Here are reviews of a couple of lighter ales from Public Coast Brewing of Cannon Beach; these are ones the brewery had sent me to promote its seasonal summer offerings, although ’67 Blonde Ale is a year-round beer. Besides the two beers highlighted below, I’d also received Blueberry Wheat Ale, brewed with berries grown on the Public Coast Farm; I’ve reviewed Blueberry Wheat before, and I found that this year’s edition matched up fairly well, especially in the aroma.

Let’s check out the other two brews.

’67 Blonde Ale

’67 Blonde is the company’s flagship (though may vie in that role with Oswald IPA), an award-winning beer that’s been available since the brewery opened. Here’s the description from the press release I’d linked above:

A consistent crowd-pleaser, the ’67 Blonde Ale, Public Coast Brewing Co.’s signature American Gold Ale, is a tribute to the remarkable year of 1967, when Oregon made the groundbreaking decision to designate the state’s beaches accessible to everyone. This award-winning brew, which claimed the Gold Award for Golden or Blonde Ale at the 2018 World Beer Cup, offers a 5.1% ABV easy drinker and excellent “gateway beer.” Clean, crisp, and light, the ‘67 Blonde Ale embodies the iconic nature of a golden ale.

It’s 5% ABV with 19.1 IBUs.

Appearance: Orange-gold, unfiltered haziness, with a white head.

Smell: Gentle maltiness with a sweet citrus fruitness. (Lots of -ness suffixing going on!) A light tea-like note, perhaps bergamot, and some floral aromas.

Taste: Some husky grain notes, slightly tannic, with a bit of hay and earthy field character. Grainy, with what tastes like a pretty classic American hop profile. That tannic husk is a touch astringent, otherwise it’s fairly mellow overall.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, moderately dry, a hint of tannins/astringency at the back.

Overall: An easy drinker and a fairly standard profile for the category, with a bit more grain character.

Mango Jalapeño Tart Ale

Ah, chili beer, always an interesting experience. Sometimes they are too hot and overwhelm the palate, sometimes there’s hardly any spice at all, and the range in between can be tricky. I don’t know how many sour chili beers I’ve tried, so this Mango Jalapeño definitely piqued my interest. Here’s the description:

The new Mango Jalapeño Tart Ale, a 5.7% ABV radiant blend of Public Coast Farm’s poblano peppers paired with Hawaiian-grown mangoes, offers an innovative American-style sour beer that delivers tropical and warm aromas, a light body, and a tart, dry finish.

I don’t know why the name contains “Jalapeño” while the description lists poblano peppers, but I do appreciate that they were grown on the Farm. It’s 5.7% ABV.

Appearance: Mango-orange, mostly opaque. It pours a vigorous head that fizzes off quickly.

Smell: Jalapeno is prominent—earthy heat that tickles the back of the nasal cavity/throat with a spicy promise. Kind of a pickled jalapeno character; the pepper takes over the aroma, there’s not much else I’m getting.

Taste: Surprisingly little heat in the flavor; the tart sour base with the pepper does in fact give it a pickle-y character, almost briny, with a splash of mango juice. Subtle heat that comes out at the back, a slow burn, though it doesn’t get very hot. There’s more mango fruitiness as I sip and it warms. Pleasant, pickled peppery.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light with some acidic pucker and residual earthy spice.

Overall: It’s interesting, though after one can I’m not sure how much I could drink in a sitting.