Kirkland Pale Ale

Thanks goes out to Henry Lapka for bringing 4 of these over following our Social Statistics final. His dad picked them up for him when he came down this past weekend and he felt it necessary to incorporate into the blog. I didn't try them right away, but I traded him a bottle of mead and we tested out my Organic Robust Coffee Porter while playing a bit of Halo 2. Tried this that night.

Appearance: Crystal clear amber with a fingers worth of an initial foamed head, that slowly dissipates into a film with a uniformed segmented lacing on the glass. Micro-bubble carbonation is visible.

Aroma: Quite fruity with a dash of caramel. Not so much grassy as it is subtly leaf-like in aroma.

Taste: Alternatively, the taste reveals a rich grassy taste initially, that is then followed up with a minor caramel sweetness, but finishes dry and leaves a very resinous herbaceous aftertaste bitterness that isn't necessarily appealing.
Mouthfeel: Very fluid and drinkable. Body and mouthfeel are on the lower scale. Carbonation makes this beer clean and refreshing.
Overall Impression: Nothing very notable. Very typical of a Costco brand beverage. Probably mass produced, but good enough to enter the craft beer sector. Nevertheless there is a person behind every industry, and someone had to make  recipe for this. Unfortunately they went for the bland bitterness and uneventful malt. But I understand this ale is meant to appeal to the greater public who may trust a brand enough to try new beer. A good gateway I suppose...


69/100