Beer Review: Stoudts Pale Ale

This is one of my favorite labels, and just in time for me to enjoy around the Fourth of July.  While it is illegal to use the flag to sell a product, Stoudts represents this American Pale Ale beautifully.  Bud cans should take the hint around this time of year.  Here’s my review:

Pours golden honey color with a sudsy white capping of foam.  Bready pale malts and touches of caramel fill the nose with grassy and floral green hop notes.

It has a light and zippy taste from the bitter Cascade hops with a creamy malt base.  Fruit and grass meander until a bitter grapefruit peel snap finishes out the sip.

It has a creamy body with prickly carbonation that keeps it light and refreshing.

This is a great go to beer to be enjoyed in the summer months.  With a low ABV, it can definitely be your new lawnmower beer, or just a good excuse not to mow the lawn.

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 5%

Cheers!

Beer Review: Odell St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale

This week at PourThought is Colorado week.  Thanks to my good buddy Skander Frank who lives out there, I got my hands on some stuff from Colorado breweries that you can’t get in Louisiana.  Colorado is a great place, and a great beer place.  It is one of those states that really loves craft beer and their hometown products show for it.  Besides “tapping the Rockies,” Colorado makes some world class brews.  First up a pale ale from Odell’s Brewing Co. from Fort Collins.  Here’s my review:

Golden straw in color with a white foam head.

Green, grassy and floral in the nose.  Really resinous with some bright grapefruit.  So far, it delivers on the hoppy promise in the name, as lupulin glands are what hold the hop oils and resins.

Throughout there is a great hop flavor with a subtle malt backbone.  Pleasant floral hop notes with grapefruit shining through that lends to a somewhat sweet malty, but bitter finish.

Light to medium body with bright flavors.  The carbonation level adds to make it a really refreshing drink as it is a summer seasonal.

As it is a summer release, I suggest breaking out the grill and drinking this with some grilled swordfish, shrimp or lobster.  The bright citrus flavors will go great with the seafood.

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 6.5%

Cheers!

Beer Review: Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale

More canned beer! Here’s my review of the canned pale ale from Oskar Blues out of Colorado:

Pours a crystal clear orange, amber with a tight white head.

Malt and hops harmonize in the nose, dominance is continually changing with each sniff.  Earth, citrus and resinous hop notes are partnered with sweet, grainy, caramel malt.

The same flavors dance on the palate.  It is Sweet and juicy through the middle then slowly leads to a bitter and slightly mineral, snappy finish.  The combination of sweet malts and earthy and fruity hops creates a delicious taste of toffee and tangerine.

The lively carbonation and light to medium body make this a really bright beer, but with outstanding aromatics and flavor.

This is a great beer for grilling.  Drink it while cooking and then at the table this will go great with grilled or BBQ chicken.  If you are looking to splurge, hide the aluminum can, and serve duck with an orange sauce that will sing when paired with Dale’s.  Pork is just as likely as sweeter meat will lend itself to the malt and the hops will brighten and highlight the fruit in the sauce.  Don’t be afraid of a heavy dish, the carbonation can take on a lot.

I really love Oskar Blues, because they make great beers, and they make cans.  The one thing I don’t like, you can’t get their beers in New Orleans, but hopefully soon we’ll see these bright cans in Steins!

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 6.5%

Cheers!

Beer Review: Smuttynose Shoal’s Pale Ale

Gotta love New Hampshire.  Great people, great beers, great place to get away to.  Smuttynose is a pretty old (for craft beer) brewery based in New Hampshire.  They always have great labels and have developed a large following.  Again, more East coast love.  Here’s my review:

Pours a hazy amber color with an off-white, sudsy head, very pretty beer.  I expected a lighter beer from the name, but it still looks delicious, especially that sticky lacing on the side of the glass.

Great smelling beer, one of those aromas that without hesitation you take that first sip, which has everything you want in a beer of this style: Great malt presence, I can even smell what it was like on brew day with all the grains in the mash tun, giving that hot cereal smell.  In addition to the great malt aromas, the floral hop notes shine and creates a nice balanced aroma that begs for the first sip.

There is a very lively carbonation on the palate and a bitter hop flavor in the front as a result of Chinook and Cascade hops (both very bitter American varietals).  The hop resins roll over the tastebuds with a sweet malt presence that balances it all out before the floral hops come back for a moderately bitter, snappy finish.

Great flavors, neither the malt nor hops are overwhelming, and this beer definitely won’t bore you and at the same time it won’t fatigue your tongue.  It’s a good sessionable beer, making it great for a warm weather BBQ or with pizza.  This is a really good go-to beer for craft beer enthusiasts and also a good full flavor beer to introduce your friends to who don’t drink much besides the big brands.

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 5%

Cheers!

 

Beer Review: Lion Brewery Pocono Pale Ale

This is one of four beers that I received in a package from Beer of the Month, part of a Christmas present from my brother.  Good looks Seamus!

Pours a light orange, amber with a small white head, not much lacing.

The nose is pretty floral with definite yeast aromas, grain, pale malt and a touch of hops.

Sweet citrus and bread are the first to hit the palate, a hint of tart lemon and wheat notes with some esters and a faintly bitter finish.

Nice light body, crisp and bright.

While a touch higher than most purists (the English) will claim as a Session beer (must be below 5%ABV) I think it will make a great beer to drink all afternoon at a cookout or at night if you don’t want to feel extremely weighted down from drinking beer.  As for the cookout, pair it with simple grilled swordfish with lemon and it will make for a great summer meal.

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 5.6%

Cheers!