Cisco Whales Tale Pale Ale

Brewed by Cisco Brewers
Style: English Pale Ale
Nantucket, Massachusetts USA

Bottle: This beer poured a orange amber with an off white head. The aroma is light sweet caramel malt. The taste is malty, light caramel, and balanced bitter hops.

A very average pale ale. Had some on tap at Rattle n Hum. Pours a light amber with a soft white head. Nose of mild hops. Flavor is not complex but nicely balanced. Good, crisp finish and pleasant aftertaste. Definitely for sessioning or food accompaniment.

(Draught) Poured amber and hazy. Head dense, white and medium sized. Aroma had mild hoppiness and clear malty notes. Palate was medium bodied and dry with medium carbonation. There were malts, hops, fruitiness, bitterness and some grass in taste. Aftertaste was mainly bitter. Tasted quite good but lacked balance.

12 oz bottle (Thanks to Pam for the beer of the month club membership!). This one definitely grew on me as I drank more it. Fairly light on the aroma, but there is a good variety of grainy malts, light oak, medium sweet fruits, light melon, and other woody hops to make this smell fairly interesting upon closer inspection. With the pour, a light layer of small bubbled head, a hazy medium thick looking body, and autumn leaf red-brown in color. The body is on the weaker side, but not at all watery, with some bite that holds through the finish, and very nice balance. Good flavor notes as well with English pale malts, citrus lemon-orange, melons, a light oak, leafy hops, and sweet fruits that blend into a pleasant finish. Whale’s tales actually surprised me and turned out to be a very drinkable, well made ale.

Bottle via trade thanks to ben4321. Pours a hazy golden-amber color with a small off-white head. Aroma is bready malt, caramel, and mild citrusy hops. Flavor is really bready with pale and caramel malts, earth, and orangey hops. Definitely meant to be English style as the hopping is not nearly as aggressive as you’d expect for an American pale ale - and for the English style, it’s not bad. Body is medium and the mouthfeel is pretty smooth.

On tap at Mew’s Tavern - Wakefield, RI. Pours a very clear copper-amber, with a thin white head. Stupid iced glass, there’s almost no aroma, ’cept for a light Cascade-like hoppiness. Flavor is solid. A crunchy pale malt base lays down a good basis for a little tingly grass and resin hop play. Body is balanced and edges dry. Not a lot of complex or exciting flavor. The malt character seems to stand out the most. Finishes in a parching hop leaf touch. Good, for an English Pale Ale, I guess. If that’s a style that’s desirable. Unfortunately, the iced glass left a freezer ice flavor on the beer. How awful is that?

Not a bad pale ale at all. Has a nice cloudy dark golden color. Aroma is of smoked malts with some hoppy undertones. Flavor is more of that old english malty ale. It has that english hard water aluminum taste. It definitely has a bitter aftertaste, it reminds me of a smoked/aluminum flavor.

July 2009 Beer of the Month Club , 8/3/09

Aroma: Citrus, spice, bready, other fruits
Appearance: Hazy orange-amber color, 1/2 inch foamy white head, lots of lacing
Flavor: Light hop taste, bit of spice malts, light, a touch dull for me
Palate: Lightish body, clean, easy to drink
Overall Impression: A bit dull for me, but not bad. I just would prefer a bit more character across the board...