Black Bear Pail Ale

Brewed by Bear Brew Pub (Black Bear Brewery)
Style: American Pale Ale
Orono, Maine USA

On tap at the Finback Alehouse in Bar Harbor. Amber color with a decent loamy head, courtesy of the tap. A nice hop aroma balanced with some caramel malt. Flavors have a nice hop bite that pushes it into the category of a quality American pale ale. Very enjoyable.

on tap-pours an off white head and cloudy orange color. Aroma is citrus/pine, some medium malt. Taste is pine/herbal/earthy hops with some bitterness, secondary medium malt with some sweetness. Grainy mouth feel, medium body. OK, maybe there’s a house yeast as there’s a common theme with the first beer.

22 oz bottle. Pours a clear dark gold with a one finger plus white head that left some heavy lacing. Minimal carbonation. Nose is leafy citrusy hops with just a little bready malt. Flavor is just lightly hoppy, the bready malt dominates up front with a little bitterness emerging on the finish. Mouthfeel is lighter bodied with moderate fairly soft carbonation. A little doughy stickiness on the finish. Overall, not the most aggressive Pale Ale, but this was certainly drinkable. Better than most of their other offerings.

22 oz. bottle - pours clear and light amber; malty aromas and and mild hop flavors; drinks clean, but a pretty basic pale ale

I guess people don’t like this beer...Well, I was pleasantly surprised, although I have to say that the only reason I drank this bomber last night was because the cap came off in the car and it leaked beer! It has some of the most foam I’ve ever had in a beer, especially from a Pale Ale. It was quite tasty overall - amnd quite drinkable once the head subsided. It had a full body of hops, which made it bright, crisp and refreshingly bitter, yet it was heavy and filling, which was excellent, since I was a.) hungry and b.) needed to get to sleep fast. So it worked.

OUCH!!. is all I can say. This beer smelled sour - then tasted sour. It was one of the worst beers I’ve ever had. I still chocked down the entire 22 oz. - I’m a trooper, beer is a terrible thing to waste

22oz bottle, from mug. Crystal clear, light copper body with a beautiful white head. Aroma is pretty bland; mostly cereal, with a faint resinous note. Medium bodied, with a lightly oily texture and lively but not overbearing carbonation. Flavors really are well-balanced as they claim. Finish is bitter, but sort of tangy.

Any first impressions?
-A generous head recedes to a ring over the clear light bronze.
-Chocolatey maltiness and wooden hops surface the dryness foreseen.
-Peachy caramel and honeyed maltiness dance harmoniously with the earthy, wooden hops.
-The active carbonation doesn’t overthrow the maltiness.

What if you dig deeper?
-Balance is achieved throughout.
-Delicate hop bitterness nicely followed the aforementioned, flavorful balance.
-Chocolate allusions come back in the flavor as well, somewhat surprising for an A.P.A.
-Humility is not always a problem for American pale ales, and this one is a good example of that, methinks.

Bottle; no date.