Laura Palmer
Colony Handcrafted Ales

only loosely a pale ale, this is a basic brew to start with, but it has some heavy handed black tea happening that gives it an almost coffee vibe, not quite roasty but earthy and hearty and dense. summery only because its dry, it has plenty of body and a lot of extras from the tea, including a toasted bitterness, a floral backing, and some interesting herbaceous properties that suggest the far east. some hoppiness too is unexpected, and all this body seems strange in a beer designed for summer, but there is the right amount of bitter at the end and a nice honey sort of pale barley character all the way through to give it balance and depth at the same time. i like how this is refreshing on its own, and i like it better than either the lemonade one or the blend, this is the one i would go back to, but its a cool idea for a little series of beers and i think they have executed it extremely well. these guys are obviously having some serious fun, and i am a fan! what a trip these are, in isolation and together...