Pick Axe Pale Ale, Tommyknocker Brewery, Idaho Springs, Co.

I have had a pretty good few weeks in the free beer department; it's almost as if Karma is helping me out after dumping all that cash on the Utopias. My amigo Downtown, gifted me some Tommyknocker Pick Axe Pale Ale and I feel quite indebted to him. It's been awhile since I've enjoyed a good American Pale and I was definitely looking forward to putting this one into a tall glass. The Pick Axe poured a nice orange brown color with modest head. The beer led off with a bitter hop first impression, melding into a caramel apple malt hop combination. Finishing with a crisp tasting, solid even bitterness. The Tommyknocker is a great example of how American Pale Ales should be constructed. The 6.2% ABV only solidifies this beer’s standing. Now only if I can get Downtown to gift me a few more! The Pick Axe Pale Ale gets a 4.0

Haverhill Brewery: Homerun APA

Remember when you were a little kid, and on Christmas morning you'd sprint down those stairs to open up your presents? As you sat there ripping off wrapping paper there was always that inevitable disappointment when you opened up the socks, thinking it was a Transformer. Well that kind of sums up how I felt about the Homerun American Pale Ale.

Don't get me wrong, it's fine enough, it's just that I was expecting more I guess. Haverhill Brewery is a local brewery (for me at least), which made me want to love it that much more (gotta support the local guys right). It was good, just not knock your aforementioned socks off good.

I was expecting lots of hops, and got maybe one hop. Nothing about the flavor, aroma or color jumped out at me. The only thing I really noticed was the aftertaste which wasn't all that great and just wouldn't go away. The best thing about this beer? The label... can't go wrong there. Next time, I suggest they put more effort into their beer though, and less into the advertising (although I guess it worked on me). I'm going to give the beer a blah 2. Sure it's beer, it'll get the job done, but I won't be running out to grab another six pack.

Geary's Pale Ale, D.L. Geary Brewing Co., Portland, ME

I am always a little disappointed when I pick out a Pale Ale and it's more an English Pale than an American Pale Ale. That is the case when I picked out the Geary's Pale Ale. The Geary's was more bitter than malty. The malt was highlighted honeyish and dry apple tones. Still, despite all this, the beer was decent. The 4.5% ABV is decent.
Funny thing about this beer, at the bar Geary's was served, it was described as the first Microbrewery east of the Mississippi, something that is essentially said on the website as well. I think since Yeungling was America's Oldest Brewery, why isn't that considered the first micro brewery? Right? Oh well, the Geary's Pale Ale gets a 3.0.

Fresh Hop Pale Ale, Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver, CO

Fresh hop beers (a.k.a. hop harvest beers) have been reviewed here previously, so it should not be surprising to see another review. Great Divide Brewing Co. is taking a very different approach that most other fresh hop products.

The Fresh Hop Pale Ale is basically a very nice pale ale that happens to use fresh hops. The brewers don't try to choke you with hop flavor, but rather have created a well-balanced and drinkable ale. The hop taste is definitely assertive, but not overpowering. Drinking this beer, you can definitely taste the ingredients, instead of a glass of hop extract with hints of beer flavor in the background.

The ABV, at 6.1%, is appropriate for the style, as is the copper color. The fresh hops give the beer an interesting earthy flavor, making me think of clean air and green grass. While this sounds odd, it is a positive sensation.

Rating = 4.0

All in all, a very solid, well balanced beer which exhibits the different taste profile of fresh hops without clearing your sinuses with "quadruple hop flavor". I'd buy this beer if I saw it again. Of course, it is only available for about 2 months every fall.

Drifter Pale Ale, Widmer Brothers Brewing Co., Portland, OR

The first thing that comes to my mind when sipping the Widmer Drifter Pale Ale is that this beer has some kick to it. The Drifter has some dark, deep malt flavoring. The hops provide an apply, apricot flavor before delivering an enduring bitterness. The 5.7% ABV is nothing to shake a stick at either. The Drifter gets a 3.5.

Sparkling Ale, Coopers Brewery, Australia

The famous "Red Label" Sparkling Ale from Coopers Brewery! Direct from Australia for my pleasure!

