Pegasus City Brewery’s Cannoneer Is The Sleeper Beer With A Malty Caramel Taste And Delightful Aroma That You Shouldn’t Overlook.

Welcome to On Tap! Each week in this recurring feature, we’ll take an in-depth look at one of the many beers now available in the suddenly crowded North Texas brew scene. The goal here is to look at these area beers without our local goggles on and to wonder aloud, “Is this beer good or do I just like it because it’s local?” Should be a fun experiment, no? Cheers to that!

This week, we sipped on Pegasus City Brewery’s Cannoneer.

Fast Facts on Pegasus City Brewery Cannoneer.

Style: American Amber Ale.

ABV: 7.2 percent.

International Bitterness Units (IBUs): 29.

Color: Red/Amber.

Availability: Kegs.

Overview.

A while back, we covered Nine Volt, a Belgian Tripel offering from Pegasus City Brewery that did not disappoint. And now it’s time to take another spin with Pegasus City Brewery. So far, I’m impressed with the quality coming from this brewery. I tried all of its available beers one night while visiting Pegasus’ Tiny Tap (their words) a few months ago. And praise be: we are starting to see Pegasus City Brewing beers in more bars in Dallas. And that’s very much a good thing.

Background on American Amber Ale.

The American Amber Ale is an oft-overlooked style in the modern drinker’s palate. However, that’s not to say that this style isn’t enjoyable. This style is an everyday drinker sort of style, and it showcases medium to high hop flavor. Some representations of this style lean toward the citrus side, but this trait isn’t the norm. Malt flavors are moderate to high, but neither the malt nor the hop traits should outpace one another. Caramel notes are common and can linger into the medium to full-bodied finish. Some beers in this style started as pale ales, and then headed over in the red territory, taking on a more generic red ale catch-all sense. For me, this is a great style to drink when I’m not in the mood for any specific style in particular, rather, I want a beer that will check a lot of the required boxes of color, hops, malt, crispness and finish.

Appearance.

Cannoneer pours a deep amber, reddish color in to the glass. Foam is noticeable, and it hangs around for a bit. The foam situation isn’t what I want to focus on here, though. It’s the brilliant clarity and beautiful color of this beer that appear most appetizing to me.

Aroma.

I get a smooth, subtle caramel aroma on Cannoneer. Along with the sweet malt notes, I get a large amount of bitter hop aroma. The hop aroma on this beer is more about balance with this beer compared to a bright, floral situation that’s imminently noticeable on a style like an IPA. I would guess that while this beer has a pronounced bitterness in the flavor, the hops used in this beer are all in the boil with no dry hopping for the aroma portion.

Flavor.

The caramel notes I perceive on the nose are a bit less pronounced in the flavor; behind the caramel I sense a small amount of rich, dark malt. It seems that this is the place where the bitterness of the hops really shine through and provide balance to the malt backbone. Along with the malt sweetness, I get a tiny bit of something like currants or dark, dried fruit too. All in all, the flavor profile of this beer is clean and crisp. There’s not a ton of stuff that stands out here and that’s kind of the point with this beer style.

Mouthfeel.

Cannoneer drinks crisp and clean. Carbonation is medium and remains through the pour. While this beer is malt-forward, and slightly elevated above the normal ABV range for this style, the finish leaves very little residual sugar. Hop bitterness and caramel notes linger long after the swallow.

Overall Impression.

In what seems like an endless storm of showy, short-run flavor bombs, Cannoneer remains true in its aim to provide a down-to-earth, enjoyable drinking experience. Some of those wackier beers out there might bring a surge of sales because — well, people like weird and new shit. But that same novelty may not give a beer any sort of long-range trajectory. Cannoneer is a clean beer, and though it’s slightly elevated ABV pushes this beer out of style a tad, it’s not a deal-breaker for me. This beer is a multiple-drinker for me, and it’s a sleeper. The ABV hides behind the malt and hop presence, so it’s likely that I could be 3 or 4 beers in before it hit me. This beer represents another solid offering from a new brewery that seems to have its game very much dialed in at this point. So, keep it up, Pegasus. You’re on the right path.

Score. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give Pegasus City Brewery Cannoneer a 8.

Previous On Tap Reviews:

• Revolver’s Sangre y Miel: 10.

• Peticolas’ Royal Scandal: 10.

• Community’s Mosaic IPA: 10.

• Peticolas’ Velvet Hammer: 10.

• Collective Brewing Project’s Boysenbarrel: 10.

• Community’s Barrel-Aged Legion: 10.

• Community’s Legion: 10.

• Martin House River Horse: 9.75.

• BrainDead’s Fill in the Blancs: 9.5.

• Oak Highlands’ Freaky Deaky: 9.5.

• Deep Ellum’s Barrel Aged Four Swords: 9.5.

• Lakewood’s Saint Dymphna: 9.5.

• Peticolas’ Lost Epic: 9.5.

• Community’s Ascension Porter: 9.5.

