Campale
To Øl

 

 

More tasty To Øl, this time it’s: Campale, an American Blonde Ale with almost no bittering hops - instead grapefruit peel is used for bitterness. Sounds intriguing, another grapefruit-infused brew to face up against my grapefruit-infused favourite: BrewDog’s El... well I’m not sure if they’ve changed the name but it used to be (or still is) Elvis Juice. To Øl are an interesting brewer though - they’re sorta like fellow Danish gypsy brewer Mikkeller, without being quite so crazy (in a good way!). That said I don’t think I’ve had any crazy BIG [Bearing Immense Gusto] beers from To Øl, all that seems to get over to Aus are the reasonably accessible ones. Which is perhaps why I have this image of To Øl being a less crazy Mikkeller. Anyhow I digest, on to the brew-view!

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a nonic pint.

A: Hazed golden body with a generous cream-coloured head that sits proudly on top... plenty of wheat in this baby! Rather a lot of carbonation going on inside the glass as well, hope it’s not over-carbed. 8/10.

S: Aroma is fantastic! A melange of grassy/herbal hop notes, all-spice yeast character and a custard Danish pastry sweetness, this is top shelf stuff from those cool cats at To Øl. It’s a pleasingly mild aroma that doesn’t assault the senses, yet with seemingly discordant flavours that come together surprisingly well. 9/10.

T: Excellent balance all round in the flavour as a mealy grapefruit character comes in with citrus and light bitterness and sticks around to the (upcoming pun intended): bitter end. Sweet pastry, green/grassy hop notes and all-spice yeast round out the flavours. Tis an interesting brew - it’s got a bit of Blonde, a bit of Saison and a bit of IPA all combined in juicy glory. One minor critique - the grapefruit bitterness lingers on a touch too long in the aftertaste. 8/10.

M: Decent mouthfeel, medium bodied with a reasonably creamy carbonation (thanks wheat!) which real adds to the flavour profile. 8/10.

D: It’s a simple brew, but that simplicity belies greatness - this is another home-run for To Øl. At once so straightforward on the palate, mild yet complex in aroma, this is a class act of a brew from those Danish guys. The only thing that really detracts is that grapefruit peel that begins well in the flavour, yet continues throughout the palate and TBH doesn’t leave even after several sips - that grapefruit peel is powerful stuff! Still tres tasty here. 8/10.

Food match: Belgian brasserie food: Carbonade flamande.

From Miguel. In Teku glass. At dinner, with 4 cheese pizza + chicken burgers. Light and soft to the palate, juicy in the mouth, with natural grapefruit notes and a mild bitterness. Quiet refreshing and drinkable