Judge’s Review: 80 Rating – Crown 10° by Guilford Hall Brewery

Czech Pale Lager | Seasonal | USA

By Nelson Crowle

Judges Rating: 80.00
Aroma: 20.00
Appearance: 5.00
Flavor: 34.00
Mouthfeel: 7.00
Overall Impression: 14.00

This beer was judged as BJCP 2021 style 3A (Czech Pale Lager). Poured from a can, this beer is light gold with just a hint of haze, and has a small head of tiny white bubbles that quickly dissipate to a cordon ring of bubbles that leave lacing as the beer is sipped.
The aroma presents a fresh baked bread note along with moderate herbal hop notes and a hint of black pepper. The first sip echoes the bready note of the aroma and there are medium low herbal and low black pepper notes, but also adds a bit of fruitiness that comes across as ripe apricot — maybe just a bit too fruity for the style.
Medium low bittering hops balances out the malt backbone but doesn’t quite balance the fruity sweetness. A moderate fruity herbal note lingers into a slightly sweet finish. The beer is medium in body. The extra fruitiness may indicate a lack of temperature control and maybe a slightly too-warm fermentation.  
With its fruity notes, this beer would pair nicely with a tart spicy sausage like chorizo served on salty tortilla chips.