Brewers Art House Pale Ale

Brewed by Old Dominion Brewing Co.
Style: Belgian Ale
Dover, Delaware USA

Have enjoyed this one on draught at the brewpub at Old Dominion on a number of occasions. Pours to a bright, copper color with a thick, creamy white head, and a good bit of carbonation. This beer has some nice pale and sweet malt aroma, with hints of light fruit, and grassy hops in the nose. The palate is firm, with good pale, and sweet malt flavor, with light touches of estery fruit. This beer finishes with more good malt flavor up front, then ends with a slightly herbal/grassy hop bite that lingers. Nice, easy drinking, food friendly beer. Stylistically it not quite up to Belgian pales the likes of De Konnick or Palm. Seems to be missing that earthy/yeasty flavor those beer have. Worth trying, and a beer I enjoy from time to time at my local brewpub, OD.

Hoppy aroma. Dark golden towards brown, low head. Fruit and hop notes - quite ok.

Clear red orange pour with a think white head. Roasted malt aroma. Roasted malt flavor with a touch of hops. Nothing special, just a nice easy to drink brew.

On tap at the brewpub, RBSG 2006. Deep gold with a small white head. Malty toffee nose, some light fruitiness. Nice, even malty caramel flavor, some floral hop notes. Floral bitter finish.

Sampled on tap at Old Dominion. Their blurb lists it at 4.6%. This comes over as a bit of a hybrid beer and doesn’t seem to me to fit neatly into the Belgian style. Copper coloured. There’s something a touch vegetal in the aroma - maybe nettles, with a hint of pine and even heather. Some hop presence in the flavour, but quite restrained and, overall, the mouthfeel is mellow. Not a blockbuster, but a very acceptable brew.

Hops are everywhere in this beer, but come across as rather blunt, and not at all like the typical hoppy American ale (Hop Devil, Stone), with their complex citric character. The hop character here reminds me a bit more of what you’d see in Orval or Ti’J. Very good beer.

Draught at Old Dominion for breakfast - RBSG DC 06 Pale coper, light head and lacing. Nose of fragrant hop, light malt and some grassy hay notes. The flavor is fresh, zesty, medium-light body and a light husky malt note in the tail. Overall it’s a nice prelude of hops to the typical let down.

Draft at Old Dominion before RBSG. Reddish amber body. Nose is fruit, yeast, spicy hops, light caramel, and floral notes. Taste is caramel, toasty malts, fruit, and spicy hops. Body is medium and rather smooth. Finishes with more fruit, caramel, light flowery notes, and spicy hops.