At The Swans
Notch Brewing

 

Canned 8/11/20
Pours a med frothy head with moderate retention and mild sticky lacing, semi hazy semi clear pale straw to a little gold color

Nose smells like a Czech pils crossed with kellerbier, some yeast and raw fermentation like character, fair amount of sulfate in there as well, under that is grainy-sweet pilsner malt, a little cracked and cereal grain, some fruity ester notes, herbal floral hops, quite a lot of a raw fermented young kellerbier like

Taste brings more of that kellerbier raw fermentation character, cereal grain, still germinating malt flavor, grain-sweet pilsner but not a ton, some fruity ester notes again, as well as the sulfates and some other minerals, herbal floral noble hops with lower bitterness up front, drier finish with a mild crisp bitterness despite the sulfate notes, lingering light herbal hops getting a tad spicy, but a bit soft as well

Mouth is med bod, soft finish, quite high on the carb and it gets distracting

Overall this was kind of a mess, seems like they tried to naturally carbonate the beer and it turned into a kellerbier with all the extra byproducts of the yeast and the young raw characters, way too much carbonation, and not nearly enough bitterness, it did at least have the softness of a good Czech pils, but otherwise it really didn't hit many goals, unfortunate since I know Notch makes some great beers

Picked up a cold crowler from the source; consumed three days later. Consider me a fan of Notch, and a fanboy of their pils lineup from the core Pil to The Standard and now At the Swans.

Darker hue of gold compared to the aforementioned brews. Still clear with but a honey tone that masks the lively stream of bubbles heading north.

Aroma is biscuit, dough and cracker - classic pilsner - with earthy and peppery hops. I'm not picking up much lemon which is what I often get from the style.

Taste is right there with the nose. Although light on the palate, and eminently drinkable, the taste still carries weight so you feel the body with each sip. Great balance between being sessionionable and tasty.