Katy Trail Pale Ale
Flat Branch Pub & Brewery

Tap pour at the brewpub. Served chilled in a pint glass.
Clear, deep gold colored body. White head leaves behind lacing webs.
Aroma of sweet toasted malts and bits of citrus and pine.
Taste is muted but follows the nose with sweet malts and a little bit of citrus and pine. Balanced, with a touch of bitterness. Mellow aftertaste.
Medium mouthfeel. Dry finish. Very good carbonation.
Fits for style, with mild expression.

 

Pours a lightly foggy copper with a finger of white foam. Aroma is herbal, floral, pine, citrus hops with a lightly bready, earthy malt beyond. Smells simple and clean. Flavor profile is herbal, piney, citrusy hops with bready and earthy malt. Flavor profile is a little more clear and concise than the aroma. Mouth feel is a soft crispness with a medium thickness. Overall, crisp and refreshing with an old school, focus flavor profile.

Draft.

 

 

Poured from the Brewery draft. Nice copper color. Good smell, not overly aromatic. Smooth hops taste. Great finish.

 

 

 

 

Poured from a growler into a pint glass.

Appearance - Rich copper color with a decent head. Good head retention.

Smell - Very floral. Smells like a hoppy pale ale with a lack of malt backbone.

Taste - I was actually quite wrong judging the smell. Big malty taste at first followed by a floral finish. Lightly dry on the palate. Very refreshing and well-balanced

Mouthfeel - About what I would expect out of a pale ale. Goes down smooth with a nice floral aftertaste.

Overall - An impressive pale ale. Goes well with a lot of food, as well as a beer that is both sessionable, but also satisfying with one glass. I finished the growler in one sitting.

 

 

 

 

On draft at the source. The beer is light orange and pretty clear, sporting a thin white collar that fades quickly, leaving a fair amount of lacing on the glass. The aroma is simple and straightforward, offering a touch of pine and hops atop a sturdy malt bill. More malty than hoppy. Light in body and easy drinking. This was ok.

 

Appearance: It has a copper colored body with an orange hue. A little less than average white head and lace.

Smell: It has floral aroma with some citrus zest.

Taste: Herbal and floral from the use of hops but it is a good combination of whatever they use I did not get a chance to ask the staff.

Mouthfeel: It has a lot of bite both from the carbonation and the hops with some pucker factor.

Overall: Not bad a bit hoppier than I expected. So non hop heads be warned.

Poured into a pint glass form a growler filled about 5 hours ago.

A - Pours a nice slightly cloudy orange and copper color with a nice thick head that is about 1.5 inches thick. The head is nice and dense and sticky with some slightly ecru hues.

S - Grainy malt notes comes up quick and fresh. TOns of biscuity pale malt. Fresh toasty bread notes are very present. These malt notes are complimented by some nice fresh grassy hops. Slight caramel notes in the nose.

T & M - Flavors starts off bready and toasty with some nice malty grain notes. There is some slight caramel and nice malty sweet notes that are present but then quickly balanced out by some mild but present citrus. Grassy and herbal hops. Very nice refreshing easy to drink beer. Mouthfeel is crisp and clean with great carbonation and a nice slightly dry and bitter hop finish.

O - This brew pub is really good and their beers are very well crafted. They have a constant and consistent solid line up. This APA is very good and refreshing. Well crafted flavors.

Poured into a pint glass.

First-sight of the beer is pretty damn attractive. Clear amber body with a one-finger head. The retention is excellent and the more I drink it, the more carbonation that sticks to the glass. One of the best-looking APAs I've seen.

Aroma is nice and balanced, and not all that different from the flavor. Floral hops, hint of citrus, and a nice, malty undertone to round off the whole thing. Hits the tongue in much the same way. Laid-back hops carried along by a nice, medium body with sparkling carbonation. Clean finish allows for the malty finish to reveal a well-balanced beer. Well-done, Flat Branch. Well-done indeed.

Overall/notes - Well, this is a very good first experience with a brewpub I'd never been to before. Only took me five years. APA isn't my favorite style, generally speaking, but this ranks right up there with Sierra Nevada and Schlafly Dry-hopped as a favorite. Will be going back for more of their brews!