• Lakewood’s Temptress: 9.5.

• Lakewood’s Goatman: 9.5.

• Community’s Public Ale: 9.5.

• Peticolas’ Thrilla in Brazilla: 9.5.

• Collective Brewing Project’s SMaSHY: 9.2

• On Rotation’s Lingonberry Sahti: 9.25.

• On Rotation’s Jalapeno Saison: 9.

• Woodcreek’s Bourbon Barrel Bock: 9.

• Lakewood’s Wild Manimal: 9.

• Revolver’s Blood & Honey: 9.

• Martin House’s Imperial Texan: 9.

• Community’s Trinity Tripel: 9.

• Peticolas’ Irish Goodbye: 9.

• Four Corners’ Block Party Porter: 9.

• Bankhead Brewing Co.’s Giggle Water: 9.

• Cedar Creek’s Belgian Dubbel: 9.

• Cedar Creek’s Poblano Paradise: 8.75.

• Small Brewpub’s Black Pepper Pils: 8.5.

• Peticolas’ Ghost Of Alfred Brown: 8.5.

• Deep Ellum’s Easy Peasy IPA: 8.5.

• Deep Ellum’s Oak Cliff Coffee Ale: 8.5.

• Lakewood’s Rock Ryder: 8.5.

• Rahr’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Winter Warmer: 8.5.

• Lakewood’s Raspberry Temptress: 8.5.

• Peticolas’ Prime Minister: 8.25.

• Lakewood’s Peach Artsy Tarsty: 8.25.

• Lakewood Brewing Grand Allowance: 8.

• Armadillo Ale Works’ Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale: 8.

• Community’s Texas Helles: 8.

• On Rotation’s Moar Blackberry: 8.

• Lakewood’s Thread Spinner: 8.

• Bishop Cider Co.’s Sour Cherry: 8.

• Texas Ale Project 50 Ft. Jackrabbit: 8.

• Pegasus City Brewing’ Nine Volt: 8.

• Texas Ale Project’s Payne Pils: 8.

• Noble Rey’s Bridesmaid’s Tears: 8.

• Collective Brewing’s Urban Funk House: 8.

• Pegasus City Brewery’s Cannoneer: 8.

• Lakewood’s On Call: 8.

• Oak Highlands’ Golden Mustache: 8.

• 903 Brewers’ Crackin’ Up: 8.

• Deep Ellum’s Play Date: 8.

• Rahr & Sons Brewing Company’s 11th Anniversary Russian Imperial Stout: 8.

• Bitter Sisters’ Belgian Tripel: 8.

• Noble Rey’s SteamPunk: 8.

• 903 Brewers’ Citra On Top: 8.

• Bitter Sisters’ Hissy Fit: 8.

• BrainDead’s Gritz: 8.

• Community’s Barrel-Aged Inspiration : 8.

• Cedar Creek’s Fisticuffs: 8.

• Lakewood’s Punkel: 8.

• Four Corners’ El Chingon IPA: 8.

• Martin House’s Day Break: 8.

• Deep Ellum’s GOURDzilla: 8.

• Peticolas’ The Duke (Aged 12 Months): 8.

• Deep Ellum’s Pale Ale: 8.

• Revolver’s Bock: 8.

• 903 Brewers’ Sasquatch: 8.

• Peticolas’ Wintervention: 8.

• Armadillo Ale Works’ Brunch Money: 8.

• Martin House’s Salsa Verde: 8.

• Cedar Creek’s Spinning Mule Robust Porter: 8.

• Lakewood’s Holiday Bonus: 8.

• Lakewood’s Hop Trapp: 8.

• Four Corners Brewing Company Homie Brew: 7.75.

• Cedar Creek’s Grapefruit Haze: 7.75.

• Martin House Brewing’s Big Hoppa: 7.75.

• TUPPS Full Grown Man: 7.75.

• 3 Nations American Wit: 7.75.

• Armadillo Ale Works’ Dapper Apple: 7.75.

• Chimera Dirty Dog: 7.5.

• Legal Draft’s Accused Amber Lager: 7.5.

• Grapevine’s Reserve Tart Cherry Berliner Weisse: 7.5.

• Martin House’s Stars Above: 7.5.

• Grapevine’s Prickly Pear Wheat Ale: 7.5.

• Texas Ale Project’s Good To Go: 7.5.

• Bitter Sisters’ Knock Out: 7.5.

• Four Corners’ Notorious O.A.T.: 7.5.

• Noble Rey Golden Rey With Raspberries and Ginger: 7.5.

• On Rotation Saved By The Belma: 7.5.

• True Vine’s Unicorn’s Revenge: 7.5.

• Deep Ellum’s Hop Seeker: 7.5.

• Four Corners’ El Super Bee: 7.5.

• Lakewood’s Hopochondria: 7.5.

• Three Nations GPA: 7.5.

• Martin House’s Rubberneck Red: 7.5.

• Lakewood’s Antigoon’s Revenge: 7.5.

