Westbound Train
Brick West Brewing Co.

Don't remember anything about this beer other than the rating I gave it. May have gotten from Amazing Beer Clubs a couple of years ago, or maybe TW&M.

Guest tap at Laht Neppur. Mildly hazy golden pour with a small creamy off-white head. Fruity aroma, citrus, stone fruit. Nice mellow bittterness in the taste with more of the fruity profile.

flavorful for a pale ale, and quite modern overall, well made, and definitely a reliable everyday type of beer, but i think it lacks both the lightness and the intrigue to really perfectly do it for me, but its an well made beer without a doubt, nice to see these guys settling in. i think its just a little too hazy, dense to look at despite a low glow and a high white head from the tap, and just more body than it needs, not so heavy, but not as clean as i want my pale ale to be, even my hazy pale. I do like the hop profile though, both in aroma and flavor, citra and idaho 7, lots of lemon, tangerine, lemongrass, and juicy peach, none of the onion character i sometimes get from the idaho 7, and some actual bitterness in the second half, which i like. there is a nice softness to this, and the hops arent so bold they cling to the palate like a big hazy ipa, all oily and intensified, this is mellower than that, but it still does the heavy dry hopped pungency thing and there is lovely freshness to this. light nuttiness to the malt but at least it isnt sweet at all. i wish the body was a little lighter and the texture was cleaned up a little better overall, i wanted this to be refreshing with fried spicy food, but it kind of filled me up a little fast, even though the carbonation is good. nicely made, not generic on the hops side, and not afraid to bring a little bitterness to the table, nice contemporary pale ale overall here.

Poured from a can, pale gold color with a foamy white head. Fruity aroma. Tastes is malty up front with some mild citrus flavors and a mild bitterness. A very drinkable pale ale.

 

32oz crowler purchased at the brewery, along with another of the same for Macmalt. Filled on March 20.

Poured into an Evil Czech mug (thanks again, ovaltine), this was a great looking pale ale. Golden amber color with great clarity, and a big, fluffy off-white head. Lots of lace.

Very hop forward nose. Citrusy, fruity and juicy. Decent, bready malt backbone as well, but it's the hops' show.

Juicy hop flavor leads the parade to the taste buds. A bit grapefruity and piney up front, like an old school west coast pale ale, and a little more sweet and melon-like in the aftertaste. Finishes rather crisply.

Medium bodied, and moderately oily mouthfeel.

Really nice pale ale. If brewed 20 years ago, I'd imagine it would've been called an IPA. Whatever you call it, it's delicious, and I could drink several in a row quite happily, with the happiness of knowing BrickWest is not too far from my domicile in terms of walking.

Received from @woemad in a BIF. Poured from crowler dated 3/20/2020 into a Spiegelau IPA glass. It pours a hazy, honey-amber color with two fingers of fluffy, bright white head and a creamy film of soapy lacing. On the nose is lemon, tangerine, honeydew melon, and bready malt. The taste opens with tart lemon peel, lime, and grapefruit but as the glass warms there is the increasing sweetness of tangerine and melon. The solid malt backbone reminds me of a lite version of a West Coast IPA. It's earthy and floral with mild bitterness from the Idaho 7 and Citra hops, and It has fairly high level of acidity. This ale is crisp and lite with lively carbonation, and at 5.1% ABV it drinks incredibly easily. This crowler disappeared faster than I could have imagined. Overall, Westbound Train is a very well-crafted and enjoyable American Pale Ale. It would pair well with a burger, cheese steak or deli sandwich or for casual drinking and would be perfect at a picnic or any other warm weather event. Thank you, @woemad for the chance to enjoy it!