The newest Croix du Rat beer to date, a session pale ale suited for the hot southern French summer coming up; apparently the second batch, differing from the first one in containing different hop varieties (first batch was a single hop beer). Thanks to Craftmember for sharing. Brief gusher, but this was probably more due to temperature contrast than anything else; snow white, irregularly edged, moussy, coarse, medium sized head on an initially clear, ‘metallic’ orangey-tinged old-golden beer, turning misty and somewhat apricot-tinged with sediment. Aroma of field flowers, unripe peach, dry hay, pear peel, minerals, crackers, mugwort, moist white pepper, touch of orange pith, bread crust. Fruity onset, lightly sweet with accents of light apricot, apple and a dash of green Conference pear, moderately carbonated with refreshing minerality (much welcomed in this kind of low ABV beer), cracker- and bread crust-like, bit cereally but ‘pure’ pale maltiness, supple and elegantly hopped by a flowery, hayish, lightly citric hoppiness, bringing lovely ‘summer meadow’ aromas of lemonbalm, sweetclover, meadow oat grass and eventually even wormwood; the bitterness lingers, becomes powerful enough to add a quenching dryness and to lend body to the finish, but never becomes too dominant. Utterly well-balanced, feeling very ‘genuine’ and down to earth without too much sleekness; a kind of ‘Euro-hopped’ or Belgian style ISA if you will (without actually being an IPA), very well measured, a tad yeasty and in all respects very solid. One to drink by the gallon on a bright and warm summer afternoon.