On Tap.

With A Lost Epic, Peticolas Brewing Company's Got Another Winner.

Welcome to On Tap! Each week in this recurring feature, we'll take an in-depth look at one of the many beers now available in the suddenly crowded North Texas brew scene. The goal here is to look at these area beers without our local goggles on and to wonder aloud, “Is this beer good or do I just like it because it's local?” Should be a fun experiment, no? Cheers to that!

This week, we sipped on Peticolas Brewing Company's A Lost Epic.

Fast Facts on A Lost Epic.
• Style: Belgian Tripel.
• ABV: 11 percent.
• International Bitterness Units (IBUs): 25.
• Color: Gold-tinged amber.
• Availability: Limited release.

Overview.
A Lost Epic is a Belgian-style Tripel from Peticolas Brewing Company. The name — obvious to some, harder to come by for others — is actually an anagram of “Peticolas.” Interestingly, though, this brew represents a bit of a departure for brewer Michael Peticolas: It's the first beer in the Peticolas lineup that doesn't use his primary house yeast strain.

Why's this of note? Talk to any brewer for any length of time and you'll quickly surmise that, when it comes to their yeast, brewers are a finicky bunch. Yeast are temperamental organisms, at best. They're hard to control and subject to seemingly random whims of fancy that leaves brewers (mostly) at their mercy. Not controlled properly, mismanaged yeast can lead to some decidedly unpleasant flavors in a finished beer. This is why many brewers — Peticolas included — make the conscious decision to eliminate as much risk as possible in their yeast management procedures by only working with a single strain. Introducing other strains brings extra risk for contamination and other problems with the beer, which makes A Lost Epic all the more a remarkable direction — especially coming from a brewer who has been known to say that he doesn't necessarily want the best brewery, but rather the cleanest.

That said, it's refreshing to see Peticolas take the risk to introduce a classic Belgian-style beer into his lineup as it occupies an entirely different end of the flavor spectrum from his other house yeast beers.

Background on Belgian Tripels.
For a good background in the Belgian Tripel style, see our review of Community's Trinity Tripel.

Appearance.
A Lost Epic pours crystal clear with a gold-tinged amber color. There's a nice fluffy white head that recedes fairly quickly into the glass.

Aroma.
Medium levels of fruity esters give a decidedly Belgian character to this beer. Slight spice and earthy hop aromas provide a complementary dimension to the aroma.

Flavor.
The alcohol here comes strong up front — but not in any kind of biting way. It's actually quite pleasant with a rounded, soft, fruit-like character. This is complemented by more fruity esters, including a bit of ripe banana followed by the faintest hop backbone and a slightly sweet finish.

Mouthfeel.
Medium to medium high mouthfeel with adequate levels of carbonation for the style.

Overall Impression.
As has been a running theme with Peticolas beers, A Lost Epic is another well-balanced beer with some substantially rich, fruity flavors. It’s boozy, just as an 11 percent beer ought to be, but it's not in-your-face in really any possible way. This beer is very easy to drink, which, again, is dangerous for a beer of this magnitude.

Look for A Lost Epic to pair well with many of the rich, full-flavored foods of the holiday season. Without a doubt, this brew will be one of Peticolas' more anticipated seasonals for years to come.

Score.
On a scale of 1-10, I'll give A Lost Epic a 9.5.

What's happening in the area brew scene? (Powered by Dallas Brew Scene.)
• Saturday, January 11. Saint Arnold Bishop's Barrel flights at Flying Saucer (Addison).
• Tuesday, January 13. Funkwerks launch at The Common Table.
• Saturday, January 24. The Dallas Brew Bus' January Tour.

Previous On Tap Reviews:
• Peticolas' Royal Scandal: 10.
• Community's Mosaic IPA: 10.
• Peticolas' Velvet Hammer: 10.
• Community's Legion: 10.
• Community's Ascension Porter: 9.5.
• Lakewood's Temptress: 9.5.
• Lakewood's Goatman: 9.5.
• Community's Public Ale: 9.5.
• Peticolas' Thrilla in Brazilla: 9.5.
• Revolver's Blood & Honey: 9.
• Martin House's Imperial Texan: 9.
• Community's Trinity Tripel: 9.
• Peticolas' Irish Goodbye: 9.
• Four Corners' Block Party Porter: 9.
• Cedar Creek's Belgian Dubbel: 9.
• Deep Ellum's Oak Cliff Coffee Ale: 8.5.
• Lakewood's Rock Ryder: 8.5.
• Rahr's Bourbon Barrel Aged Winter Warmer: 8.5.
• Lakewood's Raspberry Temptress: 8.5.
• Lakewood's Punkel: 8.
• Four Corners' El Chingon IPA: 8.
• Martin House's Day Break: 8.
• Deep Ellum's GOURDzilla: 8.
• Peticolas' The Duke (Aged 12 Months): 8.
• Deep Ellum's Pale Ale: 8.
• Revolver's Bock: 8.
• 903 Brewers' Sasquatch: 8.
• Peticolas' Wintervention: 8.
• Armadillo Ale Works' Brunch Money: 8.
• Martin House's Salsa Verde: 8.
• Cedar Creek's Spinning Mule Robust Porter: 8.
• Lakewood's Holiday Bonus: 8.
• Lakewood's Hop Trapp: 8.
• Martin House's Rubberneck Red: 7.5.
• Lakewood's Antigoon's Revenge: 7.5.
• Community's Texas Pils: 7.5.
• Lakewood's Zomer Pils: 7.5.
• Cedar Creek's Dankosaurus: 7.5.
• Deep Ellum IPA: 7.
• Cedar Creek's The Lawn Ranger: 7.
• Martin House Brewing Company's Cellarman's Reserve IPA (Amarillo).: 7.
• Lakewood's Till & Toil: 7.
• 903 Brewers' The Chosen One: 7.
• 903 Brewers' Sugar On Top: 7.
• Martin House's Gateway XPA: 7.
• Armadillo Ale Work's Quakertown Stout: 7.
• Revolver's High Brass: 7.
• Community's Pale Ale: 7.
• Martin House's River House: 7.
• Grapevine Craft Brewery's Sir William's Brown Ale: 7.
• Community's Funnel Cake Ale: 7.
• Audacity's Boss Raptor IPA: 7.
• Peticolas' The Duke: 6.5.
• Deep Ellum's Double Brown Stout : 6.5.
• Cedar Creek's Elliott's Phoned Home Pale Ale: 6
• Grapevine Craft Brewery's Lakefire: 6
• Armadillo Ale Works' WunderMelon: 6
• Deep Ellum Pale Ale: 6
• Lakewood's La Dame Du Lac: 5.5.
• Deep Ellum's Numb Comfort: 5.
• Grapevine's Monarch: 4.
• Franconia Wheat: 3.
• Miller Lite: 1.