Pale Ale, Troegs Brewing Co., Harrisburg, PA

Sometimes, a good thing can also have unintended consequences. For example, the trend in the past 5 or so years is to make "extreme" beers, with massive quantities of hops and malts, leading to huge, robust flavors in every sip. The downside of this extreme beer movement is that older beers, made in traditional styles, tends to seem weak by comparison.

The Pale Ale from Troegs Brewing Co. is one of those traditional beers. While it is a great example of a pale ale, it seems like it is stuck in the past. It doesn't have "hops that will make you pucker", or "more malts than a bakery" or "so much alcohol we can't sell it legally". Instead, it is a refreshing, classic beer, and I definitely was impressed. It comes in at 5.4% ABV, with an attractive straw yellow color and a fresh, clean aroma. It ranks very high on the "drinkability" scale, with an easy-drinking taste and nothing offensive. You'll probably want to enjoy more than one of these beers.

Ranking = 3.5

Octoberfest beers are one of my favorite styles, and the 2009 Octoberfest beers are starting to arrive in stores. I'm going to start concentrating on Octoberfest. Let me know in the comments if there is a particular favorite of yours that I should try.