Big Pep
The Martlet Brewery and Public House

my first from these guys, who took over another operation in pocatello, and its very good, a style a love and we dont see much any more in these parts, very well done, quite a strong first impression, and i think my favorite of their beers i tried recently. near black in the glass but deep brown edges in afternoon sunlight, solid inch of just khaki head on top from the tap, nicely refined looking pour. this is immediately robust in the nose, seriously bold on the roast, bitter and earthy and ashy and dark as can be right away, light cocoa nuance, heavy dark espresso, and more roast than hops really, but i get some pine and some spiciness from them, less fruity which i think makes sense in this style, woodsy, wintery, pretty bitter too, but well balanced. tons of flavor here too, roast runs in front of the hops but the hops are oily and fresh and as bold as they are too, they do serve to lighten this some i reckon, certainly bring it back to pint beer drinkability range, bitter on the swallow but this isnt super dry so the linger is awesome. all very fresh, light smoke and even a driftwood quality to it where it has neat minerality and organic character, lighter middle malts are evident too, caramel, honey, cola, and a decent bit of body on this too, hearty but with good carbonation to keep it flowing. impressive execution on this one, a solid example of the style that really hit for me. curious how this place does, wishing them luck with this endeavor!