Diesel Brewing 0 Mile Pale Ale

Another beer I tried The Warwick Hotel in Hummelstown was Diesel Brewing 0 Mile Pale Ale while they were pouring samples for customers to try. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, lemon, and pine. The taste is bitter and dry with some refreshing lemon before an off-flavor of cleaning solution. It has a bitter finish as expected. I couldn’t find the alcohol content online, but I would assume it to be about 5.5% ABV. This was a terrible with completely off-flavors. I wouldn’t even finish the small sample glass that I had and I would not seek this beer out again.

Union Craft Brewing Duckpin Pale Ale

While at Max's in Baltimore, I ordered a glass of Union Craft Brewing Duckpin Pale Ale. The beer pours a golden color with a filmy white colored head. The aroma consists of tangerine, grapefruit, orange, and hop funk. The taste is bitter and very hoppy with a hop funk. Plenty of citrus flavors appear including tangerine, orange, grapefruit, and passion fruit before a hint of pepper and spruce with caramel on the finish. The alcohol content is 5.3% ABV. For a pale ale, this was very bitter and hoppy, so I would consider it an excellent drinking beer that I would come back to and order again.

Southern Star Brewery Pine Belt Pale Ale

I ordered a can of Southern Star Brewery Pine Belt Pale Ale while at d.b.a. in New Orleans. The beer poured into a glass, pours a golden color with a frothy off-white colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, toffee, candy, lemon, and pepper. The taste is sweet but bitter with a great caramel and toffee base that stands up to the strong lemon, pine, and pepper accents. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. This was a good and nicely hoppy pale ale that was balanced well due to its solid base.

Brew Kettle Four C's American Pale Ale

I received a bottle of The Brew Kettle Four C’s American Pale Ale from Cleveland Food and Brews in a beer trade. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of lemon, orange, tangerine, pine, spruce, and a light funk. The taste is light bodied with a solid caramel base. Lots of hops provide wonderful balance with orange, lemon, tangerine, and a funky hop flavor. The finish has a pepper and pine accents give a nice spice. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. This was a nice American Pale Ale with a very hop forward flavor and just enough base to balance everything.

Brewworks Always Sunny Pale Ale

I stopped in to Allentown Brewworks for lunch while in Allentown and I ordered a glass of Always Sunny Pale Ale. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of grapefruit, pine, tangerine, and caramel. The taste is dry and bitter with grapefruit and tangerine on the front end. Some pepper and pine come out on the tongue with a caramel finish. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. This was a pretty balanced beer with a dry and fruity presence. It may err a little on the watery side, but was quite refreshing.

Tired Hands HopHands

While in Philadelphia on business, I stopped in to Teresa’s in Wayne for lunch and ordered a glass of Tired Hands HopHands. The beer pours a pale golden color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of tangerine, grapefruit, orange, lemon, pepper, spruce, and a hint of caramel. The taste is bitter with plenty of citrus flavors on the front end including tangerine, grapefruit, orange, and lemon. The finish brings out a bit of spruce and pine, with pepper lingering behind on the tongue. The after taste has a hint of caramel, but mostly is comprised of cracker. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. This was an excellent bitter and citrusy pale ale that had a light body, allowing the hops to take the main focus of the beer.

Elysian Apocalypse Fallout Cardamom Pale Ale

My buddy Matt opened a bottle of Elysian Fallout Cardamom Pale Ale, one of the twelve beers of the apocalypse. The beer pours an orange tinted gold color with a bubbly white head. The aroma is floral with cardamom and has lemon accents aplenty. The taste is dry and floral that focuses on cardamom. Lemon, caramel, and pepper provide light background accents to the flowers. The alcohol content is 7.3% ABV. I liked the floral content in this beer, as it was extremely focused on that, and I believe it to be the intent of the beer.

New Belgium Dig

I received a bottle of New Belgium Dig as part of a beer trade from my buddy Rich in San Diego. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white head that leaves a neatly organized lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of lemon, tangerine, grass, and caramel. The taste is dry and slightly bitter. It has a solid caramel base with a strong lemon, tangerine, and pepper bite on the finish. Citrus lingers behind with some grassy hops. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. This was a nice and refreshing pale ale that I could see myself drinking over and over again. It was built very well and would be enjoyed by most people, as it wasn’t overly bitter.

