Time for Sailors Grave's second homage to their home turf in hop-forward beer form. The first beer bearing the West Cape moniker landed in August 2023: a very contemporary West Coast-inspired IPA. For round two, inspiration has been drawn from a more recent substyle growing in popularity in the States and, as a result, elsewhere: West Coast pilsners.
As with their IPA, they've stayed pretty on point with their hop selection – Citra and Simcoe – yet in tandem with the softening hand of the pilsner malts and, maybe, the water profile, there’s a distinctive melon aroma leading the way that reminds me of my first encounter with local hop variety Enigma. Drink on and more expected elements arrive – lemony citrus and a building, resinous, grapefruit rind bitterness – the latter acting to balance the oily nature of the hops in what's a really quite lovely modern lager.
James Smith
Published February 19, 2024 2024-02-19 00:00:00
