Hyperborean Expedition Dry Hopped Lager from Kobold Brewing has a bright zest character calling to mind lemon and a touch of green berries and kiwi. Behind the fruit, there’s a subtle hint of dank hop.

Redmond-based Kobold Brewing Company has two fresh new beers available in its lineup for the summer: Hyperborean Expedition, a light and drinkable dry hopped lager, and Searing Smite, a stout infused with chocolate, spices and chili peppers.

You might wonder how a chili-spiced stout works as a summertime beer, particularly in light of the recent heatwave. Even though it might seem to be more suited to the cooler holiday season, I recently tried each beer and found them both to be strong summer contenders.

Hyperborean Expedition

This popular returning lager is also a brewer favorite, with a description highlighting aromas of tropical fruit and citrus. I reached out to Kobold to find out more about the dry hop additions, and was curious if the highlighted fruitiness indicated any real fruit.

“(It) is dry hopped with a simple blend of Cascade and Citra hops,” said owner and head brewer Hayden Reynolds via email. “No fruit additions, just a clean lager with a slightly sweet malt bill and a touch of hop character!”

It pours a honey-golden color with nice clarity, and the aroma is immediately noticeable. It’s citrusy with a bright zest character, reminding me of yuzu and lemon, with a touch of green berries and kiwi. Behind the fruit, there’s a hint of dank hop though it’s subtle.

The flavor is driven more by the malt character, with a bit of chit malt graininess which reminds me of puffed barley cereal and a rustic bread that has a nice golden toast to it. The hop presence is mellow, with an earthy note along with stone fruit and pear character.

At 5.5% alcohol by volume and 16 IBUs, it’s a fairly light lager with a clean profile, great for hot weather. With the citrus-driven aroma and good toasty malt flavors I found it nicely quaffable and refreshing, just the type of beer to enjoy during a hot summer day.

Searing Smite

A new beer from Kobold, Searing Smite’s spice profile draws inspiration from Mexican hot chocolate. I asked Reynolds what spices were added.

“Searing Smite is packed with a lot of different spices and nine different malts to achieve the level of complexity present,” he said. “It is flavored with chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon and five different peppers: guajillo, negra, mulato, morita and habanero.”

Despite the variety of chilis, I found the beer to be surprisingly mellow and easy to drink, with 6.5% ABV. The aroma leads with chocolate and offers up hints of cinnamon, coffee, and a dash of chili character.

On the palate, the spices are subtle with a light bloom of heat at the back of the throat. It’s a nice stout, with a mild roasted character and notes of instant coffee and baker’s chocolate along with a roasted nuttiness. There’s a hint of lightly sweet smokiness, and the mellow heat lingers throughout, noticeable but pleasant.

What makes this work for summer? To my mind, this is a campfire beer, one you can enjoy while sitting around the fire, paired with a dessert like s’mores. Or simply as Kobold’s social media post notes, “Who says you can’t drink dark beers in the summer?”

Somewhere in between

I also asked Reynolds what Kobold brew would be a good option for someone who wants something in between these two beers, stylistically.

“A good middle ground would be our High Desert Flail Ale,” he said. “It’s not quite a pale and not quite an IPA. But it does carry a nice punch of hop aroma and is our beer with the most ‘classic’ NW hop profile.”

High Desert Flail Ale is 6.3% ABV with 42 IBUs. And of course Kobold offers a full range of styles in its regular lineup as well.

Hyperborean Expedition and Searing Smite are available on draft at Kobold’s two locations, at The Vault in downtown Redmond and The Lair in downtown Bend.