As I mentioned in my last post, my friend Joe is passing through town, on his way home to St. Louis from Chicago. He wanted to meet at Destihl to try a few of their beers, and have some dinner. I started out with their St. Dekkera Reserve Bela Imperial Pilsner, so I was looking for something a bit lighter and drinkable than the sour I’d just had. This beer fit the bill and I thought it would be a nice pairing for my bison burger.
Location: On tap and poured into a large, tulip-shaped glass at Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works in Normal, Illinois.
Numbers: 5.2% ABV, 45 IBUs, 7 SRM, ~ 147 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It was copper colored and very clear with a thick soapy-foamy head that left some very nice lacing on the glass. The aroma was lightly breadywith hints of caramel, along with a grassy-piney hop smell.
Taste & Feel: The body was light-medium and the mouthfeel was a bit creamy from the foamy head. The flavors up front were light bready and caramel maltiness, and a light piney-earthy hop bitterness kicked in a bit during the middle. The earthy hop bitterness kicked up a bit more in the finish and lasted a for a couple minutes in the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: We had this beer with Destihl’s beer battered asparagus, and I can’t think of a better pairing. The breadiness of the beer battered crust on the asparagus went nicely with the light bready caramel maltiness of the beer, and the piney-earthy hop bittereness went right along with the flavor of the asparagus. The sauce covering the asparagus also helped to bring out the caramel flavors in the beer even more.
Overall Impression: It’s been a while since I’ve had this beer, and I didn’t remember being very impressed with it. Upon giving it another shot, I can say that it was better than I remember it. It’s got a decent malt back bone with some bready and light caramel flavors. The hop bitterness might be a little bit too much for the style, but it wasn’t overpowering. Overall, it was a good, middle of the road pale ale.
My Rating: 
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