Centennial Trail
Vantage Point Brewing Company

taster flight at Vantage Point. Golden pour with a small, frothy white head. Happy aroma, mild bitterness. Taste comes in with the standard NW APA feel, hoppy, bitter, piney.

it definitely caused a little confusion when their pale ale came to the table clearer than their helles lager that my homie ordered, certainly didnt expect that, and its more a knock on the lager than anything, i dont mind a light yellow and clear and refined pale like this, in fact, i thought this was pretty expert, especially for how new these guys are, modern pale ale without being hazy, impressive! its real simple stuff, but thats part of the appeal i reckon in the era of all hoppy beer being over engineered. seriously looks like a pils in the glass, crystal clear and sparkling under more than an inch of puffy snow white head, nice retention, ring lacing, lovely presentation! the nose on this is clean, hops way out in front but still somewhat tempered, northwestern all the way to me although im not sure what i smell, maybe citra, maybe simcoe, maybe centennial, its slightly woodsy, subtle grapefruit and lemon rind, and oily too, but nothing green, nothing forced, nothing harsh, the grain is crackery and light, maybe slightly european, all very fresh and well proportioned. the flavor is clean and nice too, more citrus up front, slightly weedy in the middle, only middle of the road bitterness later on, love the balance here with the light malt, its got body which is neat because it keeps this from being too light or from drinking like a hoppy blonde, but the grain has distinctive earthiness that plays great with the hops, and the yeast is totally out of the way. the finish is dry, fast, and refreshing, but this isnt a total pounder either. there is a slightly filling in the belly feel to this, and some oily hop heft adding weight too. this is an impressive beer overall, especially for what must be a batch one of it, they literally just opened. if this is a sign of things to come, these guys are going to kill it. awesome space too, a great addition to the scene up there!