Carlyle Ale Yeah!

On tap at the brewpub on 6/20/07: Pours a slightly hazy copper orange with an airy clingy-lacing light tan head. Aroma of mild fresh piny hops and some lightly toasted malt. Body starts with a touch of toasty sweetness and decent hoppy balance, but thins a lot toward a fairly bland, bittersweet finish. An average APA.

On tap.
Pours a rich opaque copper-caramel and forms rich, dense off-white head with good staying power. Huge chunks of lace cling to the side of the glass as the beer is consumed. Aroma is disappointingly weak but eventually gives off hints of bitter, citrusy hops and little else. Bitter, resiny hops dominate the flavor as well, accompanied by a deeply caramel-sweet malt that clashes with this particular hop profile, leaving an unpleasant cardboardy aftertaste. Solid mouthfeel with a thick, coating palate. A rare miss amongst the parade of hits that otherwise pours forth from Carlyle’s taps.

On tap at brewpub

This was towards the end of a sampler flight at Carlyle. If I were to have ordered 10 ounce pours I would have definitely gotten this one after a small sample. It is a classic pale ale with enough flavor to make it worth the effort of ordering. You will certainly get your money’s worth with this one.

Aroma / Appearance - The amber red body let through a large amount of light that was only filtered by the thin off white head. Caramel, hops and dusty books are the strongest scents but the background contains stained cherry wood. Overall this is beer that doesn’t pack the whallop of an IPA but does not idly give up either.

Flavor / Palate - The hops are the strongest characteristic but the malts do provide a reasonable balance. Tea leaves, caramel and oak wash across the tongue before a finish that reminds me of rust. The mouthfeel is thick for a pale ale and very satisfying. The total impression is mostly woody hops and overall pleasing and balanced.

Had this one on draught as part of a sampler flight at the brewpub in Rockford, Illinois. Medium reddish pour with a wispy head, piney hoppiness, sweet and bitter, balanced and mild. Nice strong finsh. Great!

Nice sessionable ale, having the aroma and flavor of hops but with only a light bitterness. It’s got a slightly hazy amber body with a solid head that sheets the glass with heavy lace. The aroma is a quiet caramel with a blend of citric scents. In the flavor the cirtus is juicy pink grapefruit, complementing the malty sweetness nicely. The finish is fruity and mildly bitter. Nice.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=2247>Carlyle Brewing Company, Rockford, IL<font size=-1>

Date: 06/20/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

cloudy amber, fine white head, drops of lace, big citrus hop aroma with sweet caramel malt, lots of sweet grapefruit flavor, light bitter finish stays out of the way and let’s the hop flavor and caramel sweetness be the star of the show,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4