Cream Ale From May #2

Here we go:

Head is steady and very white. It’s not thick, but it keeps the layer of foam on the beer throughout.

It’s got nice malt nose, too; not strong enough to be called grainy or bready but notable.

The flavors are excellent, to me; the malt is there and the bitterness on the finish isn’t intense at all. The carbonation really picks up the slack when it comes to clearing the palate.

It’s nice to know I can get beers like this made; no, it isn’t perfectly clear but it’s still bright and, as the kids might say ‘crushable’. I think one could easily put away a few of these at a time easily.

Brew date: 5.25.20

Steeping grains
7 lb 2 row
1 lb 15L Cara malt

Fermentables: 3 lb ExLME
Hops
1.5 oz Fuggle .5 oz Cluster @60
.5 cluster, .5 Fuggle @5

Yeast: Imperial House

OG: 1.06

FG: 1.018

Bottled 5.31

ABV: 5.7%

Second Serving

So, after that last cream ale, I thought I’d try it again, but without the crazy alcohol.

The nose…isn’t bad but there’s something suggesting that I’m off a little. A very subtle hint of something sour. Maybe like bread yeast but definitely not appropriate to style.

That same flavor comes in at the very finish of the beer, a late guest to a party that just ended.

It’s a bummer, because I really tried to get this one right, after such a simple mistake.

Because it’s fairly clear, and pretty crisp. The malt does appear but it’s not overwhelming by any means and the ABV is far, far closer to what it should be, as opposed to my last effort.

However, it doesn’t quite finish clean and that throws it off. It’s not undrinkable. but I’d have difficulty promoting it to someone else.

Brew date: 8/4/19

Steeping grains
5 lb Ballad Munich
3 lb Vienna

Fermentables: 3 lb ExLME

Added .5 tsp Gypsum

Hops
1 oz UK Fuggle @60
2 oz Mt Hood @5

Added .5tsp Peated Moss at flameout for clairity

Yeast: Imperial’s Pub yeast

OG: 1.058

FG: 1.014

Secondary: 8/15

Bottled: 8/17

ABV: 6%

Common Ales: Pelican Kiwanda Cream Ale

So let’s talk about what a Cream Ale is first because maybe you, like me, don’t know what one is and as such, may have been expecting a beer with a creamier mouthfeel to it. That’s not what it is: cream ales came into vogue (if my casual internet research is true) in America as a way to compete with lagers. During the Prohibition era, Canadian breweries helped refine the style and today we have what is essentially an attempt to get lighter beer using an ale yeast to taste like a lager.

That is: cream ales are meant to be light, refreshing and mimic the characteristics of lagers as much as possible.

So, now that we know what this is, the question is; should you get it?

It’s hard for me to appreciate cream ales. There’s just the obvious question: why not just get a lager? Without a side by side comparison, I’m hard pressed to make a distinction between the two styles. Still, that’s my problem not yours.

Here’s what I think: Pelican’s cream ale does what it sets out to do. It’s a drinkable, thirst quenching ale that doesn’t have a lot of corn-like sweetness to it that I have found in many lagers. It finishes pleasantly dry and the overall crispness of the beer makes it a good one for pretty much any pub food I can think of.

It also might be an excellent beer to start someone into the craft beer scene. If all they’ve had is macro lagers, this is a low-risk, medium-reward ale. That is: while the style may seem odd and the brewery unfamiliar, the beer tastes familiar and shouldn’t turn someone off from the style. It may even encourage people to keep trying different things and it’s priced reasonably.

I’d have another.

More outings

I’ve had the luck to experience both Coalition Brewing and the Beaker and Flask in the past few weeks (blaming/thanking friends for pulling me out.) Brief impressions are as follows:

Beaker and Flask is more a cocktail place than an beer joint. The cocktails are wonderful though-the sips I had off of other drinks were very, very tasty. I settled for a brown ale-by whom I sadly don’t recall- and a Hale’s fresh hop ale, both of which were served well and I’d consider having another. The food was well prepared-spicy but not hot, flavorful but not overwhelming-and the service was very good.

It’s spendy though. Not saying it isn’t worth it, just know you’re opening the wallet when you go.

Coalition on the other hand was a bit more reasonable and is a beer joint. Which I suppose anyone paying attention doesn’t need me to tell them. The food wasn’t bad but didn’t stand out either, although my companions seemed to enjoy their meal more than I did mine. However, the Wu C.R.E.A.M. was very good and I really, really dug the name, my co-diners liked the Maple Porter and I liked Bump’s Bitter ESB-however I wasn’t able to give it my full attention.

I’m looking forward to going back and giving it some.