Admittedly, three different countries' worth of brewing influence on one can is a lot to ask a pilsner to sort out. Mast Landing, based in Freeport, Maine, teamed up with Good Word Brewing out of Duluth, Georgia, to brew Share With Me the Sun, a New Zealand-style pilsner that somehow keeps its composure despite the geography involved.
The hop bill is doing the heavy lifting: New Zealand Cascade alongside an experimental hop called NZ-106, producing notes of makrut lime, white peach, and something the brewery compares to Sauvignon Blanc. Black tea, sage, and fresh earth sit underneath, which is a more layered flavor profile than most pilsners bother attempting. A touch of malt sweetness gives way to a crisp, snappy finish, the kind of balance that suggests both breweries actually agreed on what they wanted this beer to do rather than splitting the difference.
It lands this Friday at both Mast Landing taprooms, on draft and in cans to go. Two breweries from opposite ends of the map settling on the same beer is a reasonable case for collaborations that aren't just a marketing exercise.