Schlafly / The Saint Louis Brewery Pale Ale
What the brewers say
“Our pale ale is a smooth, balanced, copper-colored session beer with mildly spiced flavor and aroma from the East Kent Goldings hops. The bready, lightly caramel malt complements the hint of fruitiness contributed by the London Ale yeast.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “A slight sourdough bread note up front, with mild floral, herbal, and spicy hops character underneath. Malt is reminiscent of graham crackers, toasted, with Bit-o-Honey candy sweet notes.”
Flavor: “This beer definitely leans more toward the malt than the hops. Interesting malt notes— bread crust, graham cracker, and some biscuit. A little thin for style. Hops flavors of citrus and orange are almost absent with just enough bitterness to provide some balance. Tart notes in the mid-palate, plus an interesting mineral note that provides a bit of needed complexity. Crisp and carbonic with a dry finish.”
Overall: “Enjoyable, although the malt needs definition to shine through. Hops character plays a supporting role—this is more of an English bitter or even a slightly more flavorful mild than an EPA. Good balance of malt sweetness and hops character that did not seem to get in the way of each other. Excellent example of an EPA—very enjoyable with an appropriate level of bitterness.”
