Review: Parish Envie Pale Ale

Would you look at that locally brewed goodness?

Thanks of course to Andrew for giving a few of these to Brenton Day of The Ale Runner and then to Brenton for passing one on to me!  This beer isn't out in the Baton Rouge market yet, but we should see tap handles before too long.  With all the success of Canebrake in Louisiana I'm sure it has been hard for Parish Brewing (facebook - twitter) to keep up with its demand let alone work on two other flagship brews and a limited release, but they have somehow done it.  So, without further ado, here's a sneak preview of the Parish Brewing Envie American Pale Ale!

First up, the pour... I went with the Spiegelau tulip glass, and I don't really care that it's not the "right" glass for the style.  Mostly I like that the shape allows the light to get through different depths of beer to really bring out the colors.  This beer is an orange-red brew with a bit of a white head... appetizing for sure.

On to the aroma... the first hit is mostly malt with a biscuity feel to it and some caramel in there as well.  A good swirl though, and the hops come alive and dominate but with a subtle flavor as opposed to an aggressive pine or grapefruit nose.  It's a really nice blend of hops and I think it leans a little toward the citrus and slightly floral range of things.  Very well done!

The taste is really a solid follow through on the impressive nose.  The malts probably come through a little more here than before, but each sip brings another whiff of hops to the nose that keeps it interesting.  

I'm a huge fan of this one, I dare say even more my cup of tea or, mug of beer, than the Canebrake.  This isn't a final recipe though, and Andrew has plans to tweak it even more on his new bigger brew system.  I know he still plans on going even hoppier and I have to say that I agree and would probably like this beer even more than I already do with a more aggressive hop profile.  So... until then, I'll keep drinking the Canebrake and looking forward to the future versions of the Envie APA and the South Coast Amber Ale.