Blank Slate: "Lesser Path"

The Brew Truth

Breweries are beginning to pop up in Cincinnati like uh, uh weeds in my mulch bed, no…knee high corn in July, no…….OK...calling "do over" now

Ehem...

Nestled, or better said, hidden in corner of a parking lot lurking behind a discreetly marked and inconspicuously common front door is an oasis for the connoisseur of fine local brew; otherwise known as The Blank Slate Brewery.  I’ve chosen Blank Slate and their India White Ale, Lesser Path to review as the first brew review simply because I am “out of my mind” crazy about this beer. 

OK…on to the “Brew Truth”…

The first thing that catches your eye is the distinctive summer color of this beer bouncing back and forth between a golden and light amber color that really shines when you hold it up to the sun.  The nose on this beer pulls your face straight into the glass, nose first.  It has a light citrus feel to the smell followed with a concise yet alluring quick whiff of the hops.

If you haven’t been sold yet by the color or the scent of this brew, what comes next is what will grab you and force you to savor this brewed nectar and look for the bottom of the glass only because it gives a reason to fill it back up again. The Lesser Path will take  your mouth on a ride.  Those of you that might be worried about IPAs having “too much of a bite”, shouldn’t give this a second thought with this beer.  It’s smooth; the hops are almost secondary to the crisp “beerness” that encapsulates the taste of this brew.  Like the amber waves of grain themselves, the wheat, oats and honey malts combine for a smooth and dry finish with zero bite from either the abv (Alcohol by volume) or the IBUs (International Bittering Units)

Anything you make on the grill would go great with this beer…anything…

You will, after the first drink want another one and isn’t that what drinking good beer is really about anyways?

The yeast farmer (self-proclaimed) that gave birth to this wonderful creation is Scott LaFollette.  Hands down one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, seriously.  He shares his time and expertise tirelessly with other beer enthusiasts to help spread the gospel of good brew. He is the king of the rumble in the jungle of hops.  But it’s not only his good nature that lends itself to delivering the goods on the brews, Scott is a Siebel graduate, certified beer judge and Cicerone…AND a chemist!  It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyways) Scott has some serious beer chops.

Here is Scott’s digital home:  www.blankslatebeer.com

5 RANDOM COOL BREW CLUES- Blank Slate:  Lesser Path

(Things to talk about and "beer-brag" with whoever will listen while partaking…)

1.        Lesser Path is part of the Traveling IPA Series of Blank Slate.  There are three brews; “Fork in the Road” color coded as an India Amber for Fall, “Long Way home”, which is an India Black for the  cold Winter months and then, fan-fare please………….”Lesser Path”, the white IPA for the summer months.  Note the “traveling theme” of the names…Feel free to interchange the names to tell stories of travel and great brew consumption!

2.       The hops used are: Columbus, Cascade and Nugget hops

3.       Also contained are wheat, oats and honey malts (yes you can have it for breakfast!)

4.       It is an white IPA or India White Ale

5.       Time is Running Out!  Scott just finished his last batch of the year!

6.       Lesser Path was just voted the #1 IPA in Cincinnati by a very cool group of local beer geeks.  http://queencitydrinks.com/2013/08/13/king-of-the-cincinnati-ipa/

7.       One of the most interesting aspects of this beer is the alcohol content at 6.5%.  I would have guessed it to have been much lighter on the ABV than that.  Everything about it drinks like a great summer refreshing beer. 

8.       There is not a tasting room at the Brewery but that is in the works for next year!

9.         On the tap handle of every Blank Slate brew "should" be a QR code that lets you travel across cyper space and beer warp speed to their website to read about said brew.

10.       Yes, I lost count….

I have included a picture of the inside of the Blank Slate Brewery.  Also attached is a picture of one of the fine brews strategically placed on my deck.  You might notice that the glass is not quite full.  The truth is, it was a long walk from the basement kegerator to outside on the deck, and I got thirsty along the way.  That’s right…I have it on tap at home…. Muahahahahaha!!!!!!!

Clyde

The Brew Truth

Recent Lesser Path Sightings:

•Allyn’s

 •Arnolds

 •Bar Louie

•Beer Sellar

 •Dilly Deli

 •Firehouse Grill

•Flip Daddy’s – Mason

 •Liquor Box

 •Mios Blue Ash

 •Northside Tavern

 •Remke Hyde Park

 •The Comet

 •Valley Wine & Spirits

 •Vito’s Cafe

 •Washington Platform Saloon

 •Whole Foods – Mason

 •Yard House