Carolina Pale Ale

Brewed by Carolina Brewing Company
Style: English Pale Ale
Holly Springs, North Carolina USA

Enjoyed this decent brew at the flying saucer. IT is what it is, a pale that is dark yellowish with a slightly off grainy aroma. The taste was mostly bitterstraw with a touch of water.

Very pale, almost yellow color. Thin, weak head. Spicey, earthy, sour aroma. Plenty of bitter but I woudln’t call it clean. Very thin body. Mildly upleasant aftertaste stays with you a while. I might even call it sour. I’m just not loving this beer.

Bottle. Aroma of sweet corn, yeast, lightly floral hops. Wow, flavor hoppier than expected. Wheat, floral hops, yeast, hint of orange. Finishes with a crisp hop bitterness and yeast. Surprisingly grainy and bready for a pale. Body is well done; feels very clean and solid, but not too thick or thin. Like pulpless orange juice. Frankly, this more or less embodies what I look for in an IPA, but its not an IPA. Anywho, this is very refreshing and easy drinking, if not earth shattering.

Bottle. Aroma of a bit of hops, grain, and some breadyness. Starts with the grainyness and moves onto the bitterness and hop flavor. Overall a clean ale, I’d drink it.

(12 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with BlueDevil0206, thanks James!) This is a funny beer in that I smelled lightly sweet caramel when I first poured the beer, but that quickly faded and now all I smell is a pretty strong graininess, corn stalks and bread. Flavor is one big ditto mark, with the addition of a mild bitterness appearing toward the finish. Also, there’s virtually no sweetness or nuttiness in this beer, and it’s not really toasty either, so I’m just not getting the supposed "Englishness" of this pale ale. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad beer, just nothing out of the ordinary for to me. Body is medium, the palate is clean from start to finish, carbonation is fairly light. Dark straw in color and slightly hazy. The whitish head pours small and fades to a ring. Meh, a pretty generic microbrewed beer, not great, not offensive, just okay.

On tap. Definitely more like an APA than an EPA. Pours gold honey color with a very thin white head. Slightly hoppy aroma and low carbonation on the palate. Flavors of Cascade hops dominate, well-balanced with citrus and notes of straw and sourness. Light but not weak.

Draft... Clear, dark golden ale with a small, creamy, white head. Good retention. Excellent lacework. The aroma is just not there. Caramel and grapefruit in the flavor. Just beyond medium-bitter. Medium-bodied and creamy with fizzy carbonation. Finishes dry and lightly bitter.

Draught. Clear golden color with thin white head. Nice grainy and hoppy aroma and flavor with caramel undertones. Moderately carbonated.