• Community’s Texas Pils: 7.5.

• Lakewood’s Zomer Pils: 7.5.

• Cedar Creek’s Dankosaurus: 7.5.

• Cedar Creek Brewery Clover Kicker: 7.25.

• Noble Rey Sex In A Canoe: 7.25.

• Oak Highlands Brewery’s Oktoberfest.: 7.25.

• Deep Ellum Rye Pils: 7.

• 3 Nations Mango SMASH IPA: 7.

• Legal Draft Chief Justice Stout: 7.

• Manhattan Project’s Plutonium-239: 7.

• Backcountry’s Texas IPA: 7.

• Backcountry’s Double IPA: 7.

• Wild Acre Brewing Company’s Billy Jenkins: 7.

• Rahr’s Visionary: 7.

• Shannon Brewing’s Irish Cream Ale: 7.

• Oak Highlands’ Guava Good: 7.

• TUPPS Brewery’ Northbound 75: 7.

• Rahr & Sons’ Iron Joe: 7.

• BrainDead’s I Like Harvey IPA: 7.

• Martin House’s Turtle Power: 7.

• Collective’s Petite Golden Sour: 7.

• Shannon’s Chocolate Stout: 7.

• BrainDead’s Red Ale: 7.

• Community’s Razzy Raspberry Witbier: 7.

• Martin House’s Gateway Blonde Ale: 7.

• Bearded Eel’s Purple Unicorn: 7.

• Noble Rey’s Off The Leash: 7.

• Shannon Brewing Company’s Irish Red: 7.

• Texas Ale Project’s Somethin’ Shady: 7.

• Deep Ellum IPA: 7.

• Cedar Creek’s The Lawn Ranger: 7.

• Martin House Brewing Company’s Cellarman’s Reserve IPA (Amarillo).: 7.

• Lakewood’s Till & Toil: 7.

• 903 Brewers’ The Chosen One: 7.

• 903 Brewers’ Sugar On Top: 7.

• Martin House’s Gateway XPA: 7.

• Armadillo Ale Work’s Quakertown Stout: 7.

• Revolver’s High Brass: 7.

• Community’s Pale Ale: 7.

• Oak Highlands’ Chump Change: 7.

• Martin House’s River House: 7.

• Grapevine Craft Brewery’s Sir William’s Brown Ale: 7.

• Community’s Funnel Cake Ale: 7.

• Audacity’s Boss Raptor IPA: 7.

• Community Brewing Company’s Silly Gose: 6.75

• Martin House’s Queen of the Mist (Prickly Pear): 6.75.

• Three Nations Texas Xmas Hazelnut Ale: 6.5.

• Martin House’s The Juice: 6.5.

• Collective Brewing Project’s Mom Azacca: 6.5.

• Four Corners’ La Lechuza: 6.5.

• Revolver’s Ironhead IPA: 6.5.

• 903 Brewers’ Trot Line: 6.5.

• Four Corners’ Celebración: 6.5.

• Peticolas’ Operation Collaboration: 6.5.

• Grapevine Craft Brewery’s Nightwatch: 6.5.

• Peticolas’ The Duke: 6.5.

• Deep Ellum’s Double Brown Stout : 6.5.

• Cedar Creek’s Maui Wowie: 6.25.

• On Rotation’s Mexican Barleywine: 6.25.

• Wild Acre’s Tarantula Hawk: 6.

• Martin House’s Kafkaesque: 6.

• TUPPS’ Cotton Mill Gold: 6.

• Rabbit Hole’s Tweedleyum: 6.

• Rabbit Hole’s Off With Your Red: 6.

• Cedar Creek’s Elliott’s Phoned Home Pale Ale: 6

• Grapevine Craft Brewery’s Lakefire: 6

• Armadillo Ale Works’ WunderMelon: 6

• Deep Ellum Pale Ale: 6

• Lakewood’s Troll Toll: 5.5.

• Martin House’s Hell Below: 5.5.

• Lakewood’s La Dame Du Lac: 5.5.

• Woodcreek’s Lakeside Cerveza: 5.

• Martin House Cuvee Pumpkin Latte: 5.

• Intrinsic’s Crunktoberfest: 5.

• Martin House’s Mind On My Money: 5.

• 903 Brewers’ The Land Of Milk And Honey: 5.

• Deep Ellum’s Numb Comfort: 5.

• TUPPS’ Day Off: 4.75.

• Four Bullets’ Black Jack Brown: 4.5.

• Audacity’s Checkered Past: 4.

• Four Corners Heart O’ Texas: 4.

• Audacity’s Sunset Boulevard: 4.

• Shannon Brewing Company’s IPA: 4.

• Grapevine’s Monarch: 4.

• Good Neighbor Brews Slim Sweetness: 3.

• Twin Peaks’ Dirty Blonde: 3.

• Franconia Wheat: 3.

• 903 Brewers’ Mythical Creatures: 2.5.

• Miller Lite: 1.