Aldergrove American Style Pale Ale

Brewed by Steffans Aldergrove Brewery
Style: American Pale Ale
Marysville, Washington USA

Date: June 09, 2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Trade
Appearance: hazy dark amber, fine beige head, streaks of lace
Aroma: sweet caramel and crystal malt aroma with lotsof earthy fuggles hops, touch of fruityness
Flavor: dry caramel malt flavor, lots of earthy hops, touch of butterscotch along with the fuggles gives it a British twist, long bitter finish
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

Dull, dark copper colour with whispy head. Yeasty aroma with rooty hops and hints of caramel & toast. Quite bitter, rooty flavour. Some woody notes but aside from the strong bitterness the hop character isn’t really all that developed. The malts are sublimated, very husky and slightly caramelly. Footy, dusty yeast is overstated. Rather clumsy brew. I made homebrew that tasted just like this once. It was tough to drink more than two and even then I was wishing I had a well-made beer in my hand.

Bottle: Caramel copper color, decent foamy head and light lacing. Nose of diacetyl, light butterscotch and earthy hop notes. The flavor is super diacetyl and caramelly. The finish is bitter and dry. Ugh.

I think I owe scrizzz for this one. So Thanks Man! Pours pale amber and smells quite malty. There’s a little beige head. Medium body with very mild carbonation. Pleasant hit of hop. Quite a bit of citrus/resin hoppiness. It’s clean. It just isn’t uberhoppy [sorry bout that]. Good beer though.

Bready malts , butterscotch, grapefruit and notes of pine in the nose. Opaque golden tan body is topped by a generous and lasting foamy white head that laces. Flavour leans heavily towards the hops - grapefruit and pine are the main notes. Bitterness is quite pronounced and somewhat sharp with underlying bread-like malts notable only in the aftertaste. Medium body is quite dry and carbonation is a bit over the top feeling sharp on the tongue and distracting from overall enjoyment. Snifter. Cellar temperature. Bottle (Bottleworks, Aug-08).

Picked up a single 12-oz bottle from Bottleworks in Seattle, Washington. Pours a semi-hazy coppery amber brew with a thick, lumpy off-white head that stays throughout the glass (pour through finish). One of the best retentions I’ve seen. Aroma of light multi-grain biscuits, critusy hops, sweet apples and a touch of yeast. Taste is medium bodied, lightly carbonated with a good balance of caramel malt and citrus zest bitterness. Finish has a mild citrus bite with a slight pepper flavor in the aftertaste.

This American Pale Ale pours a deep cooper color from a 12oz bottle. Large sized white foamy head. Aroma is caramel and malt, touch of biscuit and perhaps some hops. A medium bodied APA. Malts are caramel and biscuty but kind of muddled. The hops are slightly grapefruity and earthy, but again they are kind of confused. This beer is has the feel of a home brew gone slightly wrong. Drinkable but… Has a woody astringent finish. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is dry and crisp. Aftertaste is woody and bitter.

This is an underwhelming beer. Light hop aroma and light hop flavor. Not enough hops for a pale ale. Minimal malt base that is a little sweet.