Appalachian Purist Pale Ale

Brewed by Appalachian Brewing Company (PA)
Style: American Pale Ale
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania USA

Draft at the Gettysburg location, July 2006. A hazy dark orange beer with a thin beige head. The aroma is sweet hoppy notes of Cascade and a bit of lime. The flavor is weakly malty with light notes of fruit and toffee. I find it boring.

Date: 11/05/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

hazy dark amber, scant white head, drops of lace, dry caramel malt aroma with light floral hops, dry earthy hop flavor, long light bitter finish,
-------- /> Date: 04/07/2007
Mode: bottle
Source: tasting

pale hazy orange, wispy off white head, dry and bitter, touch of veggies, long bitter finish
-------- /> Date: 07/25/2007
Mode: draft
Source: brewpub
Score: 2.2 to 2.8

picking up some nice caramel sweetness in the flavor to balance the hop flavor and bitterness, touch of citrus in the hops,

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 2.8/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: *4

(8/5/06, draft, Gettysburg) Clear amber body with off-white head. Aroma is medium sweet, orange, dusky, light floral. Taste is medium sweet, grapefruit, floral, orange zest, some dusky. Light-medium body with some chalk. (6/3/7/3/13)

(SCBE2003): Clear golden with medium off-white head. Aroma is light floral/grapefruit. Taste is grapefruit/floral. No real bitterness until the end, when earthy/grapefruit bitterness does sneak in. Medium body. (4/3/4/3/8)

On tap at the 2004 Kennett Square BF. Poured a cloudy, medium amber color. Nothing to prominent in the tastes or smells. Not bad but nothing that really stood out. 5 4 5 3 12

Cask version tasted on 5/19/06. Much better than my last sample. Aromas of pine, citurs and caramel. Tastes of caramel with very light citrus. 7 4 6 4 14

on tap-pours a creamy, retaining light tan head with copper color. Aroma is citrus, mild hops. Taste is mellow medium hops, secondary medium malt. Mild carbonation.

Hazy, straw-colored beer with a small, fizzy, off-white head. Short-lived with no lacing. The aroma is malty with huge notes of milk chocolate and cream. At the same time, it appears that there is a skunk in the area. It's down-wind, but present nonetheless. I'm not gonna deduct points for the critter as it is probably only present due to the lengthy and bumpy ride/flight from Harrisburg to my home. Grapefruit and evergreen also abound in the nose. The flavor is very nice. Malty and rich up front (there's that damn skunk again), but balanced nicely on the backside with moderately bitter floral and citrus flavors. A tad pungent as well. Light-bodied with a silky mouthfeel and fizzy carbonation. A very long, dry, lightly bitter and acrid finish with more of that wonderful milk chocolate and caramel at the wee end. Not world class, but certainly worth a try. I recommend you try one at the brewery as the bottles obviously don't travel or store very well.

Bottle: Pours a transparent deep copper bronze with a spotty-lacing off-white head. Aroma of grainy toasty caramel malt but not much hoppy presence, then again this bottle is just over half a year old. Body starts about average for the style with a mild sweetness, some toasty character and a touch of grapefruity flavor in the crisp, drier finish. A decent APA, but needs more assertive hop character.

Bottle courtesy of sloth. Pours copper with a thin white head. Smells resiny with some caramel malt. Tastes of resin with a dry malty undertone on the finish.