Shart Pants: Another Tribute
Against The Grain Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IPA or Belgian Pale? Belgian Pale or IPA? Why not both?- and throw in the fortified taste and effect of imperial strength! It's exactly this frustration that make the brewers have to go... against the grain!

Copper-amber in color, the beer pours with a creamy froth to top the glass. Lightly cloudy, yet bright with an orange glow, the beer carries the honey hue of a pale ale. Its firm retention and fingerling lace speaks to both pales and Belgian ales.

A plethora of aromas share the stage- starting with thin caramel and then extending into the vibrant hop scent of citrus and tropical fruit. Then come ripe notes of melon and papaya followed by mild pepper, wood, and spicy alcohol notes.

Its firm taste is a collage of influences- mostly centered around the imperial IPA. Citrusy hops carry an inherent flavor of red grapefruit juice, tangerine, and orange zest. Backed by thin caramel maltiness, the fruit notes seem dripping and juicy with light sweetness. And then come the Belgian complexities of rounded melon-like fruit, pineapple, pear, and apple that press against mild white pepper, toasty oak tannin, and a spicy alcohol taste to finish. The beer goes in a lot of directions, all at once.

With all the refreshing and vibrant taste, it reasons that the ale's mouthfeel is medium and creamy. But with the dry malts, the carbonation releases early and ushers in a dry fruit taste in finish. Spicy alcohols give a warming sensation, just as the malts fall out- leaving the beer crisp, semi-dry, and with a long lingering hop bitterness and mild wood tannin.

In similar taste to Flying Dog's Ragin' Bitch but with Three Floyds Blackheart nuances, Shart Pants claims a sophisticated taste and texture that far exceeds its namesake.

 

Interesting beer. Much darker, and more hearty than most Belgian IPAs. More American IPA than Belgian ale, I would say. The Belgian tones are very minimal, but noticeable. It's a bit boozy, but only gives a slight burn and doesn't really kill the whole thing. This is oak aged? I can grab characteristics from that aspect of the process, but they are accents and not hijacking things or dominating things. Feel is quite syrup like. A nice beer, but very much a sipper. Definitely glad this was the solitary beer that I chose to get a growler of from ATG.

 

Oak aged Belgian Double IPA.

A: Pours copper with orangish-red hues. Moderate head on the pour with only a bit of retention, probably from the wood aging. Some spotty lacing.

S: Hops are mostly floral but with a bit of citrus as well, maybe from the fruity Belgian yeast. The yeast is pleasant and blends well with the hops and light oak aroma.

T/M: Bitterness level is nicely balanced, but still firm enough to be considered a DIPA. Some light candy like sweetness that isn't chewy or cloying. Plenty of hop flavor and yeasty esters. Oak isn't big and bold, but adds a slight sweetness and maybe some vanilla. Carbonation is medum to medium high and mouthfeel isn't too thick or chewy.

D: Pretty tasty beer and very unique. Very glad these guys are continuing with the experimental beers that first brought them to my attention.