NYS Chinook Pale Ale
K2 Brothers Brewing

 

this is definitely one of the best beers these guys are making right now. its cool that it features both grain and hops from very close to the brewery, i had no idea these types of agricultural products were even being grown there, so there is some interesting terroir in this one. its clearly got some crystal malt in it, a light copper color, darker than american pale ale is trending for sure, but i really like the richer aroma and flavor of this grain. its unique, not just toasted and sweet, more earthy, a neat counterpoint to the oily and spicy chinook, and i think its different than other barley this color more commonly used, it has a ton of flavor, and is an awesome base for this. the hops have a cool almost candied character in nose and taste, like pine and donut glaze together, a little candied orange, and some vegetal intensity. they are nicely dosed though, not over the top, and in a pretty simple beer like this, they stand out to me as high quality, same as the malt. not much yeast character here, off dry, and in need of a little more pep from the carbonation, but this is a really tasty pale ale, a good example of whats possible with unique ingredients. one of my favorites from our visit here for sure!