Flossmoor Station Farewell Pale Ale

Brewed by Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery
Style: American Pale Ale
Flossmoor, Illinois USA

Draft at FSRB. Dark orange body, a bit of haze and a puffy pale ale head. Big smell of pine and orange rind from hops, plus a bit of grass and earth. Familiar PNW hoppy taste, with a citrus pucker, pine needles and a bit of Amaraillo burn, all the hop flavors that make us think of Matt. And wouldn’t you know, I’ve managed to get back out to FS on the night BEFORE they tap Bryan’s first specialty beer. Sorry, Bryan, I’ll have to inflict my opinions on you later.

Aroma of an IPA, citrusy american hops. Flavor of an IPA. Easily one of the best APA’s I’ve ever had.

hazy gold, medium white head, lacy. mild hoppiness in the nose, caramel, citrus...a touch too mild. flavor is more than the nose suggests, with bitter pine, touch of grapefruit, some caramel. medium body, very bitter finish - nice. overall, a very enjoyable ipa. sampled at the ’goodbye matt, hello bryan’ party.

On tap at Flossmoor. Pours golden orange with a foamy off-white head. Aroma is of hops, citrus, spice, and malt. Taste is way hoppier than I had anticipated. Notes of caramel, citrus, spice, and a tad bit of pine. Had a nice malt backbone that didn’t overpower the hops. Lingering, sticky hop taste. More like a subdued IPA than a pale ale.

On tap at the brewpub during the Farewell Matt/Welcome Bryan party: It pured a hazy light amber body into the mug, capped by a sustained frothy head followed by loads of lace. The aroma was hop heavy - pine, citrus, orange petal - with some pale malt sweetness oozing out on occasion. Nicely balanced flavor with the malt getting a bit caramelly and the hoppy bitterness surging at the end and lingering long throughout the dry finish.
All the best to brewer Matt Van Wyk and his family as they more out to new adventures in Oregon!

Mug club mug poured draft at Flossmoor station (Flossmoor, Il). Pours a nice hazed amber with big cakey white head. Aromas are citrusy hops, lemon, and pale malt mellow sweetness. Initial is a good solid bitterness, citrusy APA. By the book largely, with a good pale malt balance but some power that tip toes the IPA line. Bitterness could be more citrusy, more pronounced, but that would be me asking for a full blown IPA wouldn’t it, now? Finishes with light pine bitterness sustained on the palate. Cheers, Matt!

Tapped during the Farewell Matt/ Welcome Bryan party at the brewpub. A farewell version of the Ameripale? Don’t know and didn’t ask. Matt had too many hands to shake. Poured to pint a hazy, golden/amber, with a white, foamy head that left some nice, patchy lacing on the glass. Strong pine notes dominated the aroma, with citrus taking the secondary position. These carried over into the flavor in the same order, along with smooth malt and a favorable and lasting hop bitterness. I agree that this brew is one step off the APA fence into IPA land.

Attractive hazed golden straw pour with substantial and lingering frothy white head. The aroma is a welcoming potency of PNW hop scents ie.; pine and grapefruit and pineapple...very appetizing. First impression is a creamy slurp of sweet caramel malt, bread dough, and biscuity...with an immediate follow-up of tangerine, grapefruit and pine resins in generous proportions and lingering long on the palate. How is this not an IPA, I wonder? But there is SOME restraining hand on the hop scoop, I guess, and the balancing act between sweet and bitter is really pretty tightly performed. Very refreshing brew here with virtually no faults that my half-century-plus-old palate could pretend to detect. And so, I guess, we finally actually bid our favorite brewer a heartfelt farewell, with sincere wishes for success where ever he goes and with whatever beers he chooses to brew. "I’ll see you on the Left Coast, Mr. Van WICK" (Good God, I thought he’d never leave!)