Le Chateau
Peg's Cantina & Brew Pub

Crowler into a snifter appears pale yellow with a big fluffy white cap that fades leaving patchy lace.

Aroma has quite a bit of footy pils grain character, herbal and cheesy with hints of something like sulfur.

Taste has a classic herbal pils bitterness slightly minty and fruity with pith and pulp fruitiness as well.

Medium to lighter body with modest carbonation. Im not sure what a pilsner ipa is but I like it. It is very pilsner-like just with more layers of fruity hoppiness. If you drink this expecting an intense IPA experience you will likely be let down but if you approach this like its a pils, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. A unique and enjotable hybrid of sorts.

 

Poured on tap at the brewpub, the beer is a hazy, orange-gold coloring, with a sparse, filmy, halo of white head. Nose of subtle caramel, floral hips, subtle berry sweetness, and dried grass highlights. Flavors are grassy and herbal forward, with a tangy caramel backbone, subtle sourness, and toasted grain characteristics. Smooth and crisp bodied, with a floral and bitter hops aftertaste. The finish is smooth and dry. Pretty interesting beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Straight pour from a 32oz crowler filled at the source (Cycle Brewing Co.) on Saturday, April 2, three days prior to drinking on the 5th. Been in the fridge since. Beer goes into a 10oz stemmed tasting glass (Tired Hands stemware). (Notes transcribed later, after taking them.)

Appearance (4.5): Two fingers of tight, fluffy, custard-colored foam rise off of the pour, capping a glowing, golden straw-colored body, which is moderately hazy. Crazy-tight, lacy webbing follows the surface of the beer as the head recedes, which shows great retention most of the way down. It leaves lacy arcs, decaying at certain points to leave uneven legs all around the glass. This is gorgeous, and a good example of why IPAs are often the prettiest beers.

Smell (4.5): Fruits abound, showing key lime and strong notes of passion fruit. Gooseberry is also present: tart berry aromas paired with a strong, grassy component. The malt is predominantly crackery-bready in character, betraying the pils malt right from the start. This is a fantastic combo, with the NZ/Southern Hemisphere-type hops (if I had to guess) and the pils malt—incredibly aromatic.

Taste (4.25): Veering away from the passion fruit sweetness hinted at in the nose, the flavor gravitates toward gooseberry: lemonade acidity, yellow grapefruit flesh, and grassy, slightly vegetal bitterness to boot. The bitterness exists at a low enough level of intensity that it’s not astringent—just a full-on grassy flavor. The malt offers a sturdy underpinning of pale, floury, crackery flavor: common crackers, unsalted oyster crackers, that sort of thing. Light, watered-down orangeade flavor . . . maybe orange zest. A light bit of that funky passion fruit acidity mixes with a resinous undercurrent that’s all dank, on the vegetal end of the weedy flavor spectrum. Great balance, and great notes. Again, the NZ/Southern Hemisphere-type hops and pils malt really work for me: true to the IPA style, with lots of character. Not for everybody, maybe, but bitter and dry enough to remain drinkable.

Mouthfeel (4.25): Fairly subdued carbonation covesr all surfaces and foams up nicely as it washes out. The body sits on the medium point of the spectrum, but surprisingly slick and viscous at the same time. Still, the hop bitterness and the pale, starchy malt dry out the body thoroughly. It all makes for a crazily drinkable IPA.

Overall (4.25): This is thoroughly my kind of IPA. The pils malt offers a background sturdy enough to hold up the hops. In spite of its levity, the dryness and starchiness give enough character to offer a real counterpoint to the hops. And the hops—so much diverse character in their (its?) own right. A great IPA.