Snake River Brewing Company's Pale Ale

I remember liking this brewery, but I don't remember why. I can't remember where I got this beer or how long ago, but I'm hoping it has held up over however long.

Pours an unfiltered deep amber with a nice light tan head. Holy Hell, I've heard and even described some beers as being floral, but this one is nuts. The head throws off a huge lavender smell. It had me wondering if there was some dish soap in the glass, but I've just been rinsing it out after every use. So it has to be coming from the beer, and I mean it is big. It smells like I'm about to drink a girl with too much perfume. I don't mind that, though. Been a while...

Odd. Smell is so attached to taste, and this smell is so big, that you can't drink this beer without smelling it and that smell is still overpowering. It has fairly strong carbonation and because the taste is so weak compared to the smell, it sort of comes across as a bland soda. Empty.

Disappointing beer, although interesting because of that smell.

Disappointing beer. Interesting though, because of that smell.

Rogue Brewing Company's Juniper Pale Ale

If you can't tell, I'm dumping a ton of beers I've kept notes on into the blog, so I can track what I've had better. Most Rogue beers would deserve a more detailed post, but unfortunately this one doesn't so I don't feel too bad including it in the dump.

Pours a cloudy yellow, with a fizzy almost white head.

It has a slightly malty sweet smell, with indistinct hops. Tastes about the same, and unfortunately there's not a whole lot to say about a middle of the road pale. Light body, just a tad too sweet.

Fredericksburg Brewing Company

I've been here twice now, both times after hiking Enchanted Rock. It makes a great stop on the way home, or if you're camping in the area. The food is pretty good for what you should expect in the area, and the beers are decent. Not great, and not all good, but worth supporting. Hopefully they'll tweak them in the future to beef them up a little.

The beers are below, and are very briefly described. I took minimal notes because I was tired as hell. But, they all seem to fit what I remember.

Haupsttrasse Helles: This one pours a clear yellow with a fizzy white head. Grassy hops, unusual for a helles. I think of them as much more subdued, but this one has more kick to it than others of the style.

Harper Valley IPA: You know, this one is weak, more like a pale. Looks and smells on style in other ways, but it's just too weak.

Not So Dumb Blonde: It's weak, as expected, but has a harsh, cardboard bitterness that I never like in a beer.

Peacepipe Pale Ale: I like this. It's as bold as an IPA, which makes me wonder if the server didn't mix up the pale and the IPA. Grassy hops with a nice, smooth body.

Enchanted Rock Red Ale: This is a fairly sweet amber with a slight hint of the grassy hops that are used in the Peacepipe. Good beer, but slightly too sweet.

Pioneer Porter: Their best offering if you ask me. Slightly smoky, light tannins, and a smooth body. Nice.

Clipper City Brewing Company's Heavy Seas Pale Ale

Pours an orangish amber with a barely existent head. Decent carbonation.

Smells right. Slightly grassy hops, slightly sweet malt.

Tastes about right as well, although it's kind of weak in the feel. All in all it's within type, but that's about it.

Meh.

Choc Beer Company's Basement Batch Pale Ale

Always skeptical of beer from Oklahoma, but from what I remember of the other beer from this brewery that I had, this one should be pretty good.

Pours a deep, dark-ish amber, darker than many pales because it looks to be only loosely filtered. Light tan head that stays well.

Mostly sweet malt in the smell, but slightly grassy hops and a little bit of pepper in the smell.

Lighter body that I expected because of the smell, but it's got a nice hoppy hit that fades cleanly.

Nice beer, right on type. I'll probably never see it again, but I'll definitely keep the others that came in the BOTM shipment.

Kona Brewing Company's Fire Rock Pale Ale

Hawaii. Another state that, like Florida, shouldn't be brewing beer. Except, this is from... New Hampshire? That makes no sense.

Pours an orangish amber with a head that starts decent enough but fades quickly.

Smells right. Hops seem a bit floral, but that's not a great description. Not grassy or piney, they're there but not very distinct. Malt is there in about equal parts too.

Well, it tastes a bit like apples. Not sour green ones, and not sweet red ones. Maybe a tart red one. Not quite a cider taste, but it leans that way a bit. That fades fairly quickly to a clean bitterness, but the warmer it gets the more apple flavor comes out.

Much better than I though a fake-Hawaiian beer would be. Better than anything Florida ever put out, that's for damn sure.

