West Coast Pale
Barbarian Brewing

not really what you think of when you think of west coast style hoppy beer, as this is hazy, and its also low on bitterness, even for a pale and not an ipa, so im not sure they named this very well, or even executed that objective if that was in fact it, but the beer itself, just taken as something light and unfiltered and hop driven, is decidedly excellent, lots of good new ones in here on our most recent visit. uniform haze in this, cloudier than just unfiltered to me but not unpolished or sloppy, soft and inviting, under an inch of creamy white head, high carbonation is evident too, and this looks light and good, nice to see a hazy type coming in so low alcohol too, very compatible with volume consumption, these have been slowly creeping stronger for years so this was a welcome bit of restraint. the hop profile is excellent and very fresh in both the aroma and the flavor, fruit forward hops, tangerine and clementine, white peach and dried apricot, marmalade, coconut, and just a little mid palate sweetness. its juicy and bright, the grain is out of the way, the ferment is clean, and this seems real dialed in, light coconut in the aroma as it warms, an almost ginger thing in the taste, light spiciness among all the hop fruitiness, id love to know what hops are at work here, its modern and distinctive without being all cloying and thiol driven and stuff, its clean and quick, just the right amount of pale malt in it, bright in feel and summery overall. its never really been their hoppy stuff that does it for me most, but this is excellent, even though its hazy and thus not really west coast, its delicious. recommended.