Payette Lake
Broken Horn Brewing Company

i have been loving all the crowlers by buddy has been bringing back for me from this brewery, all their beer has been high quality and even distinctive, well above average, but i have been particularly impressed with their hoppy stuff, the ipa is bang on, the session is great, and this is maybe my favorite of the three, with the imperial still in the fridge! this is just great pale ale, a little light chill haze to it, more unfiltered than new england style for sure, a low orange glow to it, and an active and frothy white head, looks great in the glass, carbonation is high, and it smells incredibly fresh. juicy sweet orange and mango to me from the hops, not much bitterness and nothing green, more modern than expected from these guys, who have been kind of classic with the stuff so far in my experience, and while this might not be southern hemisphere dry hopping, its a step closer to the cutting edge than a lot of idaho breweries are getting to right now, but the sturdy malt support keeps it timeless, maybe slightly english on the grain side, a maris otter type possible, but i am smelling a lot more of these fruity hops than anything else. the flavor is also juicy as they go, in balance but hops first, an early start for them, maybe some light juniper in there with the more obvious citrus and tropical essences, a hint of cantaloupe and honey too, a little sweetness in the center and fading through the finish, just enough hop bitterness for this to be refreshing, no more. the malt gives it a medium body but the super clean ferment keeps it mighty drinkable, and with the interesting hop profile, this one had me engaged the whole way, and it was gone too fast. the pale ale style is often overlooked these days, but when done right, can still offer something that an ipa cannot, and this beer is sort of the intangible expression of that, very well constructed. maybe my favorite broken horn brew thus far!

edit: just as good the second time around, same format, awesome malt balance but bright hoppiness, absurdly drinkable, really well done pale here that leans just a little english, delicious.