Pale Rider
Black Cloister Brewing Company

I tried this at the brewery. It poured a clear orangish with thin white head that did not leave much lace. The scent had tropical fruit notes with bitter highlights. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink citrus presence. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it was a solid beer.

 

 

 

Version # 2. Brewed as a hybrid pilsner / pale ale, the original needed some tweaking. This beer is the result.

A: Not quite as pale as the name would imply, it's a bright light gold color. The head is a big, bubbly, soapy white one that drops to a layer and holds pretty well. Lacing is mostly spotting with some legs.
S: The unusual nature of this beer is displayed in a way that the casual drinker may not recognize. Malts are dry and crackery, and the yeast is pretty typical of American ales. There's a moderate floral and lightly spicy hops bite that satisfies the style without scaring certain drinkers away.
T: The taste follows suit, and balance is well-rounded. Malts are dry but some light fruits come up underneath to keep it from being too dry, particularly against the moderate hopping.
F: It's a crisp beer with a body that's light but firm. It flows well, and the crispness never falls off. Good, semi-dry finish.

 

 

On draft at the brewery. Menu indicates that this is now an ale, not a lager. Pale yellow in color, white head, good lacing. Hoppy aroma, earthy and citrus. Thin and fizzy, could use more body.

Needs some work on the recipe. Nice easy drinking though. Spicy at first taste then smooths out into a creamy flavor. Not bad, but it's missing something to make it really stand out. Up the hop profile and I think we may have a better beer. I would have again as I'm moving to Toledo next month.

 

 

 

Good beer but the name and type of beer is a little off, in the description at the brewery it is described as bohemian pilsner hybrid, which it does a good job at. It has a nice golden color and the spicy hops are there but are more potent as the beer warms up. Overall it could use a little more hops to give more crispness but still very good.