Saint Brewis

A St. Louis Craft Beer Blog

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Narrow Gauge Brewing Co. – Hoppy Meal

Brewery: Narrow Gauge Brewing Co.
Location Florissant, MO
Style North County Pale Ale
 ABV 6.6%
 IBUs 30

 

Best Quote During Tasting

If I could brew beer that tasted like this, I'd drink all my profits.

Justin:

Aroma - The fruitiness from the hops is just HUGE. Big grapefruit and mango blend nicely with some balanced dank notes. The malts are way behind in aroma but are sweet white bread and add nicely to the mix.
Score: 10/12
Appearance - The beer pours a cloudy pale gold with a tightly bubbled, frothy white head. Typically a cloudy beer wouldn't be ideal but based on the style, its cloudiness is appropriate.
Score: 3/3
Flavor - The hops are piney, fruity and dank. That grapefruit is still there but it's joined by berry, bubblegum and lots of other stuff that layers on complexity. The bitterness is actually not that crazy, this one is all about the flavor, not the IBUs. The sweetness from the malts does balance the hops well but the hops are by no means kept under control.
Score: 17/20
Mouthfeel - The body is full and the carbonation is medium. It doesn't coat your tongue but it is fluffy and fills your mouth with each sip.
Score: 4/5
Overall Impression - The background on the name of this beer is almost as awesome as the beer itself. A customer raised a stink after they were told they couldn't bring their kid's friggin' Happy Meal into Cugino's Restaurant (where Narrow Gauge brews their beer). A couple weeks later when their latest APA was ready to pour, it got its timely moniker. This style of beer is not easy to replicate (I homebrew and I've tried) so the repeatability on this one is incredible in and of itself. Try it. It's good.
Score: 9/10

 

Hoppy Meal Final Score
  • Aroma
  • Appearance
  • Flavor
  • Mouthfeel
  • Overall
4.3
User Rating: 5.0 (1 votes)
Sending
Justin Phelps

Justin Phelps

Co-Founder at Saint Brewis
Justin Phelps is a Certified Cicerone® who was born and raised in St. Louis. His passion for beer goes beyond just drinking it as he is also an award-winning home brewer. While he may be a marketing professional by day, he's a blogger, brewery hopper, and beer enthusiast by night.

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