Anchor Brewing Company - Humming Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a pint glass

Humming Ale, an American Pale Ale, from Anchor Brewing pours a hazy orangy straw body. The off-white head is healthy in its dimensions with a frothy consistency and excellent retention. Layers of chunky lacing adorn the top of the glass as the head slowly fades. Hops are pungent and stinky with heaps of low earthy tones. Mild malts underlie the bouquet with a customary sweetness.

The beer is light bodied and highly drinkable. Contrasting the beer's nose, mild hops are lightly fruity, matching the airy beer feeling. The contrast between the nose and the hop flavor is intriguing and lends itself to a pleasant drinking experience. Malts are somewhat grainy and pack a somewhat honey-like sweetness. This is an easy going beer for easy going people. A simple pleasure to drink and enjoy.

Final Verdict: B

Shipyard Brewing Company - Summer Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. twist-off bottle, poured into a pint glass

The Summer Ale from Maine-based Shipyard pours a moderately pale straw body. The beer's medium-thin head is bright white in color, but has almost no retention and leaves no lacing on the glass. The nose is slightly sour and gives an overly sweet malty aroma. There's a bit of dryness among the almost candied edge with no noticeable hops of substance.

The beer sports a sweet raw maltiness that is thin and disappointingly almost sugary sweet. Despite some redeeming honey-like characteristics, it comes off vaguely cloying. There are no perceptible hops and likewise no true depth of flavor. The malt character is not enough to hold its own without an aromatic counterpart. The carbonation is moderate and semi-refreshing, but it doesn't help make this beer any more enjoyable.

Final Verdict: D

Blue Point Brewing Company - Spring Fling Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a pint glass

It's a little late, based on the name, but the Spring Fling ale from Blue Point still makes for solid summer drinking. The beer pours a clear and even amber body with a large head of light fluffy foam. Modestly off-white in color, the head has moderate retention and great initial lacing. The nose carries a slight sour graininess on top its malt-centric aroma. The slightly lagery edge brings this beer in line with a lot of standard amber ales.

The velvety mouthfeel is smooth and consistent overall with a solid carbonation. The beer is quite malty with an understated caramel sweetness. The toasted malts lean a bit toward biscuity, held back slightly by a minor dusting of hoppiness. A mild finish sends this beer off with a lagery edge and a hint of dryness.

Final Verdict: B

Weyerbacher Brewing Co. - Hops Infusion

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a pint glass

The Hops Infusion IPA from Pennsylvania-based Weyebacher pours a nearly completely opaque flat brown. The cloudy yeast infusion features a series of wispy strings of sediment floating just under the head of the beer. The head is a large frothy foam colored light brown with speckles of yeast. The beer's retention is solid and the lacing is moderate on the walls of the glass. A sweet hop perfume springs forth on the nose, backed up by toasty malts and a hint of sweet melon.

This IPA is interesting and different with powerfully floral hops and a backing waxy honey sweetness. Rough cracked grains seem to add depth to the mouthfeel and compliment the beer with a gritty down to earth appeal to balance the flowery sweetness of the hops. The finish is herbal with lingering honey notes. The beer doesn't exactly fit the bill of an IPA, but it is an excellent beer and an excellent pale ale, nonetheless.

Final Verdict: A-

Victory Brewing Co. - Headwaters Pale Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a Mark Twain pint glass

The Headwaters Pale Ale from Pennsylvania-based Victory pours a deep gold with a suffused, but understated tawny warmth. The slightly yellowed head is airy and light with moderate retention and modest lacing throughout the glass. The nose has a hoppy and dusty aroma with a slightly sweet and malty edge.

The texture is a coarse graininess with a healthy dose of carbonation. The apple juice sweetness of the malts are balanced by a pronounced, but well-contained hopping. The hops are lightly piney in character and provide a nice round of bittering, suitable for an American Pale Ale. The finish is clean and crisp making for a highly drinkable beer.

Final Verdict: B-

Sebago Brewing Company - Local Harvest Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a pint glass

From the Sebago Brewing Company comes their Local Harvest Ale, an American Pale Ale distinctly in the California tradition. The body is a medium to dark brown, very hazy, with a muted tan head. The foam is frothy and of considerable size. The retention is excellent and there's great lacing right off the bat. The nose is hoppy with hints of citrus and pine. There's a slight earthiness that reminds me a bit of a black tea. Finally there's a slight bit of sugary sweetness.