The Sparkling Ale is top-fermented and bottle-conditioned, leading to a hazy glow of sediment in the glass. The aroma is a bit musty, probably from the bottle fermentation and yeast, but also has a nice fruit and malt component. The yeast carries over to the taste, as there is a bit of sourness in the beginning of the sip. But the lively and effervescent flavor of the beer wins out, with the taste of fresh fruit (pears?) and a clean, hop-balanced finish. Drinking this beer is actually quite refreshing. I wish I had the foresight to enjoy this beer on a hot summer afternoon, as I'm sure that it would be fantastic. Next year...

The ABV comes in at 5.8%, which is somewhat amazing, since I can't really detect any alcohol. Usually with an ABV that is getting towards 6%, I can sense some alcohol "heat", but this one stays refreshing and smooth.

Rating = 4.0

The Coopers Brewery website is fantastic, by the way. My favorite fact: Brewery founder Thomas Cooper writes to his brother in 1862, "Dear Brother, We are now engaged in the brewery business." I'm still waiting for my brother's brewery pronouncement...

Coopers Original Pale Ale

Every once in a while, when you're out and about with friends, you stumble onto something unexpectedly, and this is what happened with the Coopers Pale Ale. Coopers is out of Australia, so immediately I think of Fosters (or at least the episode of the Simpsons where they go to Australia and drink Fosters).

I had the Coopers in a glass, but poured from the bottle. It pours cloudy with a very healthy head. When pouring from the bottle, be careful you don't get too much sediment in your glass though. It went down very smooth, with the first glass tasting as good as the fourth. The smell was mostly of hops with a hint of citrus, but it wasn't exactly overpowering. Simple would be a good word to describe it really.

If you're out and about and see this beer, I'd definitely recommend you give it a whirl. At 4.5%abv, it's not all that potent, but the taste makes up for it. Overall, I'd give this beer a very solid 3.

Ruedrich's Red Seal Ale, North Coast Brewing, Fort Bragg, CA

Since I started this journey over a year ago, I have rarely been tempted in a beer bar to order the same beer again when there are dozens of beers on draught or in the bottle I have yet to try. But the North Coast Brewing Red Seal Ale turned out to be an evil little temptress. The beer has a distinct coppery red coloring. The beer is on the creamy side, but don’t take that as a sign of weakness. The applehopped malt flavor revels in its pale bittery bite. The 5.5% ABV is also a nice little surprise.

So after finishing up the Red Seal, I did move on to a new beer as my second choice, which you’ll read about in a few weeks, however I did succumb and order the Red Seal again for my third beer.

The Red Seal gets a 4.0

Mayflower Pale Ale, Mayflower Brewing Co., Plymouth, MA

You snooze, you lose, Knight of Saint Arnold, I am taking the vaunted 100th review spot. And the Mayflower Pale Ale is well deserving of this honor, because it epitomizes the essence of this crusade, which was to try and find as many good beers that are out there. Sure I can go into most liquor stores, pick up a six pack of Beer Crusade's lone Hall of Fame Beer, Dale's Pale Ale, but where is the fun in that? I want to find the next Hall of Fame beer.

Mayflower Pale Ale is good pale ale. It has light bitterness, good malt flavoring, solid citrusy tones and a decent 4.9% ABV. It's a good beer for pretty much anytime, not too heavy, not too light. It's a safe choice and safe choices like this get a 3.0.

I am sure you expected a Hall of Famer or a Zero for number 100, but honestly you just can't pick Hall of Famers by looking at them, if you could I am sure there'd be a lot less 2.0s on the blog.

The Lost Abbey: Red Barn Ale

Quick show of hands... who out there likes beer? If your hand is raised, and it really should be as you're reading a blog all about beer, then listen up! I found a humdinger of a beer tonight. Red Barn Ale, made by the folks at The Lost Abbey, is truly a delight. Apparently it's a saison style beer, which means it's traditionally low in alcohol content to refresh farm workers during the harvest season (thank you wikipedia). Well I'm not a farm worker, but it is creeping up on the harvest season, and this beer was very refreshing.

It comes in a champagne style bottle, cork and all, and when poured it's a very near perfect golden color, along with a nice healthy amount of head. When I first opened it and took a sniff, it immediately smelled like one of the Beer Crusaders home brews, which isn't always a good thing (we drink when we brew sometimes, you do the math) but this had a wonderful smell. The aroma of hops and yeast hit me immediately, and produced an "eight year old on Christmas morning" smile on my face.

