The FLOW Almanac Had in Achieving Balance for New Pale Ale

Damian Fagan said Almanac Beer has been seeing demand for Pale Ales and lower-ABV, yet hoppy styles in the taproom.

“We also wanted to round out our year-round line up which before FLOW, [we were] missing a hoppy West Coast style beer,” said the Bay-area brewery’s founder and CEO. “Ultimately though, we wanted to create the beer we wanted to drink.”

FLOW Pale Ale, according to the brewery, takes a classic West Coast style and brews it for the modern drinker.​ ​It took some time, but achieving balance​ came to be after an R&D trial.

​”It all started with our head brewer​ (Phil Emerson)​ Slacking over a message in regards to a Pale Ale R&D batch that simply read ​’​this is the best Pale Ale that we have ever made​,’ Fagan recalled. ​”​That statement was the spark that evolved into what is now ​FLOW.​”​

READ MORE: ​Brew Review: Perceived Bitterness Technique Leads Paperback in Award-Winning WCIPA​

In the previous batches, Fagan explained that they played with different hops, hop quantities, and brewing processes. The classic West Coast doesn’t hold back on bitterness and can have quite a bit of bite, he added. Almanac created FLOW to be all about balance.

“The malt selection also provides a nice light backbone for the beer, while letting the hops really be the star of the show,” Fagan said. “We felt early batches were either not hoppy enough or too bitter, and a few were not as crisp and clear as we wanted. After a year of R&D, we think FLOW’s final recipe is an exceptionally well-rounded Ale.”

The Chevron mosaic label design of FLOW is a showcase of a golden hour glow of a California sunset with hues of turquoise reflecting off of the ocean water. Dry-hopped with Simcoe and El Dorado, FLOW is full of character with a super light body.

​”FLOW is a simple beer, and it’s just plain delicious,” Fagan said.