Beer reviews: Templin Family The Pasture and Kiitos Tropical Haze IPA
There's no fruit in these tropical-themed picks, but you'd never know it.
By Mike Riedel @utahbeer
Templin Family - The Pasture: This beer began its journey back in 2020 when owner/head brewer Kevin Templin and his team took their Koelschip (a large stainless-steel tub) out to his brother Chris Templin's pasture, and set up what would be the brewery's first ever batch of Spon beer—a type of spontaneously-fermented beer that uses the natural yeast in the air instead of cultured yeast. It takes a long time—five years in this case—maturing in oak barrels. Now, it's all done and ready to be enjoyed.
It pours a lovely orange body, with a nice fluffy two fingers of white head and good retention, without much lacing to be seen. It smells like straight-up fresh tangerine with a dose of musty lambic-like funk, hay and accompanied by a nice hint of vinegar acidity.
Drinking this beer yields a ton of yuzu fruit flavor, along with a medium amount of delicious acetic sourness that features some oak barrel components. In the background there's some earthy funk, leather and horse blanket. The citrus notes are definitely not missed here, and the acetic sourness is just perfect. The Pasture has less earthiness in the background, with a more complex sour flavor. The result is so easy to drink; I was able to down most of this bottle on my own—no hints of the 6.8 percent alcohol, which is no surprise.
Verdict: I really enjoyed this one. It's complex, and with all of those natural-tasting citrus flavors, you'd almost think citrus and stone fruits were added. You could probably cellar this beer with your collection; I wouldn't, as it's drinking perfectly right now.
Kiitos - Tropical Haze IPA: This beer isn't new, but it's taking a new direction that I thought was worth revisiting, as it undergoes a more Southern Hemisphere approach to its tropical hop profile. The pour here is super nice, with a straw-yellow, white gold-colored beer holding up a couple fingers of bone-white head that laces incredibly well as it dissipates. The nose displays notes of cantaloupe, citrus and stone fruits—nicely complex and enticing.
On the tongue, this has a lot of silky oat-like malt, combined with melon and mango hoppiness. They meld with notes of light tropical fruit cocktail and some bright citrus and herbal elements. A pineapple-like intensity comes next, combining with lime, tangerine and passion fruit. I really like the complex hop elements up front and in the finish. I don't initially get much of the 5.0 percent ABV here either, but as it warms, it starts to become a little more apparent. Mouthfeel is on the medium side of things, kind of riding a dense wave of hoppy, yeasty goodness until the end of each sip.
Verdict: I wish this was around 6.0 percent, but it really does drink pretty nicely for its ABV, and it brings out the tropical flavors in a balanced and representative manner. The version I had was fresh and on draft, and was really crushable. The new direction that Kiitos is taking with its beers is quite innovative, and it's worth visiting their brewery's pub.
As I mentioned above, Tropical Haze is available on draft, but it's also available in 16-ounce cans, and will likely be more widely available in the coming months. It's fresh right now, so scoot your butts over Kiitos for your cans and pints. The Pasture is available in a 750 ml bottle, only available at TF, and it can be enjoyed in house or to go.
As always, cheers!
About The Author
Mike Riedel
Local boy and pilot of City Weekly’s best gig, The Beer Nerd column since 2017. Current photojournalist at KSTU TV (Fox 13) and host of the Utah Beer Blog and Beer Nerd Radio on KUAA 99.9 FM radio.
More by Mike Riedel
-
Beer reviews: Grid City Inner Darkness and Salt Lake Brewing Coconut Porter
Try a different kind of dark beer this St. Patrick's Day
- Mar 12, 2025
-
Beer reviews: Fisher Hoptology and RoHa "We Love L.A."
Occasion-specific beers to support and to celebrate
- Mar 5, 2025
-
Beer reviews: Red Rock ONO (Coffee and Coconut) and Bewilder Miami Ice
Two beers, nice enough to be called friends
- Feb 26, 2025
- More »
Latest in Drink
