Luke Nicholas, Epic brewer, says the malt in the latest batch was paler than usual - which has resulted in a paler coloured beer. He's also got a fresh batch of US Cascade hops in, which have a higher alpha content of 7.6% instead of 6%. Alpha is the chemical in hops which provides the bitterness for those who were wondering.
Well the pint(s) then.
The colour is definately paler, more golden than amber now. Nose is still stuffed with hops. Citrus and passionfruit aromas greet the olfactory (what a snobby word).
BIG HOPS in the flavour, seems more bitter now. I noted that the body seemed a bit thin, but was slightly rounded out by the mouthful of beautiful hops. I wasn't getting much in the way of fruit in the flavour though, the hops seem almost peppery with their bitterness.
I struggled to find any malt character through all the alpha as well, hops override.
Overall this is an excellent showcase of what American hops can do for a beer. Albeit a slightly unbalanced one.
Maybe after a few months the hops will calm down, allowing a bit of malt to round out the flavour.
Speaking of which. At last weeks SOBA beer tasting at Central City Wines & Spirits, I tasted a much older version of Epic Pale Ale, reaching its expiry date within a few months.
This breed of Epic was a much darker colour, and while the hops were still very present they didn't steal the whole show. The malt definitely made a large showing here, and fruits were in the aroma and the flavour. Very nice.
Luke is planning more changes to address the malt issue, using the more robust English Maris Otter malt. A direct result of his experience brewing Epic in England.
So with Epic Pale Ale, you're getting two (or more) completely different beers in one. You've just gotta wait a bit for your second.
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