Bass Brewers Limited - Bass Pale Ale

Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, poured into a plastic cup

With a history as rich as Bass Pale Ale's in the UK, I'm not sure if it is funny or dismaying that featured prominently on the label are the words "Product of the USA." Bass was once the highest selling beer in the UK with wide export among the former empire. The triangle logo was the first trademark in the UK, as well. Yet, today, the brand is owned by transnational beer-glomerate Anheuser-Busch InBev and apparently (at least those destined for consumption in America) this famous British ale is brewed in the States.

This classic Pale Ale pours a tawny amber body, clear with streams of rising bubbles. It's light tan head is moderately-sized with a semi-creamy consistency. The foam has modest retention and leaves layers of light lacing behind. The nose is feint and mildly lagery with light banana bread notes. Mild cinnamon pairs with a splash of grainy barley tisane.

A slight phenolic banana rush greets the sip up front before meeting a light bouquet of fruity hops. The malt base shows through with moderate tea-like grains and a lagery mid-palate. A mild sweetness is like a hint of honey and somewhat floral. Overall it is a bit thin with an unassuming profile. It's crisp finish makes the beer very drinkable with a refreshing edge.

Final Verdict: B+

Butternuts Beer & Ale - Porkslap Pale Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. can, poured into a plastic cup


This interestingly named, canned Farmhouse-inspired Pale Ale pours a deep amber body. The beer is semi-tawny with a slight grapefruit glow. The head is lightly tanned with a yellowish tint. Foam retention is solid and produces layers of lace as the head slowly disappears. The nose is malty and lightly spicy with a mild funk. By the nose, with light citrus hints, you might swear you were picking up the beer's hops. However, this beer, as advertised on the can, is an 'all malt' brew.

The beer is tart and dry with a gristly malt base. Sweet but not cloying and malty without being a bomb, the beer strikes an elegant balance of flavors. A solid graininess produces a coarse texture and lends a grassy component. The grassy earthy flavors give the beer the feel of a farmyard, whether or not its produced in the true style of a Farmhouse Ale. The finish carries a light crispness and and goes out with a lasting dryness on the aftertaste.


Final Verdict: B+

21st Amendment Brewery - 21st Amendment IPA

Serving Type: 12 oz. can, poured into a plastic cup

With its fitting namesake, Amendment XXI of the U.S. Constitution, which repealed the eighteenth and thus prohibition, the 21st Amendment IPA is a classic American IPA dressed in tradition and history. The beer pours a crystal clear orangy amber with a shining glow. The off-white head is lightly frothy with softly cracking bubbles of carbonation. The nose is tight and malty with distinct sweetness. Hops are fresh with an of citric aroma and a distinct stickiness.

The beer is light and the mouthfeel is very crisp and refreshing. Bitterness seems strong up front, but fades to a sugary sweetness. Minor pine notes trade places with the citrus from the nose to define the light bitter profile. Malts show through forcefully on the mid-palate and into the finish. Crispness finishes with a hint of dryness and fading flavor. The beer is highly drinkable and refreshing, but considerably sweeter than expected.

Final Verdict: B-

The Bruery - Mischief

Serving Type: 750ml bottle, poured into a 25cl glass


This Belgian-style Strong Pale Ale from The Bruery pours a hazy glowing orange body, very light in appearance. Light floating yeast sediment is bumped about by continually rising streams of carbonation. The airy white foam head musters excellent retention and leaves large chunky swathes of lace on the glass as it fades. The nose is sweet and very spicy. Sweet and tart grape-like notes contrast the cellary and dusty aromas.

The mouthfeel is light and airy with crisp, playful carbonation that leaves the beer almost evaporating on the tongue. Despite the robust nose, the flavor is very mild overall. Light malts are golden with a dusting of dry hops. A mild spritz of citrus refreshes the palate. The finish is tingling, yet dry and almost incidental seeming. A mild chest heat finishes off the beer. Despite the bold flavor profile the beer is mild and almost reserved.


Final Verdict: A-

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

Cottrell Brewing Company - State Line Handcrafted IPA

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

The State Line Handcrafted IPA is a private label beer brewed by Cottrell Brewing Company, based in Connecticut, for Trader Joe's. Essentially what you get is the quality of a Cottrell beer for the private label price. Worth checking out if your local Joe's has some in stock. The beer pours a slightly hazy orange-amber body. The medium-large head is a slightly yellowed tan head of frothy foam with a mild oily sheen. The beer's head retention is solid and leaves swathes of sticky lacing on the glass.

Resinous pine hops are prominent on the nose with a slight soapiness. The aroma is very fresh and strong, full of hops. The underlying malts add a base of caramel essence to the beer. The beer has a vivacious carbonation, producing a full-bodied mouthfeel when combined with the malt body. Hops are dry and palate-attacking, but give a slick, oily feel with moderately high bitterness. The malts are secondary, but not a second though. Breadiness is moderated by a molasses sweetness. The finish is somewhat dry and quite crisp. The beer is refreshing and highly drinkable. At Trader Joe's prices, you're getting a Cottrell brew for quite the bargain.

