Coast Millenium Pale Ale

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Clear amber beer with great head (again). Citrus aroma of the hops competes with the biscuity malt. This malt flavor is excellent. The hops taste fresh and juicy, but the beer is relatively light on bitterness. Great balance and one of the best pale ales I’ve ever had although the citrusy nature of the hop profile makes it not-so-English.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

First off, am I off-base in thinking that a brewpub making a Pale Ale "only once a Millennium!" to be a bit odd and/or humorous? After all, the style is the flagship beer of so many other brewpubs in North America, that it's something of the de facto standard. But then again, this is basically the only brewpub on the Gulf Coast between Louisiana and the Florida panhandle, so I guess some things have to be taken with a grain of salt here. And to be fair, the beer menu did say that this beer as been so popular that it is now a year-long offering.

And I can see why. Interesting. Very interesting, in fact. This is much more British than American, in aroma and (especially) taste. Beer write-up mentioned using Burton yeast and Burton-style (i.e. hard) water, which gives this beer quite a bit of character. Could use a bit more umph in the aroma, but otherwise quite workable.

Not award winning, mind you, but still an interesting first taste of what the Coast Brewing Company has to offer.
//TB