Signals of Celestial Objects
Brick & Feather Brewery

 

 

 

16oz. can served in a tulip. Pours a dull, burnt orange with a tight, creamy, half inch bright white head that sizzles and pops as it slowly recedes into a sudsy slick. Clarity is on the hazy side. Great nose on this beer - aromas of tangerine, honeydew melon and tropical fruit waft out of the glass. Taste reveals a character consistent with the nose with a bit of an earthy/herbal character added to the flavor profile. Mouthfeel is light-medium in body with a soft mouthfeel and a pleasant, even carbonation that leaves a light prickle across the tongue between quaffs. Overall, a great APA with lots of character without coming off as overly hopped. Very nice!

Drank on tap at Five Eyed Fox, Turners Falls, MA
Served in a tulip

Hazy straw yellow appearance. The liquid was topped by a frothy, near finger tall, bright white crown that fell to a small collar. A wall of streaky lacing coated the glass.

The aroma was really juicy and fruity. Intense tropical fruit notes. Passionfruit perhaps. Mango, papaya and guava also came to mind. Fairly sweet. Citrus notes appeared as the beer sat. Orange and tangerine were detectable.

The flavor profile was definitely more citrus forward than the nose. Big juicy orange and tangerine notes initially. Fairly tart and tangy. Nice pale malt backbone. Wheaty in the center. Grapefruit came through strong on the back end and carried into the finish. Some rind-like notes appeared as well. Moderate amount of pithy bitterness.

Fantastic mouthfeel. Frothy and full bodied for the style. Pillowy soft and plush. The liquid contained a finely beaded, moderate, tongue blanketing effervescence that turned creamy, slick and smooth on the palate.

The Brick & Feather beers I have tried thus far have been solid, but none have really impressed me like Signals of Celestial Objects. At 6%, this pale ale definitely drinks more like an IPA, and a pretty amazing one at that. Great to see more new and exciting beers being released by this Western Massachusetts brewery.

From a 16oz can, dated 07/06/18. Served in an imperial pint nonic.

Pours a thoroughly hazy melon-gold colour with a scant half-finger of fine white head. Retention is meh and lacing is minimal, just a fizzy little collar.

Smell: funny, I had a glass from the tap at the brewery last night and thought it smelled dreamy but I'm getting virtually nothing from this can pour. What's up with that? Working my nose as hard as I can, I get some strawberry, maybe some lemonade and something sweet and bready, like poundcake. I'm going to split the difference between this and what I remember and call it a 3.75.

Taste follows the nose but with the volume turned up a couple of notches - strawberry-lemonade and poundcake, with something sort of dank, musty and funky, and then green, leafy, lingering bitterness.

Feel is juicy and chewy with a medium, doughy body and ample carbonation. Feels heftier than its 6% abv in a totally good way.

I get muddled sometimes trying to distinguish between New England-style APA's and IPA's but, even though Lawrence has hopped the bejeesus out of this beer, what with the thick, chewy, poundcake-like maltiness, there's no mistaking which side of the fence this puppy comes down on. Yum.

Pairing suggestion: bauernwurst and sauerkraut. I don't know what made me think of that but I'm going to go find the makings to serve it for dinner this weekend. Or spareribs and sauerkraut - something fatty and tart.

 

 

Poured from a recent growler into the test glass
A - Hazy, sunflower yellow, loose knit white froth covers the pour
S - Dried pineapple, melon rime, an earthy thread, and some tart orange
T - Follows the nose well, an interesting musty taste which I really like, think wheat grains
M - Soft on the palate, gently carbonated, and a nice clean finish
O - A beautiful offering, pale ale with full reach. excellent offering

 

 

This single hopped (Galaxy) APA pours a very hazy orange/light amber. The tight head recedes fairly quickly but enough remains to leave fine lines down my glass. Smells of tropical fruit. The taste comes in waves, orange, tropical fruit, apricot and a bit of a toffee with fainter hints of grass and soap. A touch of pine as it closes for a moderately dry finish. Medium mouthfeel.

I was excited to try this, as IMO Galaxy is a perfect stand-alone hop. I was a bit concerned when I read about the presence of British malts, but they play well together with the Galaxy and no way would anyone confuse this with an English IPA. I wouldn't change a thing.

Celestial indeed.