Champagne Hoppi
Western Collective

Draft at Brewery. Bright golden pour, small foamy head. Aroma and taste feature citrus, oranges, the only sign of the champagne yeast is a light dryness, orange peel, zest finish , this is really tasty.

their take on a brut, and another hoppy one here thats chock full of potential but just not quite all the way there in terms of execution. really light in color, looks like a pilsener in the glass, and has nice clarity too, i like this style looking glassy and refined, and it certainly does here. the grain seems simple and light, maybe no more than pale two row barley, and i think that makes sense in the style, lets the hops dominate, and allows a cleanness that matters so much here. i like the hop profile as well, northwestern, grapefruity, woodsy, fresh as heck, really pretty well proportioned and without the vegetal greenness i got in their haze light. the fermentation is the part thats a bit off for me, its estery and almost vinous, ind of oddly saison-esque, belgian or something, not what i would expect in the style and kind of distracting from, even clashing with, the hops. seems odd, like either a technical error or just a bad ingredient choice, im leaning toward the former. its fine when the beer is cold, but as soon as it warms up a little it really comes out. its close though, close to a great brut ipa, but it needs that last step of refinement and professionalism to make it right, until then its just another forgettable stab at one of these from a trendy upstart brewery...