Easy Does It
Situation Brewing

 

1L howler from the brewpub, which, based on the description from the otherwise earnest millennial barkeep, pegs this as a Czech Pilsner, though one fermented at warmer temperatures, and explains said barman's insistence that this is really a cream ale - we shall see.

This beer pours a slightly hazy, medium golden yellow colour, with a handful of puffy, finely foamy, and somewhat creamy bone-white head, which leaves some layered volcanic ejecta lace around the glass as it quickly abates.

It smells of crackery and biscuity pale malt, some middling earthy yeast, a touch of Continental gasohol, white and black pepper dust, and prominent leafy, grassy, and spicy floral hop bitters. The taste is bready and doughy pale malt, wet saltine crackers, hovering, if tame yeasty notes, some lemon and lime citrus flesh, ephemeral petrol esters, a more subtle mixed peppercorn spiciness, and some consistently edgy wet grassy, herbal, and spicy noble hoppiness.

The carbonation is pleasant enough in its actively engaging frothiness, the body a solid middleweight, and generally smooth, with a growing airy creaminess as this thing further warms. It finishes off-dry, the lingering biscuity graininess a welcome trait, along with some zingy table-top pepper, and a still plain as the day is long pale orchard citrus fruitiness.

Overall, this strangely ambivalent YEG brewery seems to once again nail a particular style better than the imports that one would assume to be better able to do the job, and yet, can't find the time to inform their front-line employees, as such. 'Cream Ale', my ass, this is nothing less than the best iteration of the style that I've had in a long spell - too bad that the burgeoning beer geeks of this burg will have trouble finding out about it.