Willamette Pale Ale
Grizzly Peak Brewing Company

On cask at the brewpub - Dec 20, 2007. Aroma is in the pines of the West Coast, lightly. Pours a pale orange, with calm soap settling above. Flavor is tangibly heavy in the high alphas, with faint honey sweetness and lots of water. A more respectable cask presentation than the ESB, however this lacks some amount of necessary body and followthrough with the hops. There are nice floral embellishments, but they fade fast into a grassy bitterness. Minerals. Soft. Buttery (not in a diacetyl way). Finishes dry and mostly clean.

Pulled off the hand-pump in the new side bar at the Grizz, appropriately called the Den. Its a fair medium amber pint, rosy with copper all around the edges. Thick, creamy head at first but dissipates a little, though the sheets of lacing on each pint was impressive.

Smells of typical Ringwood esters, a complex interplay of green apples, rose, possibly pear. Indistinct as a whole, but a medley that shows its parts in time. The tell-tale scents of sternly woodsy Willamettes are a bit soft, unfortunately.

Luckily the flavors were integrated very well, sliding from thick English malt goodness, all biscuit and sweet without sugary weight, intwined with an unbuttery yeast presence of quiet fruitiness, and then finished off by one of the most glorious displays of Willamette flavor I've ever experienced. Take all those super-citric American "C" hops and toss 'em out the window here - this is drying like fresh mint with a strong woody presence supported by the barest vegetal bitterness. The finish was full and clear, similar to chewing on licorice root, but less sweet and forward.

Smooth on the palette thanks to the cask-conditioning, but as great as this was to quaff its age was apparent. But, even on the other side of its bell curved life it was a deft brew. The Grizz often brews little variations on their core portfolio like this one - try them out.