Disco Panther
Lost Grove Brewing

i keep trying to like the beer these guys make, the original spot is still fun to hang out at, great outdoor area, always mellow, but the beer, man its just not keeping up. for one, there is so little innovation here, an odd robot series hazy which have been more or less samey anyway, and not much else, so the draw on the beer side is low, and the quality just really isnt there for me, the beer feels not quite amateurish but a little lazy, and increasingly so. this was arguably the best of the three i had in here on friday evening, a dry hoppy hazy pale with both more haze and apparent hop intensity than their actual hazy ipa, but something is a little weird on the back end, past fruity hops, past thiols and esters that could be hop derived, into the almost phenolic range, especially as it warms, just out of place in a beer like this, and its a tad soupy feeling to me, dense for a pale in a way that i found a little bit limiting, despite the sunny yellow pale color it pours with, nice inch of airy white head on it too, good carbonation and all, but i couldnt drink it all night. not sure what hops are at work here, but it hits with cantaloupe, mango, and sweet orange notes, all on the back end, more flavorful than aromatic, pleasant most of the way and then a touch soapy at peak, and with some starch from the grain, could be some unmalted wheat in here doing that. its robust for a pale, still a pint beer, and fresh to me, but the attention to detail seems middling and there are so many better local options for beer like this now that it seems like somewhat of a wakeup call is needed, this is a step behind, and its among their better options outside of the same old stuff they always have. you want your small time breweries to be great where you live, but times are changing and these guys have not stayed on the beat. i say that more about the brand overall than about this particular pale ale, which takes a decent run at modernity and its dry hoppy and fruity and distinctive stuff, dont get me wrong, its just not where it could be...