. Stoop is marketed as a traditional lager that has been shown ‘a bit of love and attention’. Knowing the gang this probably means they’ve shoved a few more modern hops in there than usual, and have no doubt done something technical with yeasts that I have no comprehension of. It’s hot today here in Free Beer towers, and I am in need of cold liquid refreshment. Time to crush a dad beer methinks!

Stoop comes in a 440ml can with beautiful artwork as usual, and pours a clear straw colour with a touch of haze. Whilst a head does it’s best to fluff up as we pour, it soon loses interest and we get a thin frothy cover to the beer. This does leave some lacing as we drink though. On the nose we get light grain sweetness, a whiff of lemon citrus, and a hint of hop spice. Very pleasing and lager-like at the moment.

On tasting we get light sweet pilsner malt up front giving flavour and a biscuity backbone. Some grassy hop bitterness joins the party along with a touch of fruity citrus, adding a slight edge of sourness. The beer is light and carbonation is on the low side, and similar to many other AF lagers it’s quite thin, but that’s pretty typical for the style. Despite the usual Mash Gang addition of chilli, and even the extra Szechuan pepper, I’m not really getting the slight build up of heat that was present and welcome in California Uncommon – a shame. We get a dry finish to the beer.

Stoop American Pilsner takes the lager standard and builds on it in subtle ways, adding a bit more interest to the brew whilst keeping it a light and refreshing beer. I do wish the chilli made more of an impression, but ever since Mash Gang have started brewing at Northern Monk it seems to be eluding my palate. The quote from the back of the can says ‘This throwback lager isn’t going to win any awards’, but I wouldn’t be so sure, it’s stoop-idly good!

Buy Stoop American Pilsner

Mash Gang’s beers can sometimes be hard to get ahold of, as they’re always being quickly snapped up shortly after release. In the case of Stoop American Pilsner I bought mine online – check these stores:

Nutritional Information (per 100ml, taken from the side of the can)
ABV	0.5%
Additional nutritional information not given. Boo, hiss!
Ingredients
Water, Malted Barley, Maltodextrin, Wheat, Oats, Hops, Yeas, Chilli, Szechuan Pepper, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Metabisulphite
Additional Information
Country of Production	United Kingdom
Brewer	Mash Gang – https://www.mashgang.beer/
Gluten Free?	No
Vegan Friendly?	Yes