Smooth Hoperator
Koto Brewing Company

a slightly hazy pale ale here, a little easier drinking than all the imperials these guys are making right now, and a tasty beer overall. its also a little darker than is standard in the style, maybe a bit more crystal malt or something than is fashionable in these right now, and not a ton of head from the tap by the time it gets to where we are sitting. the aroma is nice, a northwestern type hop profile with grapefruit and pine in the fore, maybe some simcoe in the mix here, hard to identify with the fuller grain base, but its fresh and balanced and good, not overly complex, but it doesnt need to be, and its cleaner on the fermentation side than some of their others have been so far, i think a sign of learning and improvement in the brew house. i like my pale ale with a little pop of bitterness at the end, and this has that, but without sacrificing the juiciness of the dry hop, nicely done there. i still think this is in need of some refinement, a lot of the beers in here are, but its a good start and i suspect it will immediately be better when they make it again. still real new in here, hard to be too critical, the hop profile is solid and when this is cleaned up it will be a good pale.