Pils To Pay The Bills
Cooperage Brewing Company

Honest in their intent with this beer, Cooperage should not be criticized for playing in the middle of the field.
Pretty enough Looks. Bubbly. Smells average, giving me mostly citrus with a malt backbone. Tastes bitter to my buds, more than I like in a pils. Bubbly Feel cleans the palate, but also coats it. This Pils would be a bad choice for lunch and, certainly, dinner. One and done.

My first from Cooperage, a brewery of only four years. Clearly the creation of one man and his wife, the passion is there. And I'd like to try their belgian-inspired collection. (But, I hope they go easier on the hops.)

Every brewer wants to make award caliber beer beer for a living, but the truth is that a much more meager, simpler and no-frills beer is what's needed to maximize yields, meet the masses and that can be found crushable. This is what pays the bills for Cooperage and Central Coast brewers.

Pale gold and cast in a mild haze, the racy beer teems with carbonation to fuel a loose but frothy white head. A citrusy tone strikes the senses as the uniqueness of Citra hops greet the nose ahead of a scent of fresh grains, grassiness and a waft of mild sulfur. A gentle and bready sweetness splashes the tongue with hints of honey and wafer.

Racing toward a crisp and refreshing finish, the beer first hits the middle palate with a lesser sweetness and a growing hop flavor. Oranges, verbena and chive create a spicy, herbal and fruity melange on the tongue as the abundance of carbonation carries away the sweetness and a firmly bitter finish comes quick.

Medium light on the palate, the bold bubbles lighten the taste and texture while highlighting the hop spice and the mild grain astringencies. Those mild sulfur flavors persist in a medium short aftertaste of citronella and raw grain.