Paddy Pale Ale

Thanks again to John for giving me this beer at the Great Taste of the Midwest. Enjoyed following an evening run and some cucumber from the garden.

Appearance: Light sunny orange with a yellowed tint. Head is foamy and white, though not very dense. Dissipation is sufficient to demolish it into a film and a white ring. Lacing is styrofoamed and dry. Within the glass the beer looks very still with small bits of flocculents interspersed..perhaps hops.

Aroma: Huge orange zest aroma with a back-up coming from pine and other tropical citrus fruit. The scent is very fresh and outdoorsy. Nice floralness and tang.

Taste: Tart but zesty. There is a very mellow but apparent grapefruit complexity that can easily be confused for pine. Pine flavors are certainly present and the alpha acids do a phenomenal job pairing with a rather back burner base malt. Just as you'd assume the malt backbone is biscuit, the hops crash down and provide an alternative sweetness. The midtaste holds the most palatable flavor, while the finish leaves a bit of a grassy flavor on the back of the tongue. Afterburp is great and citrusy.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation foams the back of the tongue as you swallow. There isn't much of a bite, but still a singe to notice on the roof of the mouth. Body is medium and the end is very dry and resinous, yet a bit oily. Smooth but tangy.
Overall Impression: A great pale ale in a different direction. The tang from the hops....and well, that's all. A lot of hop complexity and minimal malt flavor. However the malt, I'd suspect encourages a blossoming multi-leveled complexity from the hops.


89/100