It seems like there is a bit of a delay of the impact of the flavor, but it comes through soon enough. The beer is full-bodied with coarsely cracked malted grains that produce a mild toasty sweetness. Grapefruit defines the citrus hops and they have an incredibly fresh and leafy character to them. The beer seems highly herbal and carries a mild candied finish. Hops linger making this a highly enjoyable APA. Definitely one to try.

Final Verdict: A-

Stone Brewing Company - Stone Pale Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a pint glass

From another great looking screen-printed bottle comes Stone Pale Ale from Stone Brewing Company of California. The brew pours a glowing amber with a hazy fine yeast suspension. The generous head is a creamy off-white foam. The retention is great and there's tons of lacing. The beer seems light and fruity with a hoppy nose and a moderate sweetness.

The beer is smooth right of the bat, but maintains a nice level of carbonation. Full-bodied toasted malts and a prominent hop profile define this pale ale. It's definitely in the tradition of the American Pale Ale and definitely with West Coast spirit. The hops are big, but not overly bitter. I'd say this might rival some of the lesser (in terms of hop bill) IPAs out there, but compared to Stone's own entries into the IPA category, this is relatively mild on the hop front. The finish is refreshing with some lingering hops and a tiny leather edge.

Final Verdict: B+

Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company - Original Pub Style

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. twist-off bottle, poured into a Mark Twain pint glass

Gritty's Pub Ale is an American Pale Ale that stands in contrast to many of the quite-hoppy examples typical of the American style. The beer pours a moderate straw with an amber tint and high active carbonation. The head is thin to begin with and manages only modest retention. There's not much in the way of lacing either. The nose is sweet and grainy with a minor toffee edge. The hops are light and it leaves the beer seeming like it might be syrupy.

The beer is very interesting and different, but I'm torn. I'm not sure how much I actually like it. It's highly floral with hibiscus hints throughout. There's a sweetness like honey that pushes this beer into the interesting realm of almost resembling a sweet tea. Maybe more like a hibiscus-infused herbal tea? There's also a minor artificial tinge to the beer, although I have no reason to believe that it's anything actually artificial causing that. I'd say its worth a try, but not something I'd go out of my way to have again.

Final Verdict: C+

North Coast Brewing Co. - ACME California Pale Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a pint glass

North Coast's ACME Pale Ale pours a crystal clear amber, bordering on a darkened straw. The large fluffy white head has good retention and decent lacing. The nose is very lagery with sweet grains and light hopping that seems a bit like the Noble varieties you find in Pilsners, although, according to the hop bill, none of those varieties are to be found here.

The beer seems medium bodied with a somewhat velvety mouthfeel. The hopping is quite light, while the beer comes across quite malty. There's a light toastiness, which lends itself to moderate caramel sweetness, but not much. There are also hints of apple juice near the end. The aftertaste is a bit thin. In my mind, this is nothing like a Pale Ale. After the absolute hit that was Red Seal Ale, I was hoping for a lot more.

Final Verdict: C

Anchor Brewing Company - Liberty Ale

Purchased From: Sonoma Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a Mark Twain pint glass

Liberty Ale, from the San Francisco-based Anchor Brewing Company, is a refreshingly delicious american pale ale. The beer pours a bright glowing orange body with a moderate-sized off-white head. The foam has a minor hop oil sheen too it as it begins to fade. The retention is solid, but the lacing is a bit thin overall. The aroma has a spicy sweetness with plenty of fresh-smelling citrusy hops.

The flavor has a distinct dryness, but is understated on the whole. While not as pungent as many pale ales, Liberty has a subtle depth of flavor. The hops are high on aromatics with plenty of floral tones. Citrus and fruit also make it in to add to the range. Finally The grainy malts wind up the beer with a mild and pleasing honey sweetness. The aftertaste is long-lived and rewarding.

Final Verdict: A

Hooker Brewing Company - American Pale Ale

Hooker Brewing Company - American Pale Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits

Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a Hooker pint glass

Hooker’s American Pale Ale pours a medium amber with a yellowy-straw glow. The mid-sized tan head is slightly oily in appearance and packs solid retention. The lacing is modest, but pleasant overall. The nose is aromatic with plenty of piney hops and an underlying maple-like malt sweetness.