Sweet Water Brewing Company's Extra Pale Ale

Beer from Georgia? We'll see.

Pours deeper than a standard pale, slightly amber with a light tan head that is thin from the start and only gets thinner.

Very nice smell though. Piney hops that are very solid. It may actually live up to the "extra" billing. As the hops smell dissipates with the head, the sweet malt peeks out a bit.

A bit of a fizzy feel and harsh(ish) aftertaste, but on the front end it has a fairly crisp bitterness and decent enough body.

Not a beer I'll look for too often, but it was a BOTM beer so I'll probably never see it again anyway. I'd keep the others that it came with, but I have about 80 singles that I've never tried before. And that's no shit. So I'll be trying those instead, but this would be good enough if not for the alternatives.

Snake River Brewing Company's Pale Ale

This better be good. I can't remember the last beer I had, and I don't want to start it off with a bad one.

Pours a hazy yellowish amber, with an empty glow that I never like to see. Nice almost white head though, which stays well due to fairly string carbonation.

Nice hoppy smell to it. Some malt to it, but mostly a sort of grassy cleanness that seems right on type.

Good grassy punch up front. Malt is still less than an IPA, which keeps the body light like a pale should be. It has a bit of a cardboard harshness to it though, which is the only thing that takes points away. Overall a good beer.

Yard's Brewing Company's Philadelphia Pale Ale

Pours a clear yellow, with a great light tan head and strong carbonation.

Throws off a great smell. Equal parts malt, yeast, and slightly sharp hops, combine for a nice floral bread smell.

The hops aren't as clean in the taste as the smell, and they're nice and mild like a pale should be. Strong grainy malt that isn't bready, but more raw grain--like a strong Coors. In a good way. Finishes with a touch of grassy hops that fades quickly to a cardboardish (again, in a good way) bitterness.

Good beer. Highly drinkable and light, with good flavor in a light body. It would be good to have these folks available in Texas.

Florida Beer Company's Hurricane Reef Pale Ale

I hate cleaning out the cellar and seeing a beer that I just know I don't want to drink.

Pours a very clear light amber, with a nice tan head and decent, if slow, carbonation. Maybe the slowness means it has a decent body to it. We'll see.

Smells sweet and light, with a hint of yeast. Tastes light as well, and sweet, until the bitterness turns a bit cardboard-ish. Very mildly bitter, for a pale. After a couple of larger sips (to try to get rid of it), it tastes a bit like a stronger Budweiser, but sweeter.

I remember setting this one aside and not remembering of it was one that I should give away. I have several friends that I give mixed sixers made of beers that I wasn't terribly impressed by, and this should have been one of them.

Otter Creek Brewing Company's Pale Ale

Alright, I'm evenly split on Otter Creek beers, so I'm equal parts looking forward to this and meh about it.

Pours a light amber, very clear, with an orange tint. Excellent light tan head. Pours very nicely and then gets pillowy before receding. Smells nice and grassy, with a strong floral scent as well. Fair amount of malt to it as well, not really bready but sweet in a way that can only be explained by a decent grain bill.

Nice. Solid bitterness gets you up front. Not heavy enough for an IPA, but definitely there. It's still grassy, but fades to just plain bitter (in a good way) as it warms. Malt is present, but weaker than the smell would indicate, but that's also a good thing. Any maltier and it would approach an IPA. Clean break in the aftertaste, and fairly light in body. Very good beer. I won't be giving the rest of these away.

Real Ale Brewing Company's Rio Blanco Pale Ale

Nice. Pours a light amber with a very light, almost white, head. Pours nicely, looks right. No more consistency/distribution issues? Let's hope.

Grassy hops backed by a bready, slightly sweet malt. Still on track.

A little light in the body, but the hops have the right amount of punch. Well within the type, and a good beer. Not their best, but enough to keep me coming back to a Texas brewery.

Florida Beer Company's Hurricane Reef Pale Ale

We'll see if this one is better than their Golden, which I drank all of but was non-plussed by.

Pours nicely. Good yellowish amber in color with a nice small-celled light tan head that stays nicely enough with fairly strong carbonation.

Good sweet bready malt smell with a slight hint of raw grain. No real hops to speak of.

Like the golden, it's too zippy in the body because it's too carbonated. Decent hops grassiness that's appropriate for a pale. It would have more body if it didn't feel so much like a soft drink. And that's my only complaint. It's appropriately hoppy, but lacks and real substance because it feels like a bitter ginger ale going down.

