Hops and Malts
I thought Ancestry Brewing was some sort of Californian interloper. I mean, look at those labels. They just scream San Diego. But they bottled a British Mild, so I had to check them out.
It turns out, I forgot about Ancestry Brewing. The brewery and taproom opened in 2015 in the Portland suburb of Tualatin and last year Ancestry opened a satellite pub in the Sellwood neighborhood and another opening soon in St. John’s. Their beers are based on the three pillars of brewing– British, Belgian and American traditions.
The Best Coast IPA draws on the citrus and pine American pale ales of yesteryear for inspiration. You can smell the grapefruit from three feet away. It’s got a classic Cascade flavor that moves from orange zest to pine resin in the blink of an eye. But it’s got layers. Is that a hint of Mosaic I taste? A little Amarillo? It’s not quite as clean as its forebears, but it tastes great.
But it’s the Mild that drew me in. It’s not every day you see a bottled Mild in these parts, or any parts for that matter. Mild is an extremely light style, emphasizing malt flavor over hops (historical caveat: Mild has seen all sorts of flavors over the centuries). Ancestry’s English Mild is probably the best I’ve ever had. It’s a little strong for the style, 4.5% ABV, but I’ll let that slide.
The first thing that struck me was the fruitiness. Past Milds I’ve had were more or less a light, watery porter – brown and toasty. Ancestry’s version is plummy? It’s tough to say. It’s subtle. It’s just this side of watery. It’s full enough but just barely carbonated. It’s smooth, dare I say, buttery. Not diacetyl-y, but not not diacetyl-y. I have so little experience with the style, it’s hard to know what’s good. But I know I like it.
I think I’ll be keeping track of Ancestry Brewing. They seem to know what their doing. Well, they know better than I do anyway.