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pFriem Golden Coffee Pale

pFriem Golden Coffee Pale, pFriem Family Brewers
Judges Ratings 
1 Review
95
Aroma:
23 / 24
Flavor:
38 / 40
Appearance:
6 / 6
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
19 / 20
Description 

Fruit forward, Kenyan coffee brewed and roasted by Coava Coffee, and aromatic hops create a perfect harmony in pFriem’s Golden Coffee Pale— Rich nutty flavors combined with citrus and stone fruit make for a quaffable, bright treat for both coffee and beer lovers alike!

Beverage Profile
ABV: 
6.0%
IBUs: 
30
Served at: 
40 - 45º F
Hops: 
Equinox, Motueka
Malts: 
Rahr Pale, Golden Naked Oats
Judges Review 
David Sapsis's picture
Judges Rating:
95
Aroma:
23 / 24
Appearance:
6 / 6
Flavor:
38 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
19 / 20

Golden Coffee Pale by pFriem Family Brewers is being judged as BJCP category 30A spice/herb/vegetable beer:  Golden ale with coffee. The beer is served in a tall and tapered highball glass, poured vigorously at 45 degrees Fahrenheit. It casts a bright yellow/amber (~5 SRM) with bright clarity and a big rocky head stand of white fine foam, persistent for 5 minutes (!) in an undisturbed sample. 

The beer has a light cracker malt front rounded by faint herb/coffee with an initial citrus-leaf angle, with the nice light malt underlain by aromatics with dark earthy notes. Upon swirling, a big, fresh, light coffee bean (un-ground, rich, but relatively light/Vienna roast) comes out. Off-dry overall and really, really nice.  The coffee aroma mixed with the light malt sweetness is very well-balanced. 

A biscuity-cereal malt start goes quickly to a firm and assertive coffee (Vienna roast, again) note that seems to substitute largely for bitterness with mid-palate flavors of lovely cracker malt with slight sweet angles of white grape and peach esters that is fresh and refreshing. The late palate is long on malt and a beautiful reemerging bitterness/astringency that is finds the magic balance.

Overall, this is a spectacular beer. It has a delicious golden ale base, with a wide, light and fresh malt structure and hop crispness infused by an amazing coffee-berry tea. The sweet/malt  -- hop/coffee flavor space is revelatory. Now, I will acknowledge that I love coffee. As far as street cred, I grew up in Berkeley, and frequented Peets stores Nos. 1 and 3 as a punk teenager. This beer has amazingly nice coffee flavor. I have had light color coffee ales before, and they all had overbearing bitterness/harshness, and chemical caffeine notes. There is none of that here -- just a sublime marriage of two of my favorite things. If you like those two things, I cannot recommend this beer enough.    

Brewery Introduction

pFriem Brewery and its award winning tasting room is located in Hood River, OR, just south of the Washington State border and across the street from the town’s beautiful Waterfront Park. Enjoy breathtaking views of the Columbia and White Salmon rivers while savoring pFriem’s core beers and... Read More

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