Eisenbahn Pale Ale (S.A.P.A.)

Brewed by Cervejaria Sudbrack
Style: American Pale Ale
Blumenau, Brazil

Batch 20. I love Eisenbahn, so I had to give this one a try. The first thing I notice is the pour. There is just a slight, slight tint of green. This ultimately gives what should be a decent amber colored beer and odd overall hue. Bummer. Head is decent, but leaves no lacing. The smell? This has definitely got some DMS going - cooked corn right here. Huge disappointment. On top of that, I think there may be some diacetyl as well. The taste? I sure hope this is better than the look and aroma! Well....no, it is definitely not. A basic pale ale with some off flavors similar to the DMS smelled in the nose. This is one-dimensional and too flawed to drink much of. A slight odd astringency - possibly from the hops - also brings this beer down. Just a bad beer from start to finish. In fact, I think this may very well taste worse than it smells. Ugh. Thumbs down. I could go on about the mouthfeel and drinkability...but what’s the point. This beer is not good, so I could care less about those two. Not recommended. That smoked lager they do? Put your money there.

Bottle. Came in the Beers OF The World multi pack. Pours a clear light amber with white head. Aroma is malt hops. Flavor was nothing like the APA’s I am used to drinking in the US. Flavor has malt, a little hops and yeast. I was not xpecting yeast in a APA. From the ratings some people really liked this beer it just was not for me. Had a couple of Alpha Kings after and made this beer taste more like a Belgain Strong Ale than an APA.

Bottle: Copper color with a nice white puffy head. Nose of light crisp citrusy hops, some tight pilsner and 2-row malt with a touch of husk and grass. The flavor has a nice bitterness that makes it very drinkable without too much of the malty sweetness and floral dry hops which dominate most of the American market as far as pale ales are concerned. I like the old school drinkability while simultaneous familiarity of an American Pale Ale. Nice.

Clear golden color. Aroma reminds me a lot more of a pilsner than a pale ale. Crystal/pilsner malt sort of aroma. Flavor is slightly english bittering hops and the finish is slightly sweet with some caramel malt in the background. Not a great example of this style but I’m sure it goes down well in Brazil.

12 0z brown bottle with a twist off cap. Looks just a tad darker that the everyday pale yellow beer. Yeasty aroma which is a little pale-ish and alky sweet yet not very hoppy. First taste is surprisingly like a decent wheat beer, with a little hop bitterness added in. As the session continues, the wheatish attributes fade just a little while the hop character begins to build. I bet the secret blend includes some wheat or wheat yeast. I put off tasting this cause I thought it would be too hoppy, which it is not. Finish is certainly a tad hoppy but very acceptable without any bad offenses. Probably should not be in the Pale Ale Style Category. If it is actually a pale ale, it’s the best I’ve ever tasted.

12 oz, batch no. 20. Clear, burnt orange with a large head that lasts. Floral-honey, grain and resin aroma. Well-balanced flavors of earth-spice, cereal grain and toasted nut turn slightly more grassy-bitter and dry cocoa on the finish. Almost seems to have some wheat-yeast bubblegum aftertastes as well. Creamy, light-medium body is slightly to the dry side. Interesting, sessionable brew.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this South American beer, as I was expecting a lot less. Poured to a golden orange, with good carbonation and a thick foamy head that dissipated fairly quickly. Nose was a nice mix of malty sweet and hoppy fruit. Mouthfeel was full and the malts and hops worked togetjher for slightly bittersweet sensation. Taste was well rounded and the finish smooth along. Would make a good session beer.

Pours dark amber with a good amount of white head. Some lacing. Taste is bitter hops and sweet malts. Pretty well balanced. Euro hop profile, not much in common with American APAs. Not a bad brew, just a bit on the lower side of the spectrum.