South Side SMaSH
Town Square Brewing Co.

1L howler from this increasingly prolific new south-side Edmonchuk brewpub, on day 2 of Alberta Beer Week 2017, no less. Made with Azacca hops and local malt.

This beer pours a hazy, pale golden straw colour, with three fingers of puffy, loosely foamy, and bubbly bone-white head, which leaves some high-flying streaky cobweb lace around the glass as it lazily subsides.

It smells of gritty and grainy pale malt, further plain breakfast cereal notes, some earthy yeastiness, white wine must, faint tropical fruit, and some understated leafy, weedy, and musky floral green hop bitters. The taste is bready and doughy pale malt, some pineapple, guava, and mango exotic fruitiness, mild earthy flinty essences, ethereal phenolic yeast, and more too slow, down-low musty, herbal, and dead floral 'verdant' hoppiness.

The carbonation is adequate in its palate-supporting frothiness, the body a solid medium weight, and generally smooth, with a minor airy creaminess evolving as things warm up a bit around here. It finishes off-dry, the tropical fruit and robust malt making a day of it.

Overall - I'm really starting to appreciate this new brewery in my burg (and not just because they're a short drive away, even in ridiculously shitty Saturday shopping traffic). No, it's due to their friendly demeanor, and habit of trying trendy brewing techniques right out of the gate. Oh, and succeeding at it, that point can't be stressed enough!