North Coast Brewing Company is a company that has been brewing craft beer in Fort Bragg, CA, since 1988. I didn’t realize how many North Coast beers I’ve had until I looked at their website for this article! They must keep the “North Coast Brewing Co.” logo very subtle on their packaging because I’ve also had Old Rasputin (imperial stout), Old No. 38 Stout, and Acme California IPA, all without knowing they came from the same brewery!
In any case, after a bit of a hiatus from drinking beer worth mentioning I decided to continue on with my “summer series” of beers and especially pilsners and session style beers. Scrimshaw is a pilsner in the German style, with 4.4%ABV and 22 IBU’s. It pours a hazy straw color into a pilsner glass with a nice, fluffy white head.
There isn’t a whole lot of aroma to capture out of this beer. Pilsners are subtle, well-balanced beers, so the aromas tend to be very faint in the European hops and a little malt, but I find myself having to essentially hallucinate to find either one.
Scrimshaw has a nice mouthfeel with just the right amount of carbonation. It’s an easy drinker but still prickly enough to quench thirst! In the early taste the European hops North Coast uses are apparent, but they quickly give way to the malts in the second half of the sip. Not much of an aftertaste. This is a solid, very balanced, clean beer. Scrimshaw would make an excellent choice for a “light” beer for guests who tend to like Bud, Miller, etc.
The Liquid Diet 