Ale 208
Grand Teton Brewing Co.

Picked this up when I was out west over the summer, having most of the bottles on the road and saving the last one for here at the house. Never had anything from Grand Teton before and this wasn't as I thought it would be, as it was easily drinkable and had just enough body and taste to hold my interest. No doubt that this was one of the better examples of the style that I've had in a while!

Nice, golden look to this as I poured it out with plenty of head to top it off. A fair amount of lacing stuck around as I worked my way through this as there was one ring at the top of my pint glass with some more below that. A bit of honey, pine, and grass melded together on the muted nose with all of those on the palate as well. Cereal malt, grain, and a German-like bitterness came through as this warmed up but darnit, this was so smooth and easygoing that it was nearly impossible not to like this. Light in carbonation, there was some sediment at the bottom of the liquid as the citrus slickness was a nice touch on the palate once this fully went down.

Session beers don't get much better than this as this fit that bill perfectly. Blonde in nature but bordering on a Pale or or an ESB, this warmed to me as the liquid itself did that. So many examples of this can be light and watery but this had a lot going for it and was a great choice for my nights away for home. Shame it's not available here!

 

 

Can poured into a Mountain Rambler Brewery pint glass

A: Pours golden yellow with a frothy off white head that settles to a light layer and leaves a little nice lacing.

S: Malt shows up first, a bit grainy and biscuity, grassy herbal notes, faint citrus, and a hint of sweetness.

T: Floral, light citrus, lemon and hints of orange and grapefruit, grassy herbal notes, crisp slightly grainy pils malt slowly fades to a biscuity tone, and just a touch of honey sweetness.

M: On the lighter side of medium body, mildly lively moderate carbonation.

O: I can see why they call this a session ale. It sits somewhere between a pils and a blonde. Not normally the kinda beer I'd go for, but I'm actually warming to it more and more. Would hit the spot while sitting in an Adirondack chair looking out on the brewery's namesake.

Goes down really smooth. Great for sitting on the patio with family.

I am drinking a can of this beer whilst in Gardiner, Montana just outside the North Gate of Yellowstone. I came by this beer from a mixed 12pck that I bought in Jackson, Wyoming. It poured a pale golden with thin white ring head that is not leaving any lace. The scent had mild grain and citrus notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with semi sweet malt base with citrus and grain presence. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it is a great beer.

 

 

 

 

From a can, pours a pale yellow color, clear with a thin white head.

Smell is a musty grain aroma, no fruit scents.

Tastes a lot like is smell, long on grain and cereal flavor.

Feel is light and clean, but the flavor takes away from it.

Overall an average pale ale. There are much better.

Lighter session beer

 

since moving to idaho, i have seen a lot less grand teton beer than i hoped and expected to see, with them being one of the only idaho breweries i knew much about before moving here, but i really havent seen all that much of it, and its been this 208 ale more than anything else that i have encountered, finally time to dip in, fresh from the tap. it looks like a pale light lager, blonde and mostly clear, a short lived layer of white fizz in the pint glass, unremarkable visually, but some life to it. the smell is light and dry, some pils malt for sure, but thats not all, some wheat here maybe too, its tough to tell, but it has a soft cereal vibe and just a little bit of a hop kick there as well, balanced but minimal. the flavor is the same, delicate, with fresh crackery pils malt up front and a yeast strain i cant taste at all, so the grain really carries. hops are herbal and slight, just a bit of bitterness at the end which helps accentuate the dryness, it almost has the crispness of a lager. clean and fast finishing, easy drinking and really just a pounder of a yellow beer that pretty easily out competes any macro beer i can think of in its field. i could see this being a cool platform for new experimental hops in slightly higher dose than we have here, could make for a fun series, but as it stands, this is just a refreshing ripper from a great brewery. extra props if its all idaho ingredients, which i think it might be...

edit: this was no better, and frankly even more generic the second time around. i mean, i get it, but its just nothing more than a glass of beer. not all beers have it within them to inspire, but i felt less of that energy this time than last time, also somewhat heavier feeling than i acknowledged above. meh.

edit: freshness really matters with this one, there are some hops to it when you catch it right, and ice cold it can be both tasty and refreshing. not consistently found in its best form in my experience, but its flavorful for being so light at its freshest, perhaps i was a little too harsh above...

Bottled August 1st.

It pours a clear pale gold with a healthy head of foam, nice lacing.

Smells of pleasant grains, good level of hop bitterness, light sweetness that is somewhat fruity like.

Taste...grainy, light sweet notes of caramel, good little hop kick, as in some grass.

Medium bodied with the same for the carbonation.

Sessionable for sure.

6/29/18...pours semi-dark gold w/ white foam layer. Faint lager-y smell. Smooth straightforward malt flavor. Subtle carbonation. Mellow ale flavors. Gains, cereals, and the like. A little fruity perhaps. Easy drinker, nice start up.

 

 

Pours a hazy pale orange color with a thin white head that dissipated rather quickly. Plenty of carbonation. The smell is citrusy, floral and a hint of pine. Initial taste is mildly hoppy with a dry piney finish. Lacing is slim to none. The feel is a little heavy but not to bad. Reminds me of a typical pale ale but with less hops and more floral/sweetness. Overall this is a good solid brew, nothing over the top flavor wise but still a good, honest flavorful beer that I could enjoy anytime.