Chants Between Two Worlds
Holy Mountain Brewing Company - Interbay Brewery + Taproom

Sampling 16 oz can at cellar temp pouring into my .5L dimple mug. Date stamp talks about coffee and avoiding fish, but no actual date....
The beer pours a bright clear golden color with a pillowy and fluffy bleached white head of 3 cm foaming up in my mug. A few lazy streams rise to the surface.
Aroma is briefly grainy malt and then its all coffee grounds all the time. No hint of any hops, maybe a little roasted note too but coffee is by far dominant on the nose. Almost one dimensional to be honest.
First sip reveals a light body and tingly carbonation. Texture is smooth and a little watery too.
Flavor is slight grainy malt and then roast coffee grounds takes over here too. No hint of any hop character and the low ABV is as expected hidden. The beer does drink pretty easy , but I feel like the base lager wast too mild and the coffee grounds too rich, so that we result in a one dimensional beer. Its fine, but I wouldnt do this one again, if I saw it on a tasting menu or store shelf.

16oz can, looks like a lowish fill

Pours a hefty finger of soapy white head into my nitro glass. Retention is somewhat poor and the head fades within a minute or two. Lacing is poor. Body is golden, crystal clear, with a good mount of bubbles coming up. Doesn’t look all that great.

Coffee is very earthy on the nose, with a significant amount of spice as well - though definitely not Mexican coffee or any kind of added spice. Thankfully not sweet at all. Impossible to pick up any beer aromas, but it still smells good for what it is.

Flavor has that big coffee kick, spicey, some citrus even - not clear what’s giving that flavor, it could be from the beer *excited shreek*. The lager side of this is noticeable, coffee stouts don’t finish this clean. That said, it borders on watery in the finish. If you come into this thinking it will be a normal coffee beer with loads of flavor, you’ll be disappointed; if you think of it as a lager with a coffee accent, you’ll be pleased.

Carbonation is elevated. Body is somewhat light. On the drier side, which is one of the biggest benefits. Despite the adequate coffee flavor, the bitterness is on the lower end of things. Great mouthfeel, it really makes the beer worth drinking.

Drinkability is wonderful.

I like this, it’s a nice twist. You’re basically trading the depth and the pairing flavors of a heavily malted stout, for the clean drinkability of a lager. It makes for an easier beer to drink, but you certainly sacrifice some flavor.

Chants Between Two Worlds from Holy Mountain Brewing. 16 fl oz can from @snaotheus in NBW BIF 17. Reviewed 19/05/23 (Review 3106). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated can. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 47.3 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 52.7 degrees F.
Appearance – 3.75
First pour – Straw (SRM 3), clear.
Body – Pale Gold (SRM 4), clear. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, same.
Head: Average (Maximum 3.5 cm, aggressive center pour), white, high density, quickly diminishing, reducing to 0.5 – 0.8 cm crown and a thin, rocky cap.
Lacing – Basically none, just a couple of tiny islands.
Aroma – 3.5 – Weak coffee, no hops, no malt, no yeast. No ethanol (4.9 % ABV as marked on the label).
Flavor – 3.5 – Flavor tends to cascara more than coffee, weak. No hops, no malt, no yeast. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. No gastric warming.
Palate – 3.5 – Thin; watery; lively carbonation – a distinct final feeling of crispness.
Final impression and summation: 3.5 (After deducting 0.25 point for an undated personal container) An under-hopped lager with a shot of coffee added, certainly not an “American Pale Ale” as it’s classified. One and done.