Etna Classic Gold

Brewed by Etna Brewing Co.
Style: American Pale Ale
Etna, California USA

Almost grassy aroma for hop, not really citrus. Amber gold color, and the head disappeared rapidly. I can’t even assign anything to the start, but the finish was a spritely hop bitterness. Astringent finish. Damn refreshing. Not much for a hop head, but good. Beats the s--- out of Budweiser.

Light gold color. Medium to large head. Aroma is fruity and sweet. A medium to light bodied pale ale. Malts are fruity and sweet. Hops are slightly spicy. A light refreshing, fruity and sweet pale ale. Kind of a mild lightweight pale ale. Smooth and light, it would make a good lawnmower beer. It’s a little too sweet. Nice fruity esters. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Bomber poured a clear golden amber with a small lingering ivory head. Aromas of bread, butterscotch, light carmel and light earthiness. Palate was medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of carmel, earthiness and light honey with a smooth malty finish.

Bottle. Amber beer with an off-white head. Malty, biscuit and light grass aroma. Light malt and biscuit flavors with earth and mineral notes. Medium-light bodied. Bready/biscuity malt lingers with light earth.

Clear copper hue. Somewhat syrupy with a mild carbonation. Roasted caramel malts had a hint of nuts and the slightest nip of pine. Hops were grassy, and seemed to have a slightly zingy, "hospital" quality to them. Not bad, but didn’t do much for me.

This has got to be one of the most unsuitably boring beers that I have ever tried. Musty grassy hop aroma that is very light and faint with just the slightest sweet cereal malt flavor. Very bland.

31-Oct-05 (22 oz bottle: $3.39 at Liquor Barn in Redding, CA) I mistakenly purchased a second bottle of this beer, so I might as well give it another shot, and maybe the larger format bottle will help because my tasting of this beer a few months ago was less than pleasant. Expecting more swill, I’m quite surprised and happy that this beer tastes considerably better this time around. I mean, wow, this isn’t bad at all. All that fruitiness I tasted before...there’s none of that with this bottle. Instead, this is a grainy, lightly sweet, and slightly smoky beer with a mild but balancing hop bitterness. The nose is mostly just grainy, but again, no fruitiness. And finally, like last time, good carbonation, medium body, dark golden color and tall, long-lasting off-white head. Still not a great beer, but it’s certainly better this time around and at least passable.

23-Aug-05 (12 oz bottle: Cask & Flask in McKinleyville, CA) Very, very fruity nose shows a bit of light spice when first poured, but that fades after a few minutes, leaving just that dominant fruitiness to trample any other aroma that might have designs on joining the party. Similarly, the flavor is very fruity, but there’s a moderate bitterness in the finish that, while giving me something else, anything else, to taste beside fruity esters, the bitterness is a bit less than pleasant, so the added dimension to the flavor isn’t all good news. Body is medium, and carbonation is good, but the bitter finish is a bit astringent. Dark gold color is also a bit hazy. Probably the best part of this beer is the tall, off-white head and the excellent retention it displays. I’m basically finished with this glass, and yet there’s still a quarter-inch of head left. And lacing is also impressive, with a pretty doily left on the glass. But otherwise, this is too flawed a beer to rate very highly. (6, 4, 4, 3, 9, total: 2.6)

Bottle pours translucent golden, large pancake batter like head, fairly sticky lacing, with plenty o’ carbonation.   Light hops and malt on the nose, very subtle it is.    Maybe a little bit of butter too.   Forwardly sweet, honey, like Alabastor mentioned.   No real hop bite, but minor malts.   Finishes somewhat quickly, with a slightly sweet aftertaste.   This seems like a pale ale bordering on a cross between a lager and a mild.   Not bad, but it doesn’t seem true to the style.   Definitely easy to put back on a hot evening.   Thanks goes out to batkins for the trade!