Bandwagon Unfiltered Pale Ale
Wildcard Brewing

Straight pour from a 16oz can to an oversized wineglass (Jester King stemware). This can has a freshness date of November 7, 2017 printed in black ink on the underside of the can (“BEST BY 11/7/17”), which from what I understand indicates a canning date of August 7, 2017. Sure enough, this was released on Tuesday, August 8, and purchased at the brewery on the day of its release. Since then, it’s been refrigerated non-stop.

Appearance (4.25): Three full fingers of ecru-colored foam rise quickly off of the pour, capping a murky, deep orange-gold body that’s quite juicy in appearance. The head dies down slowly, leaving a pock-marked cap and tight, viny lacing connecting thin collars wherever the surface of the head has been. It’s a little more subdued as it goes on, but it’s still quite pretty.

Smell (4.5): A rich bouquet of navel orange flesh, overripe mango, a dose of passionfruit, and a nice, gentle floral scent jump out of the glass, along with a faint splash of limeade. There’s a great, earthy, lightly fruity, rich and doughy aroma evoking multigrain pain de campagne with a light, peppery dose of something to chase it out. That said, the sweet, juicy citrus really dominate the nose. This has an excellent, true to (sub)style aroma.

Taste (4.0): On the palate, the taste is lighter and nimbler than the nose would suggest: a bit of lemon juice and banana peel lead the way, covering up an earthy, doughy malt body filled out by the ale yeast and lack of filtration (this definitely tastes unfiltered, to me). As it opens up, a fuller fruit body takes shape and comes forward, with a bit of orange flesh and underripe kiwi, some grassy flavor, and a touch of kumquat. On the back end, the hops close out the palate with a nice, not too harsh, grassy bitterness that sticks around.

Mouthfeel (4.0): This has a rich, creamy body that feels deceptively chewy and full, despite the size of the beer. That said, the drying bitterness of the hops seem to lighten it up nicely, while the carbonation remains subtle throughout, starting with a fine tingle and ending with a fine tingle. Easy to drink, certainly.

Overall (4.0): This feels like a fairly true to style, Northeastern-style Pale Ale. To be honest, it’s fine and quite tasty, but it’s not as bright and bombastic as I remember it being on tap. The best part of the beer most definitely is the aroma, however, which is very much on point. Glad I picked up a four-pack, and I’m happy some folks are making beers like this out here in the North State.