Brewery – Sonder
Beer – Operation Steam
Style – Munich Helles Lager
ABV – 5.4% ABV

A golden lager brewed with 100% German malts and hops.

Operation. Steam. Operations. Team. Look… the name of this beer is a story within itself, and I could try to explain it to you in writing, but it wouldn’t have the humor that it would if you heard the folks from Sonder telling it in their own words. For that reason – you should definitely head over and listen to the Operation Steam episode of Sonder Stories (that’s their podcast) after you get done here.

The beer is a Munich Helles Lager, which shares a lot with it’s cousin, the Pilsner. Think of it this way… a pilsner is a light effervescent lager that leans just a hair into the hops, where Helles is a light effervescent lager that leans just a hair into the malt. Operation Steam is a great example of that. The beer is light “zippy” but has that really nice body that comes from the style. It’s got a richness that sort of hides itself away behind the bubbles.

This beer was first released in the winter of 2019 in 16oz four packs – right as the brewery was really starting to settle into their personality and to showcase the traditional side of who they are. The beer was an absolute hit, and when it returned in the fall of 2020 in 12oz six packs of cans? Well… a lot of folks (I’m raising my hand, if you didn’t assume) were thrilled to fill their fridges with it.

My Thoughts on Sonder Operation Steam

This beer is really unassuming in your glass. It’s light, yellow, fizzy with a thin white head on top. It looks like the beer that you have been shunning during your craft beer journey. Big Beer. But this is far from it.

Putting your nose over your glass you get a rich, sweet bready aroma – light but packed into the air above the glass.

The flavor is nice and soft. Mildy sweet, yet crisp. Balanced and packed with nuanced flavors.

Operation Steam fits into several different situations… if you’re looking for something crisp and “crushable” – it’s there for you. If you’re looking for a beer that is layered up with several different building blocks to fuss over? Yeah… it’s there for that too.

It’s wonderful.