When I finally stopped smelling it and had a sip, I realized just how near perfection this beer was. Not perfect, but close to it. The spices immediately jump out at you, but doesn't overwhelm your pallet, which is a very fine line.

At 6.7%abv, it's not exceptionally potent, but who cares when it tastes this good. Overall, I'm giving this beer a very strong 4. I wasn't really expecting much from it, but was very surprised and will most definitely purchase another bottle in the very near future.

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.

New Dogtown Pale Ale, Lagunitas Brewing Co., Petaluma, CA

OK I admit it, if I am not driving the Lagunitas bandwagon, then I am riding shot gun. I am a huge fan of their beers. In fact if I were stuck on a deserted island and could only choose one brewer, I’d be hard pressed to choose between Lagunitas and Dogfish Head. The New Dogtown Pale Ale did not disappoint and has reaffirmed my devotion to this brewer. The Dogtown is on the lighter side of pale ales. It is very smooth. I would characterize the bitterness as unassuming, it’s there but chilling in the background. The flavor of the beer is definitely a combination of apples and hops, with the apple flavor paramount. The beer has a 6.4% ABV which is no joke. I give the New Dogtown a 4.0

Sherwood Forest Archer's English-Style Pale Ale

As far as I can tell, Sherwood Forest Brewers is the only active craft brewer in Marlborough, MA. I don't know if that is a bad thing or not, but these guys can make a very good beer.

Their flagship beer, the English-Style Pale Ale, is full of malty deliciousness with a nice dark red color. There is some hop flavor in the aftertaste, but only a hint of it. Easy to drink, this one is probably 5.0% ABV (though the ABV is mysteriously unpublished).

With a name like English-Style Pale Ale, I was expecting something like a Bass Ale. While the two beers are similar, I think I'm liking the Sherwood Forest product a bit more.

Rating = 3.5

The only potential downside is that the marketing department at Sherwood Forest Brewers is taking the whole "Robin Hood" theme a bit too far. The image on the label looks like something from the cover of a Dungeons and Dragons book. And the website is packed with Robin Hood stories and metaphors, such as "The Sheriff of Nottingham, A devious fellow with a certain affinity for women and for Hops". Yeah....

Anglers Pale Ale, Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, Utah

In the movie Beautiful Girls, the protagonist Willie is asked by his friend Kev to rate his girlfriend based on face, body & personality. For each question Willie responds, "Good, solid, seven and a half." Essentially nothing excellent, nothing bad, middle of the road. This is how I feel about the Anglers Pale Ale. It does a lot of things good, nothing great, and more importantly nothing bad. The beer is creamy, light and has a very flavorful malt taste. The kind of beer you can pretty much offer anyone who enjoys beer and they'll like it. Perhaps the only thing above average in this beer is the ABV which is 5.8%. The Uintas therefore gets a good solid 3.0 rating.

Denver Pale Ale, Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver Co.

I called up my friend Leroy on the phone
I said, ‘Buddy, I’m afraid to be alone
‘Cause I got some weird ideas in my head
About things to do in Denver when you’re dead’

I am not quite sure where the great Warren Zevon was going with this, but if I am in Denver, living or dead, I am hitting the breweries. I have always been a fan of the Colorado Brews, especially the pale ales. Boulder Extra Pale Ale back in ’97 opened me up to a whole world outside of the $9 case of Keystone. I have raved about the wonders at Oskar Blues Brewing, and I am adding Great Divide Brewing Co.’s Denver Pale Ale to my beer rotation. Now the label does say English Style, but I wholeheartedly disagree. The Denver Pale doesn’t have that flat taste I find most English Pale’s have. The Denver Pale is full bodied, with a firm malt taste. It is not as strong as a Dale’s Pale Ale, but it is stronger than a Sierra Nevada. The final notes of the beer are a crisp apple/grape hopped tinged taste. The Denver Pale has a surprisingly low 5.4% ABV. The Denver Pale gets a 4.0