The malts are chunky and bold with a light caramel sweetness. There’s a clear presence of Hooker’s standard base malts, which thin down the body a bit, but leave off with a nice balance. The hops are clean and refreshing, but unobtrusive. There’s a definite emphasis on aromatics rather than bittering hops. This beer is very drinkable and a dependable year-round brew.

Final Verdict: B+

Cottrell - Old Yankee Ale

Cottrell - Old Yankee Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits

Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a mug

I’m disappointed to say that I hadn’t heard of Cottrell Brewing Company earlier. They’re based in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, and apparently, they make great beer. I’m looking forward to trying their Mystic Bridge IPA sometime in the future. For now, though, the focus is on Old Yankee Ale.

The body of the beer is a coppery-amber with a mild haze to it. There’s a small off-white head, but not much retention and no lacing. The earthen malts come through clearly in the nose, backed up by slight caramel hints and modest floral hops.

The toasted malts are right up front with this beer, which nicely balances sweetness with bitterness. The hop profile is mild, but has considerable character and adds a lot to the beer, without taking over. The finish is crisp, but not dry. What’s left is a lingering tasty molasses,

Final Verdict: B+

Sierra Nevada - Estate Homegrown Ale

Sierra Nevada - Estate Homegrown Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits

Serving Type: 750 mL wax-sealed bottle, poured into a Becker pint glass

This is a special, limited-production ale produced from organic ingredients grown and brewed on site at the brewery in California. Beer Advocate bills this as an ‘American IPA,’ but its character and the official website, don’t seem to suggest that. My first reaction was that the Estate Ale was a competent, but not outstanding, IPA. However, reevaluating my opinion on this beer as a Pale Ale gives it a lot more credit.

The body is a glowing amber with a large yellowy-golden head. The foam is thick, has tremendous staying power, and produces plenty of intricate lacing on the glass. The nose is incredibly bright with floral hops and citrus.

The taste matches with extremely bright and fresh lightly toasted malts. They’re crisp and refreshing with a healthy amount of hops to back them up. The hops are also incredibly fresh-tasting and produce a highly enjoyable grapefruit aroma and flavor. 

When I bought this beer I was told by the package store’s proprietor that he found it extremely fresh, but would almost like to give it some time in the bottle. Unlike the S’muttonator, which I thought could use probably about 2 years, I think fresh is the way to drink this beer. I’m not sure I’d call this a world-class American Pale Ale, but I would say drinking a beer with such character and distinctive freshness is rarity that deserves to be enjoyed.

Final Verdict: A-

Ballantine XXX Ale

Ballantine XXX Ale

Purchased From: Copaco Liquors & Fine Wines

Serving Type: 12 oz. can, poured into a mug

Finishing up this two-week series is a bonus ale made by a mass-producer. Ballantine was once a well-known label owned by Falstaff Brewing Company. The company was eventually sued during a merger with Narragansett Brewing Company by the State of Rhode Island over antitrust issues. Although Falstaff won, this, combined with declining sales, was a fatal blow to the company.

Just imagine, Falstaff was once the third largest brewer and it was sued over antitrust. How, then, do we have Anheuser-Busch merge with InBev to create AB InBev and SABMiller and MolsonCoors (both themselves products of mergers) join to create MillerCoors? It’s difficult to follow the series of steps that allowed these mergers, but fought to disallow the previous merger without getting a headache. Ballantine, the brand, is now owned by Pabst Brewing Company (one of its many obscure, but historic, labels). This means, of course, that Ballantine is contract-brewed by beer giant MillerCoors. 

Either way, onto the goods. Ballantine pours a golden straw color with a small head and minimal retention. Light lacing can be found on the glass. The nose, unlike the long list of lagers reviewed over the past two weeks, has a dry hoppy character and a hint of must. The malt-bomb lagers stand in stark contrast to this ale.

The mouthfeel is light and crisp with high carbonation for an ale. The malts here are light in flavor, providing some sweetness, but they’re overshadowed by potent hops that define Ballantine’s taste. The finish is clean, but there’s a lingering herbal touch.

Overall, it’s very drinkable. It’s crisp, affordable, and it makes a great beer for warm weather. I would, however, advise against buying it from Copaco. They charge an arm and a leg for it. I’m not sure if it is really “America’s Largest Selling Ale” as the can purports, but it fits the bill for mass-market appeal, price, and a good taste.

Final Verdict: B+