Downstate Pale Ale
DESTIHL Brewery

Pints on tap 8/1/24 at the Destihl restaurant/bar.
L: Pours medium dark amber with a frothy white head that has good retention, mild carbonation, leaves ample scattered lacing.
S: Caramelized malts, piney hops, grains, a hint of sweet bread.
T: Taste follows nose plus resin, a touch of dark fruits, biscuit malts, has a light citrusy halo, and is mildly earthy. There is a slight tanginess.
F: Smooth medium-bodied feel with a medium length finish that is not really dry.
O: A lovely American PA! It's kind of old-school and I was told that this is one of the 1st six beers Destihl brewed 17 yrs ago. It's still going strong IMHO and it is excellent in its style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance & Aroma: It was copper colored and very clear with a thick soapy-foamy head that left some very nice lacing on the glass. The aroma was lightly breadywith hints of caramel, along with a grassy-piney hop smell.

Taste & Feel: The body was light-medium and the mouthfeel was a bit creamy from the foamy head. The flavors up front were light bready and caramel maltiness, and a light piney-earthy hop bitterness kicked in a bit during the middle. The earthy hop bitterness kicked up a bit more in the finish and lasted a for a couple minutes in the aftertaste.

We had this beer with Destihl's beer battered asparagus, and I can't think of a better pairing. The breadiness of the beer battered crust on the asparagus went nicely with the light bready caramel maltiness of the beer, and the piney-earthy hop bittereness went right along with the flavor of the asparagus. The sauce covering the asparagus also helped to bring out the caramel flavors in the beer even more.

It's been a while since I've had this beer, and I didn't remember being very impressed with it. Upon giving it another shot, I can say that this is a pretty good beer. It's got a decent malt back bone with nice bread and light caramel flavors. The hop bitterness might be a little bit too much for the style, but it certainly wasn't overpowering, and was welcomed by my hop-loving palate. Overall, it's a pretty nice beer that I'd have again.

On draught at Desthil

Dark amber brown, with three finger head

Smells of hops, citrus, and piney notes

Tastes: Piney, hoppy, boozy, and earthy

Mouthfeel: Ideal! This is far from watery, this is a true beer

Overall, have this beer! Support Desthil, they are true Beer advocates! These people know beer, and are willing to push the envelope.

Poured from a growler into a pint glass. Slightly hazed orange, good retention, spotty random lacing around the glass.

Orange peel and husky grain, pale malt gives it some biscuit aroma. Earthy hop character in addition to the citrus from the Cascades. Lightly fruity and floral, some resemblance to Two Hearted, but not quite there.

Initial citrus twang and and pretty malty upfront. A little spiciness. Residual bitterness and malty biscuit aftertaste. Simple with a sparing amount of hops, making it accessible to a broad audience. Light bodied, and easy to have a couple. This was better than their regular IPA I thought.