Since returning Stateside there have been a great many things I miss about Korea. The mountains, the food, the ocean, hiking, and of course the friends and fine folks I met there. Nowhere on that list is beer. Cass and Hite can die a horrendously slow death and be buried in a shallow grave. To be fair, there are some movers and shakers in Seoul and Galmegi carved out a lovely little spot in my heart, but good beer was nowhere to be found on Geoje island.
The expression of distance making the heart grow fonder has never been more true than with my ticker and American craft beer. To say I've had a few since returning home would be an understatement. The longer list of of what I've been drinking can be found on Untappd, but that's for more of a cursory glance. I'll continue to post more rambly reviews on here.
First up, Saugatuck Brewing Company's Serrano Pepper Ale. As you can see above, it pours on the darker side of amber for an ale and has very little head, however the body was right where it should be. The aroma of pepper and a slight twinge of smoke stay with you throughout drinking and has a lovely lingering affect. While the pepper doesn't exactly have a lot of heat with it, it's quite prevalent and has a pleasantly medicinal feeling on the back of your throat. Not medicinal taste. But the peppery affect kind of hangs out on the back of your tongue and in your throat long after you've finished drinking.
As with most beers of this style, I thoroughly enjoyed one and could have had another, but it's certainly not a session beer. Nor is it meant to be. Next time I'll be pairing it with some tacos, or perhaps throwing it into a chili to see what that does. Or you could, ya know, just drink it and enjoy it.