West Coast Pale Ale
Postmark Brewing

 

 

 

 

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a medium coppery amber with a one finger white head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of biscuit malt and grassy hops; simple but inviting. Flavor follows, with dry biscuit malt, a little husky graininess, hay and grassy hops with light lingering continental hop bitterness, very English in profile. Medium bodied with a good creaminess and mouth feel. Not quite what I expected, but very enjoyable. The "West Coast Pale Ale" name on the can did not seem to match this pleasant beer to the point I went to Postmark's website. Both the malt and hop bills are very much continental, but this used an American ale yeast. They insist there "Think West Coast in a glass", so I'm baffled as to whether this is a West Coast British Columbia style. There is a very slight citrus and fruit note to the finish that would be appropriate to an American yeast, but to me this is a classic robust bitter or English IPA. And I say that without disappointment, because I like the style very much and as such, this is a fine example. I'm rating it to enjoyment, rather than the American pale ale style, which I'm not sure was intended. Recommended to those who enjoy a malty, moderately hopped pale ale.

 

 

 

 

 

Another solid offering from Postmark. This is a very serviceable pale ale - malt forward, with just enough hop bite to remind you of the style. It's a nice looking , light colored ale. The carbonation and presentation are definitely on the mark, and I would be more than happy to drink several of these in succession.

 

The most remarkable part of this beer is how malty it is. Overall, not very awesome. Not a ton of hops on the nose or on the palate, kind of sweet. Really not very west coasty at all IMHO

 

 

 

 

 

650ml bomber poured into tulip 11/10/15

A clear golden liquid with two fingers of loose foam falls rather fast leaving no lace

S lots of sweet grains, a little metallic, faint butterscotch could be diacetyl, mild spruce and herbal notes with a hint of citrus, not bad but fairly tame

T heaps of dry cereal and sweet grains, leafy, herbal hops with a little citrus rind and plenty of caramel

M lighter side and soft from the bubbles, mildly bitter, a little grit, herbal, leafy finish

O pretty basic pale ale, I guess some would say its balanced but I say its fairly tame

nothing special but cheap enough to make a lawnmower beer, basic but drinkable

Pours from the 650mL bottle an orange-ish gold colour, fairly translucent, capped by a solid two fingers of rocky foam that recedes gradually but leaves a fair amount of lacing.

Smell is grassy, hay, slightly biscuity, with a solid dose of citrus, citrus rind, and a bit of piney resin. Slightly doughy, yeasty, maybe even milky?

Much maltier on the taste than I initially expected (both from the smell and the "west coast" designation): lots of biscuit, some cracker, slight toasted malt character. And then a slight hop presence: less citrusy than the nose, more of the piney, dank resiny character. Fairly dry, astringent aftertaste and a slight metallic twang. Decent middle-of-the-road body and carbonation.

A lot of potential here, but enough off-notes to bring it down a few notches. Which is a shame, because there is stuff here to like.