It’s a nice Saturday evening, and I’m out with my family at Joe’s Station House Pizza Pub here in town. It was a great night to relax with the kids, have some pizza, and a enjoy a few beers. I started with a Bell’s Hop Slam, only because it was actually on tap here, and then decided to slow it down a bit when the pizza came. I’ve had to start checking this blog to see if I’ve had certain beers before, and despite all my trips to St. Louis, I had yet to have this beer.

Location: Enjoyed this in a pislner glass at Joe’s Station House Pizza Pub in Normal, Illinois.

Numbers: 4.4% ABV, 25 IBUs, 11.2 Plato OG, 13.5 SRM, ~ 155 Calories

Ingredients: Malts: 2-row and caramel malted barley; Hops: East Kent Goldings, Northdown, Pilgrim (UK); Yeast: London Ale

Appearance & Aroma: It was reddish-amber in color and pretty clear. There was a thin, slightly soapy looking head on it, which left some nice lacing on the glass. The aroma was bready with some very light caramel maltiness.

Taste & Feel: The body was medium and the mouthfeel was crisp from carbonation. There was a good amount of caramel maltiness up front with some bready and biscuit-like flavors in the background. In the middle, the bready/biscuity flavors came through a bit more, finishing light and crips with a light English hop bitterness.

Food Pairing: This would go good with almost anything, but I think the bready and biscuity flavors lend themselves to bar foods like burgers and pizza. It went excellent with my pizza, but I could really picture this going even better with a thick, juicy bison burger with a multigrain bun (not to get too specific).

Overall Impression: Fortunately, I’m from St. Louis and get back there often, so I’ve had this beer many times before. It’s a good craft beer option in a town formerly dominated by Anheuser-Busch. It’s been a great transition-to-craft beer, because of it’s crispness and light, inviting flavors. I love the caramel and breadiness, but yet, it’s light and extremely drinkable. Overall, this is a very nice beer and one I’m certain to have again (and often).

My Rating:

Reader Ratings[five-star-rating]