Too bad. The taste is right on, but rarely is a beer dragged down so clearly by the carbonation.

Dundee Brewing Company's Pale Ale

I've had a Dundee beer before (Octoberfest, I think), and was less than impressed. This one came in a mixed pack though, and I prefer to buy what may be a middle of the road beer in mixed packs because it's cheaper than buying them a sixer at a time. This was a twelve pack of six different beers, so it's perfect for that.

Pours a good orange-ish amber with a good light tan, almost off white head that stays well due to good carbonation.

Good smell for an amber. Lots of grassy to floral hops and a nice malt underneath it. Smells like it has substance.

Pretty good. Same grassy to floral hops taste that follows from the smell. Average body for a pale, with a bit of a hollow twang that I wish wasn't there. It gets sweeter as it warms, but loses the twang.

It's about what I'd expect from Dundee. Not bad, but not anything to look for again.

Joseph James Brewing Company's Tahoe Blue Nevada Pale Ale

Hate the label.

Pours an unfiltered orange-amber, with a weak head but I like the unfiltered and cloudy appearance otherwise. Solid amber smell that's bready and has a twang that may come from the hops. As it warms it gets a bit of a bitter smell that may come from adjuncts. Reminds me of rice.

The body is heavier than expected due to the lack of (or loose?) filtration, but the taste rings hollow. It's actually closer to an IPA in bitterness, with a bitterness that hits in the roof of the mouth more than back of the tongue. It hits, then gets twangy, then kind of hangs around in a weird, hollow, residual bitterness that has no distinctive flavor.

This is an odd one. Good appearance and body, but hollow despite the initial jolt from the hops. I think it's mitigated by the adjuncts, and so it makes me think that this is what an overly hopped Budweiser would taste like.

Santa Fe Brewing Company's Santa Fe Pale Ale

I gotta' tell you, the label is uninspiring. And I never liked that Zuni (or whatever) sun symbol that makes up the New Mexico state symbol. I like the place though, just not the cities that look dirt brown all the time. Dirty. So I'm not sure what a New Mexico beer will have to offer, based on everything I know and have seen so far.

But when I poured it, it poured fairly slow with a great tan head that sticks and good carbonation with a deep amber color. Impressive for the style by appearance, and I hope the taste is as good as the appearance.

Nice smell. Hit of grassy, herbal hops. The label says they use whole-flower hops, and I have to admit so far they don't appear to have skimped on anything but the artwork. Nice and malty as well, and just a bit sweet.

Damn. Great body for one of the lighter styles. Good grassy bitter pop up front, with a solid malt taste and twangy finish. Bitterness sticks on the back of the tongue and stays for a while. Not in a bad aftertaste sort of way, but in a solid taste kind of way. I'll have to keep a look out for this brewery, and hope that all of their beers are like this.

Uinta Brewing Company's Angler's Pale Ale

I wasn't too impressed with the other Uinta beer I had, but this one may be better.

Pours a decent but slightly too clear, amber. Light tan head fades quickly, with moderate carbonation. Smells nice and malty with decent hops. Like a solid pale, but maybe too sweet in the smell.

Not bad. A damn sight better than that other one. Decent grassy hops that are stronger than in the smell. Overall it's a decent pale, it's just a bit too fizzy and a bit light in the body. Odd twangy adtertaste as well.

Not much to say about this one, it's within the guidelines but nothing more.

Great Divide Brewing Company's Denver Pale Ale

Although I like this beer, it's just not even close to some of my favorite Great Divide Beers. It's a damn sight better than most pales, but it's not even close to their own Yeti, Fresh Hop, or a few others.

Pours an almost amber yellow, with an enormous tan head. The head actually gets in the way, kind of like pouring a Duvel too fast. It gets pillowy and develops large cells, but takes forever to recede and allow you to finish pouring, even in an imperial pint glass.

Slightly grassy bitterness hits you right off the bat, backed by a sweetness from the malt that seems to indicate it will have a bit of body.

Unfortunately, after such aggressive carbonation, it seems like the body suffered a bit, like it gave up too much as a result of the over-carbonation. That's the only real weakness in this beer though, as it has a solid bitterness that seems well balances by the grassy hops and although the body feels weaker than it should it still has a decent malt backbone to even everything out.

Good beer, I'll have to judge it a second time and see if other bottles are so heavily carbonated. If that slowed down, this would be one that I'd keep handy at all times.