Captain Lawrence Fresh Chester Pale Ale

My buddy Tim bought me a growler of Captain Lawrence Fresh Chester Pale Ale from the brewery when I went with him on a visit to New York. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy off-white colored head that lingers for a short time and leaves a bit of lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of fresh grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, passion fruit, and grass. The taste is light bodied with a nice caramel backbone before plenty of fresh tasting hops hammer the tongue. They leave behind a bitterness consisting of lemon, grapefruit, and tangerine. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. This is a wonderful pale ale and an excellent example of the style. If you can get your hands on a bottle or growler of this beer, do not pass on the opportunity.

Three Floyds Alpha King Pale Ale

I received a bottle of Three Floyds Alpha King Pale Ale from Bob Pack in a beer trade. The beer pours an amber color with a foamy off-white colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, lemon, pine, and has some hints of tangerine. The taste is smooth and bitter at the same time, which was quite engaging. There is a great rounded caramel base with tangerine, lemon, and pine bitter accents. The finish has some tangerine and grapefruit with pepper. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. AS far as pale ales go, this beer is top notch. The smoothness paired with the bitterness was mind blowing, and the citrus flavors did not disappoint the hop head in me.

Half Acre Daisy Cutter Pale Ale

I ordered a glass of Half Acre Daisy Cutter Pale Ale that was freshly tapped at Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours an orange-gold color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of grapefruit, lemon, tangerine, and orange. The taste is bitter and has a very big hop punch. There is a vibrant citrus profile including orange, lemon, tangerine, and grapefruit. The finish is dry like champagne with pepper and grassy hops. Hints of spruce linger behind on the tongue to make up the after taste. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. If you are a fan of bitter and citrusy hops, this beer is absolutely for you. I loved the fresh taste to it with the fresh fruit taste to it, and it lingered behind to keep the taste going.

Pizza Boy Brewing Holy Fuggle Pale Ale

Another sample I was able to try from Pizza Boy Brewing was the Holy Fuggle Pale Ale. Its name is derived from the whole leaf fuggle hops used in the beer. The beer pours a cloudy golden color with a frothy white head that leaves a nice lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of a funky lemon, grass, and has hints of grapefruit and sugar. The taste is dry and lightly bitter with lemon and tangerine up front. There are hints of grapefruit in the background, and a bit of burnt toffee on the finish with a squash-like sweetness. Al’s didn’t post the alcohol content, but I would guess it to be about 6.0% ABV. This beer had a big citrus profile with a pine and spruce finish that allows the grass flavors to linger.

Kirkland Pale Ale

Another beer my buddy Jack gave me to try was Kirkland Pale Ale, found at Costco. The beer pours an amber color with bubbly cream colored head that doesn’t leave any lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of caramel, pine hops, and lemon. The taste is big on caramel with some toffee as well. There is a hop presence to the effect of some pine and lemon, but it mostly impacts the beer with its bitter finish. The alcohol content is 5.4% ABV. I’d say this was quite an easy drinking pale ale that is pretty solid. While it isn’t a world changer, it is a nice beer to have or share with friends, especially for the price.

Reaper Ale Deathly Pale Ale

I picked up a bottle of Reaper Ale Deathly Pale Ale from Giant Eagle in Pittsburgh. The beer pours a cloudy copper color with a large lofty cream colored frothy head that leaves some wet lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of lots of fruit including orange, tangerine, lemon, and grapefruit. There is a good helping of caramel and toasted toffee. The taste is bitter but fruity with plenty of the aforementioned citrus flavors. I would say it seems a little too carbonated, but detracts from the beer a bit. The flavors are great, it’s just the mouth feel is a little off. The alcohol content is 6.2% ABV. I like the flavor profile with its citrus profile and sweet caramel and toffee base, but too much carbonation detracted from full enjoyment.

Red Brick Pale Ale

As part of a beer trade with Lance Martin (Beers of the Night) and Alfred Hugh Leonard III, I received a bottle of Red Brick Pale Ale. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white head that leaves some nice lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of sweet pale malts, fresh pine and lemon hops, and grass. The taste is light on the tongue with a caramel malt backbone. The main focus, however, is the fresh and bitter hop profile, bringing along flavors of pine, lemon, and grass. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. This was a nicely bitter pale ale with a great hops profile and a faint caramel backbone that allows the hops to shine.

Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale

While out at dinner on Mount Washington in Pittsburgh at the Grandview Saloon, I ordered a Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale to go with dinner. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of caramel, lemon, and pine hops. The taste is sweet with caramel making a great base for the beer. There is a good pine and lemon citrus accent with some orange and tangerine mixed in as well. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. This was a wonderful pale ale and I would definitely order it again. It goes very well with crab meat, which was part of the meal that I ordered. It has a great bitters and a complimentary sweetness that was much better that I had expected.

Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale

As part of my beer of the month club from Beer-on-the-Wall, I received a bottle of Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale. The beer pours a golden color with a lofty and frothy off-white colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, pine and grass hops, light lemon, and oregano. The taste is smooth and rather malty with some caramel flavors up front before some bitter pine and grass hops come in to play. The finish brings out a lemon citrus hint that is quite refreshing. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. This was quite a good pale ale and very refreshing beer to drink, as it gave just enough lemon citrus on the tongue to compete with the hop bitterness and caramel sweetness.

Founders Pale Ale

I ordered a glass of Founders Pale Ale from McGrath’s in downtown Harrisburg. The beer pours a golden color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of apricot, tangerine, and orange. The taste is lightly caramel with a good fruit accent that contains bits of apricot, tangerine, lemon, and orange. The alcohol content is 5.4% ABV. This Pale Ale was a deliciously different pale ale that strayed from the conventional pale ale, and ventured into a cornucopia of fruity flavors built on a caramel platform; a must try for beer lovers.

Cisco Whale's Tale Pale Ale

I bought a can of Cisco Brewers Whale's Tale Pale Ale from Brass Rail in Campbelltown, PA. The beer pours a yellow-gold color with a lofty foamy white head and a good lacing that sticks to the glass. The aroma consists of pale malts and a nice helping of hops that smell of pine and pepper. The taste is phenomenal with a good malt base and a bit of buttery crackers. What sets this beer apart is the good hop accents that bring out lemon, pepper, and pine flavors into the beer. The hops are wet and biting, but do not dry out the mouth. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. I was thoroughly impressed with this pale ale, as the flavors were well balanced and the hops were a very enjoyable part of this beer.

Blue Ridge Brewing Company

I visited Greenville, South Carolina for a wedding of a buddy of mine. Prior to traveling, I Googled breweries in Greenville, and I stumbled upon Blue Ridge Brewing Company. Knowing that I would be hungry for dinner and thirsty for drinks, making a visit to Blue Ridge only seemed logical.

The first beer I ordered was the Black Honey Imperial Stout. The beer pours a deep black color with a thin tan head. The aroma is filled with chocolate and coffee. The taste is sweet and malty with a good chocolate taste. It has a light bitter coffee finish. The alcohol content is 10.5%. This was my favorite beer from Blue Ridge, and I ordered a second one later in the evening.

The second beer I had was the Rainbow Trout ESB. The beer pours a copper color with a foamy white head. The aroma is faint but what is there is creamy and malty. The taste is malty with a dry hop finish. The alcohol content is 4.7% ABV. I thought that the ESB was slightly over carbonated, and did not follow the “real ale” movement for ESBs.

The third beer I ordered from Blue Ridge was the Colonial Paris Pale Ale. The beer has an orange amber color and a non-existent head. The aroma consists of light hops and malts. The taste is smooth and round and is lightly hoppy and malty. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. I though that the Pale Ale was very tasty and smooth and a pretty solid pale ale.

The fourth beer I ordered from Blue Ridge was the winter seasonal Santa's Little Helper. The beer pours a dark brown color with a foamy white head. The aroma consists of chocolate and has a nutty undertone. The taste is smooth at first with nutty bite. The alcohol content is 7.8% ABV. I thought that the Santa's Little Helper was pretty good with a nice finish.

The final beer I ordered from Blue Ridge was the Kurli Blonde Ale. The beer has a light straw color with no head. There is a little wheat aroma, but it is very faint. The taste is light and surprisingly malty with a light caramel finish. The alcohol content is 3.9% ABV. Overall, this beer was decent for as light as the beer was, but I do not recommend trying this beer last as I did.