The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 3: Bush Pilot Pengo Pally

Beer # 251 Pengo Pally

Bush Pilot Brewing Company

Hastings County, Ontario, Canada
Contract Brewery
Flavoured Farm House Saison Ale 6.5% ABV 
Brown Glass Bottle 750ml
$9.95(Canadian) At LCBO

Twitter: @BushPilotBeers

Tonight's offering from my tickle trunk of holiday treats, is a beer I have been very excited to try. Nomadic brewers, Bush Pilot Brewing Company, brewed this spiced Farmhouse with the aid of Nickel Brook Brewing Company and especially Brewmaster Ryan Morrow. Crowberries and Labarador Tea were harvested from Nunavik in Quebec, and then used to flavour this brew.

The name is of particular interest. Pengo Pally is the Inuktitut term for "I miss you." and it is this phrase that was painted on the plane of the first Inuvik Bush Pilot Johnny May. Johnny was the subject of a 2014 film called "The Wings of Johnny May" (Download here)
Born in Kangiqsualujjuaq on Ungava bay, a simple Inuvik boy decided to become a pilot at age six, a decision that lead to a life of adventure. He painted Pengo Pally on his plane to remind him of his wife who he often spent days and weeks away from flying all over the province. He spent years of his life ferrying people and supplies to the remote Inuktitut communities, including a small boy who was having heart failure. He and a nurse were flying the boy to a hospital when the nurse grew too tired to continually apply heart massage to keep the boy alive, Johnny asked her to prop the boy up against the co-pilot's seat and performed the heart massage himself... WHILE HE WAS STILL FLYING! He is a true Canadian Hero and worthy of a substantial brew in his honour.

Let's taste that now...


Pours a slightly cloudy off gold with a white head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is toasty, orange, citrus, green, herbal, and floral. First sip is toasty with biscuits and wheat. Some coriander, tea and citrus. Fruity, with some hints of licorice. Hints of menthol, The herbs numb the lips and tongue, but in the most pleasant ways. The medicinal herbs are offset by a bright hop flavours and toasty bread notes. Aeration gives us spikes of bitter herbs some more menthol and toasted wheat. Finish is a pleasant, clean, and bitter hum that slowly disperses into the background.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  6/6  EXCEPTIONAL
Experience:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Christmas Cheer:  5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

Wow. A brilliant beer. Such a lovely balance of arctic herbs and toasty wheat.this is certainly one of the best Farmhouse Ales I've had this year. A little late in the year for it though... I would have preferred to sip this on a patio or maybe on the edge of a lake with a fishing rod in my hand... Well I guess there is always next year.

CJT


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