Luna
Homage Brewing

Straight pour from a 32oz crowler to a flared pilsner glass—AZ Wilderness’ Wilderpils glass. This was filled two days ago at the brewery, after which it went straight into my fridge.

Appearance (4.5): This pours three fingers of creamy, ivory-colored foam capping a clear, light golden-colored body. The head dies down at a leisurely place, leaving a rocky cap where the bubbles have languidly given way and a delicate patchwork of wide, thin splotches of foam linking the cap to a vestigial collar of lace. It looks beautiful.

Smell (4.25): In contrast to your typical Belgian pale, this leans into a pair of minerally, citrusy notes marked by red grapefruit pith, European mineral water (like Gerolsteiner or San Pellegrino), and pinot grigio. Softer notes of sweet orange (hi Citra!), pain de campagne crust, and those plain, crisp breadsticks at a cheap Italian restaurant. Basically, there’s a young brett (brux?) component that took your typical BPA and dried it out, then was dry-hopped.

Taste (4.5): Following the nose, the beer really leans into two components: mineral, and citrus. I think it’s the bitter red grapefruit pith that kicks in the door, creating a bright, not-too-harsh bitterness that starts with that clean, strident citrus flavor (probably half Citra, half Galaxy) before morphing into a minerally, tastefully phenolic brett character. It’s outstanding in the way you can identify both the hops and the yeast individually, even though they can’t be separated. Underneath it, the beer’s light, slightly starchy grain body adds depth and gives the phenolic, hoppy bitterness something to cling to: crispy breadsticks, common crackers, white boule, and stale baking soda biscuit crust. The bitterness that establishes itself early devolves into a fresh-cut grass flavor (that’s gotta be the Galaxy), followed by gently spicy, prominently mineral tones that linger for a minute or two before fading away slowly. This is delightfully complex.

Mouthfeel (4.5): This comes in with a slightly light- side of medium-weight body with a crisp, bright feel, serving hops and phenols to you on a slightly bready platter. The body feels swishy and quenching, aided by an even, balanced spread of lightly prickly carbonation, covering all surfaces before foaming up moderately and washing out. It leaves a dry impression, allowing the hops and mineral feel to sweep clean the palate, but the soft, quenching body keeps it deeply satisfying.

Overall (4.5): Most BPAs I’ve had lean into non-funky yeast-driven flavor profiles, which I generally adore when done well, typically projecting pear, apricot, warm country bread and biscuits, with white pepper, coriander, and some other spices, along with a grassy, noble-type hop component. This tastes more like a young Orval dry-hopped with Galxy and Citra. Which is to say, this is definitely a Belgian Pale Ale, but tastes a world apart from what you normally get from your run of the mill BPA. What’s presented here is complex, crushable, and satisfying. I hope they can this sucker, because it is delicious. Highly recommended.