Blue Hill India Pale Ale; Xtra Pale Ale, Blue Hills Brewery, Canton, MA

A few months ago, a friend of a friend mentioned they had tried the beer from Blue Hills Brewery at a local beer fest and it was the best beer there. Now, I don't know this person, or what their beer IQ is, but I have been intrigued by this company ever since. The brewery is brand new so they do not have set tours or anything; but last Saturday they sent me an email inviting me to a tasting at their brewery. I was lucky enough to show up as the brewmaster was giving a tour and tagged along to the end. The brewery wasn't very big, but they definitely made use of all the space available.
I started with their IPA, not expecting too much, and I was immediately floored. Now most people I know, especially those in the Boston area, measure their IPAs against Harpoon IPA. Understandable. Harpoon IPA is delicious. The Blue Hill India Pale Ale is right up there with Harpoon. The Blue Hill has slightly less hop bite to it, but it matches up in all other categories and their taste is close to identical. The Blue Hill IPA though comes off a bit smoother, due to the less hoppy bite, but sometimes that's what you are in the mood for. The Blue Hill IPA gets a 4.5.

The Blue Hill Xtra Pale Ale was a very smooth pale ale, it doesn't have the bite of a DPA or the weakness of those English Pale Ales. The Xtra Pale Ale is refreshing and has a nice honey citrusy taste. The Xtra Pale Ale gets a 4.0.

Unfortunately, for you, Blue Hills Brewery is not offering bottles or cans mass market yet. They are in several local restaurants in the Boston/South Shore Mass area (Doyle's, RedBones, Irish Ale House just to name a few), I'll post the entire list in the comments. But you should definitely go out and look for this beer, it's too good to pass up.

Old Brewery Pale Ale, Samuel Smith's Old Brewery, Tadcaster, United Kingdom

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. -A. Einstein.

I think I need to take what Al says to heart. Time and Time again I was been disappointed by English Pale Ales. I keep hoping they will be fun and hoppy and crisp like their American brethren, and time after time I am disappointed. The English pales are often flat and unflavorful. The Samuel Smith Old Brewery Pale Ale made a valiant attempt to prove me wrong, but it too fell short. There was no hop flavoring, just a light mocha/hazelnut sweet taste. The Smith pulls down a 5% ABV. As far as English Pales go, I will take a page from Chief Joseph's book and 'I will fight no more forever'. The Sam Smith Old Brewery Pale Ale gets a 2.0.

Endurance Pale Ale, Endurance Brewing Co., Ipswich, MA

"Hello Darkness, my old friend; I've come to talk with you again." An appropriate opening lyric for this was the song that popped into my head when I walked into the bar and saw Endurance Pale Ale on tap. A few years ago, I received a mystery pack of beers for Christmas, and this was one of them. Now the picture above doesn't do it justice, but go to the website and check out the story of Endurance Pale Ale, it's great. After reading the side of the bottle, I chose this as the first beer from the mystery pack I'd try. At this point my beer rotation was strictly Busch Light, Bud Light and Harpoon IPA, but this mystery box and the Endurance Pale led me down a path not previously taken. The Endurance has a crisp citrus taste. The hops bitter the beer just enough to keep you on your toes and to distinguish it from its weaker British Pale Ale brethren. The ABV is not available for this beer, but I would guess it's about 5 if not 5.5%. The Endurance gets a solid 3.5 ranking.

Interesting side note, the Mystery Pack above also had my first Dale's Pale Ale? Best Christmas present ever? Perhaps…although Nintendo may have something to say about that.

Wingwalker Pale Ale, City Brewery, La Crosse, WI

For a beer as good as Wingwalker Pale Ale, they sure have a terrible website. As you can see there is not much going on here techwise, and it makes me think that this is just another big corporate company beer packaged differently, but if I do say this is one fantastic beer. The caramel apple malt flavor is a descendant of ambrosia itself. The beer is quite simply delicious. The flavor, malt, alcohol combination should earn legendary combo status alongside Tinker to Evers to Chance. The 5.4% ABV makes this a beer to be reckoned with. I definitely recommend you pick it up. Wingwalker Pale gets a 4.5

Black Dog Ale, Spanish Peaks Brewing Co., Polson, MT

The Black Dog Ale is another one of these beers from "Parts Unknown", it seems they used to be based out of Maryland and now may be located in Montana. And I found it in Maine. This dog knows how to travel. The Black Dog is a smooth brownish ale with a good light taste. The hops are very unassuming, a trait you will find in most English Pale Ales. The beer is definitely refreshing and will not dominate your palette, but linger so you know it's there. The 5.2% ABV is right in line with the crispness of the beer. The Black Dog gets a 3.5.