Carolina Brewery Firecracker Pale Ale

Brewed by Carolina Brewery
Style: American Pale Ale
Chapel Hill, North Carolina USA

From notes 1/21/05: Pours an unexpected golden color with a minimal white frothy head. Little lacing. Steady carbonation. Scents of a citric nature, Cascade-y and grapefruity. Some lemon zest. Ample bready malt tones vie for your nasal attention, but the citrus hoppiness wins out. Flavors begin with a zesty grapefruity citrus note. A biting twinge of bitterness twists your tongue and doesn’t let go. Malts are again noted with a bready nature. Sweet, yet finishes bitter and sharp. According to BeerPrincess, this version is much hoppier than last summer’s. Me likey. Moderate mouthfeel. A clean beer, as are all of Carolina Brewery’s offerings.

Draft at Piedmont Ale House, Burlington. Clear, pale golden-amber with a lasting, inch thick creamy head. Aroma is walnut and resiny wood. Flavors of molasses, apple, toasted nut, pine resin, light dried lumber. Light-medium body is creamy smooth with a dry finish.

On draught at the new Pittsboro location. Pour was a darker shade of gold with a small white head. Served very cold as is the style from this brewpub. Altogether pretty bland, but easy drinking and unoffensive. Alcohol noticed, but not in your face at all. A pleasent beer on a hot day. This isn’t great, but I think its much better than its scores reflect.

pint at Pittsboro location. Good aroma, sweet, orangy grassy. Clean golden orange color, Good head & lacing. Bitter flavor, Grapefruit, tinny, papery. Lite body, creamy mouthfeel, bitter finish, Nice pale, aroma had a nice transition from cold to warm. More citrusy cold, grassy when it warmed.

Agreed with TF below. Had several pints of this at the Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro. Nice looking pour, with a cloudy orange body, decent head. Floral aroma and a big hop bouquet. Tasted a little bit less substantial than the aroma suggested, but it’s basically a pleasant Sierra Nevada knockoff. Good stuff from the locals.

Draft sample at the brewpub. Pours a clear pale amber color with a thin head. Fair head retention and lacing. Aroma is floral, citrus and earthy hops. Taste is bitter citrus and earthy hops with some resin. Medium bodied.

Draught. Golden/orange in color with a medium white head. Aroma is mostly hops, and very slight malt. Flavor is hoppy pine, and not much else. There is some malt, but this beer is kind of light, but the Chinook hops are kind of interesting. Decent for a pale ale.

Gold pour, with hopcit in flavor and aroma. Crisp finish with more hops and some spice as it finishes.