Final Verdict: B+

Trinity Beer Company - India Pale Ale

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

This Rhody IPA from Trinity pours a deeply hazy body that is nearly opaque. The orange-glowing amber has a large head of aerated, but frothy, foam. The retention is tremendous and the head leaves extensive, sticky lacing on the glass. The beer has a dank, sticky hop nose. Pine and citrus notes are pungent and tight. Minor earthy and vanilla notes are also apparent.

Off the bat the hop character is surprisingly restrained over a sweet caramel malt body. Hops are prominent, but somewhat mild and quite forgiving. The sweetness has a minor honey flavor to it that leaves a slightly waxy feeling on the palate. The hops are mildly bitter and come across very dry and firmly on the piney side. There's a minor resinous character on the finish with a very fresh malty edge.

Final Verdict: A-

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

Brasserie Dubuisson Frères - Bush Ambrée (Scaldis)

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 250 mL bottle, poured into a snifter

This Belgian Strong Pale Ale from Dubuisson comes in a diminutive bottle, with flavors to contrast its size. The beer pours an orange body with a slight brown tint and a fine suspension of yeast particulate. The thin white head provides a great contrast in color. The retention is modest, but expected for the ABV of the beer and produces very light wisps of lace. A very winey nose differentiates this beer from other Strong Pales. Sweet malts and piles of apricots contrast the slight woodiness of the aroma. The beer is clearly strong and carries light hints of banana.

The beer is strong and sweet, it calms down on the sweetness a bit as the beer warms. The heat from the alcohol develops with the warmth, but with seemingly less fusel alcohol the brew seems to mellow nicely. Light figs and candied fruits lend a sugariness that is never syrupy, thanks to a solid, velvety carbonation. The finish is strong with a light alcoholic edge and vague chest warming. Residual sugars rest on the palate after the finish.

Final Verdict: A-

Brewery Ommegang - BPA - Belgian-style Pale Ale

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

The Belgian-style Pale Ale from Ommegang, the brewery that does everything 'Belgian-style' pours a hazy orange body with a warm golden glow. Rushing carbonation rises from the center of the glass. The head is massive, emphasized by the shape of the tulip glass. The foam is airy and cloud-like in off-white with large carbonation bubbles. The spicy nose is accentuated on the head of the beer and carries oily orange peel essence.

BPA comes off fresh, despite its huge spicy notes. Coriander is paired citrusy orange sweetness. Fresh malts provide a sweetness to balance the spice character to create an herbal and leafy characteristic to the beer. Meanwhile, dry hops add big aromatics. The mouthfeel is crisp with solid carbonation, but surprisingly leads to a slick finish that is slightly boozy with a bit of backend heat. The beer is very drinkable, but not exactly in the sessionable range.

Final Verdict: A-

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

Boston Beer Company - Samuel Adams - Latitude 48 IPA (Revisited)

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

I reviewed this beer some time back and thought it solid, but not remarkable. Upon revisiting it, after trying the five single-hop variations, it is safe to say that I appreciate it more. However, I'm still not in love with it.

The nuance and depth of each of the component hops is there, but the total package doesn't overwhelm me. The beer pours a deep amber body with a modest ruby glow. The light tan head is large and frothy with great retention and feathery lacing. The lacing is light along the top off the glass and slowly fades as the beer disappears. Bitter and tight hops define the nose with a hint of mineral water. Mild citrus makes up the brunt of the hop profile backed by a subdued, but present, pine with a resinous edge.

Sweet toasted malts underly the beer with a solid presence, however, they're not center stage. The sharpest, most pungent additions on the hops bill seem blunted and diffused by the more aromatic and subdued varietals. The Simcoe and Ahtanum seem to be knocked down in their strength by the Hallertau and Goldings. The mild citrus notes play off the resinous pine. The finish is slightly sticky with pine hops that produce a lasting aftertaste.

Final Verdict: B

Boston Beer Company - Samuel Adams - Latitude 48 Hallertau Mittelfrueh IPA

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

The Hallertau Mittelfrueh varietal rounds out to the Latitude 48 hop bill and is the final single-hop beer in the Deconstructed variety pack. The same deep amber body pours with extra brown tones and a large, off-white-to-light-tan head. The foam is fluffy and sudsy in consistency with solid retention and large swathes of lace. The beer is sweet and malty on the nose with mild citrusy dry hops. Minor pine notes skirt the edges, but are far from prominent.

The mouthfeel of the beer is velvety and reveals and moderate, earthy hopping. The bitterness is mild and makes for very smoothy and easy drinking. The beer is closer to an amber ale than an IPA, but is not nearly as grainy on the malt side of things. Like the East Kent Goldings, this varietal seems to pair well with others, but doesn't stand its ground to produce a traditional IPA when it's done single-hop.

Final Verdict: B

Boston Beer Company - Samuel Adams - Latitude 48 Ahtanum IPA

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

Ahtanum, fourth in the series, also pours a matching deep amber body with a large frothy head, colored light tan. The same solid retention is present here with a nice show of varied lacing on the glass. Pine shows immediately on the nose with minor hints of vanilla. The hops here are pronounced, but seem to carry a delicate aire.

