North Coast Pranqster Golden Ale

     With so many new beers entering the market in these parts each month, meaning so many new things to try, some of the favorites of the past have been forgotten. So many that I have wanted to write about but then never have.
     It has been a while since I have sipped on any of Fort Bragg, Ca. based brewery North Coast's wares. The other night though I saw a few things of their came back in stock at one of the stores I frequent and thought "Hmmm, It IS time to revisit." I have enjoyed many of the things they have made in the past and remembered that I never really put my 2 cents on them in print.
     Panqster pours a crisp and clear golden color with a good amount of sparkling from the bubbles. Not much of a head but a slight frosty white ring and caps hangs through the duration of the glass leaving a spots of lace behind. The Belgian yeast characteristics jump right out in the scent during the pour too. They fill the nose with banana, bubblegum, wheat and a slight bit of white grapes.
     The yeast are up front resembling banana bread in the flavor. They envelope around the other taste nuances of orange peel, dried peaches and honey. It makes for an interesting complexity-especially when notes of white pepper and nutmeg pop up before being blended back into the toasty breadiness again. A delayed warming effect also arrives a few seconds after the finish.
     The feel of the brew is self medium in body.
     When it comes to an American take of the classic Belgian Strong/Golden Ale style Panqster does it quite well.
http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/