Stillwater/Oliver Channel Crossing #4
Pratt Street Ale House

 

 

 

 

A refreshing, sessionable, medium-bodied bitter ale. I Had this one at ChurchKey in a 4 oz snifter; unfortunately, I had it just before my first bourbon barrel aged gonzo from flying fish, so I pretty quickly forgot about it. Still, achieving such great drinkability, bitterness and body all together is no easy feat. I will definitely try this one again if I get the chance (ideally, these two brewers would band together to make a mixed 12-pack of channel crossings... that would be something)

I had this on-tap at the brewpub, poured into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a murky reddish brown with a layer of off white head that goes away completely.

Smell: Sweet and bready. Hints of fruit and caramel.

Taste: Quite bitter, but that doesn't mask the other flavors. Some Belgian spice, fruity notes, and some malt sweetness. The finish is bitter.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with carbonation on the mild side. The finish is slippery.

Overall: A nice twist on the ESB style. The fruit and Belgian spice notes were quite enjoyable. I would have this one again.

This is apparently an English ESB with a Belgian theme to it.
A- A red-tawny color. Thin head, basically just a slick of one. It tries to leave lacing but it just doesn't stick.
S- The smell is more Belgian than it is ESB. Getting mostly peach/apricot aromas, though some light piney hops come through as well.
T- Again, more Belgian flavors than English bitter, but it's a nice balance between the sort of fruity necktarine like character coming from the yeast strain, and the slightly citrus, slightly piney hops. Would like to have seen just a bit more hopping come through.
M- Medium body, low carbonation. It's almost a bit sticky.
O- I liked the idea of what they were going for here, and for me it more or less worked. I think just a little more hopping would have helped, because the Belgian character really outplayed the hoppy, ESB notes.