The sweet malts balance the hops right off the bat and accentuate the fruity citrus elements of the Ahtanum hops. The hop varietal seems very fresh and floral, packing tons of aromatics and maintaining a very flavorful body. The hops, while strong, are not drying, acidic, or even very bitter. The finish here is mild as the hops subside and blend nicely with the body of the beer.

Final Verdict: A-

Boston Beer Company - Samuel Adams - Latitude 48 Simcoe IPA

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

Third in the series, the Simcoe hop varietal Latitude 48 pours with the matching amber body with a large and healthy head of foam with a very frothy texture. The retention here is solid with varied lacing of layers both thick and delicate. Sharp piney aromatics come through on the nose with mild citrus. The pungent Simcoe hops completely dominate the malts on the beer's nose.

On the taste, the hops strike a balance with the malts. Hops are at the forefront, but work very well, complimenting the toasty malt flavors. Grapefruit is clear, but not overwhelming and works well with the distinctive pine elements. The hops are not harsh here, but commanding. The finish is tight, crisp and very refreshing. A true single-hop IPA.

Final Verdict: A

Boston Beer Company - Samuel Adams - Latitude 48 East Kent Goldings IPA

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

Second in the Deconstructed series is the East Kent Goldings hop variety. The beer pours a deep amber body with a ruby glow, matching, almost identically, the first version. The head of the beer seems a bit lighter, more of an off-white than a tan. The size is medium with moderate retention and thick, but somewhat sparse, lacing. The nose is bigger on sweet malts than Zeus. A lighter hopping, here, is very feint and mild.

The softer hops are apparent on the taste and allow the beer's malts and caramel sweetness to take center stage. Slightly grassy, the hops are mild with some floral notes, much more on aromatics than bitter flavor. The texture of the beer is the same as the first version and packs some tight hops on the finish, but allows the beer's sweetness to define it throughout.

While technically and nominally an IPA, this beer doesn't seem like one. East Kent Goldings is a hop varietal that doesn't stand alone in creating the full IPA experience.

Final Verdict: B-

Boston Beer Company - Samuel Adams - Latitude 48 Zeus IPA

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

First in the Deconstructed series, Zeus pours a deep copper body with a ruby glow, and almost purplish hints. The head is a healthy, medium-sized, light tan foam of large bubbles. The retention is solid and the lacing is light, but attractive. Earthy grains shine on the nose with prominent hops. The hop essence carries a lightly earthy edge with a mild, almost soapy, bitterness.

The mouthfeel is velvety and remains fairly crisp throughout. Pine notes are strong on the hop taste with a deep sappy resin. The bitterness is strong and just about overpowers the malts. A light toasty caramel sweetness rounds the malts and combats the prominent hops. However, the malts are far from the star in this brew.

Final Verdict: B+

Coronado Brewing Company - Islander IPA

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

Coronado's Islander IPA pours a brilliant amber with gleams accented by the slope of the glass. The medium frothed cream head is off-white in color and speckled with yeast. The foam retention is solid and large chunky layers of lacing adorn the pint glass. The nose is tight and potent with abundant citrus hops. The beer seems very aromatic and sweet off the bat.

This IPA is very hoppy but clean. It remains crisp and refreshing from beginning to end, making it an excellent Summer-drinking beer. Citrus comes through with an oily orange peel edge. Lightly toasted malts are present, but understated. The finish is sweet and slightly floral with a slowly subsiding hop essence.

Final Verdict: A-

Birrifico le Baladin - Super Baladin Ale

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 8.45 oz. bottle, poured into a tulip glass

This interesting Italian take on a Belgian strong ale comes in an uniquely-shaped and disappointingly-small 8.45 oz. bottle. The beer pours a fuzzy amber cider with a fine yeast suspension and gently rising carbonation. The head is a fluffy light tan made of fine carbonation bubbles. The retention is solid for the original size, but leaves very little lacing behind. The nose is slightly spicy with a huge white grape juice component. Light candied fruit notes show the beer's significant Belgian influences.

The beer is lightly earthy with a gritty grain texture. It's very sweet up front with apricots and dried fruit essence. The beer is fairly complex and spicy with just a hint of alcohol. The finish is slightly thin, but it delivers a lasting bouquet of mild citrus notes and a considerable winey character. Expensive for sure, but worth a try for this rare import.

Final Verdict: B+

D.L. Geary Brewing Company - Geary's Pale Ale

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

Geary's Pale Ale pours a tawny, deep amber body with a large creamy light tan head. The retention and lacing are both excellent. The nose is sweet and malty, but fairly light on hops. There's a slight lagery aroma and a light cellary must that gives this ale an interesting and somewhat different character.

The mouthfeel is full-bodied with a robust and solid carbonation. Geary's is highly malty with a minerally hard water tone. The body of the beer is earthy, but somewhat understated. There's a seeming depth of flavor, but none is particularly marked. There's a moderate hop bitterness that gives this English-style Pale Ale a clear tie to the ESB. Seems as if there's an easy to see influence of the style in this beer.

Final Verdict: B