Emersons APA

Formerly brewed at Emersons Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Dunedin, New Zealand

Amber body, white head; Pleasant quite malty nose, soapy bitter and a little caramel warm; Soft texture, soft carbonation, a little thin and bitter sweet; Lots of caramel aroma in finish, should be more bitter.

2006 bottle -- Pours with a creamy, slightly off-white head, which lasts right to the bottom of the glass (the empty glass still has the head sitting on the bottom) and leaves terrific lacing. The appearance is a rich, light copper colour with just the right amount of bubbles. The aroma is fruity, hoppy and... sigh... just right. Mouthfeel is excellent, while the flavour has a spicy edge along with its balanced hops and malt. A marvelous beer and (I’ve just decided) my favourite version of my favourite style.

2005, in 05. Pours a light hazy orange with a tall white creamsicle head. Aroma consists of grassy hops, cranberry, mild vanilla. Booming, bitter hoppiness precedes an unbalanced malt profile in the taste. Still quite nice. Medium body, smoothes out well in the finish. Only complaint is the lack of balance.

2006 batch from bottle: This is definitly my pick of the recent incarnations of this beer. The very first batch was legandary but then again there just wasnt anything in the NZ market back then to compare it to. Ballance is the catch cry for the 2006 version. Outstanding fruity citric grapfruit aromas jump out of the glass while on the palate citric hop flavour and luscious malt sing in unison rather than one pummeling the other. Last years was in my opinion over dry hopped and exhibited some distracting flavours as a result. This years hits the perfect ballance and as a result is a work of art.

Emersons have done it again, a beaut of a beer that exemplifies the style. The long lingering array of hops left the taste in my mouth for quite some time and the malt made me fizz at the bung. Easily one of the best beers I have ever tasted and will ever want to taste.

Maybe it’s the water, maybe it’s the hops, maybe it’s Richard or maybe it’s me, but this beer is one of the best on the Planet! Calling this beer a Pale Ale is the most understated understatement I’ve ever seen. I live in the US Pacific Northwest and we have hops a plenty and plenty of hoppy beers. I love this beer so much that I left my golf bag in NZ last trip just so I could fill my hard case golf carrier with Emerson’s Beer - mainly the APA. I can only hope Emerson’s makes it to the United States somewhere sometime other than In my DREAMS!

Bottled. Hazy orange with large white head. Hoppy and slightly perfumy aroma of flowers and grapefruit. Floral hoppy flavour with malty backbone of white bread. Finishes hoppy and crisp of grapefruit, flowers and grass. Really refreshing.

(Bottle at Plan B, Copenhagen) Pours clear amber with a big white head. Smells hops and a certain perfume I don´t know the name of. Flowers. Malty caramel sweetness. Fresh. Taste: Starts with fudge, carbonation and some hops. Rasin. Then the taste dies out and leaves a small bitterness. A bit watery. Malt.