Hopworks Organic Crosstown Pale Ale

Name: Crosstown Pale
Date: September 21, 2009
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub
Appearance: hazy gold, fine off white head, drippy lace
Aroma: sweet malt aroma, nice citrus
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, well balanced with light citrus hops, just enough bitterness to round it out
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **+ /4

Pours a hazy amber with a large off white head. Nose is floral and citrus hops. Tastes just like it smells. Floral hops, lemon, grapefruit, pears, bread, and some crystal malts. Body is light, carbonation is medium to moderate. Surprisingly tasty and way under-rated!

Appearance: Pours a clear, darkened gold body topped with a medium-large, white, reasonably long-lasting head. Smell: Nicely pungent, aromatic hop nose smelling of fine floral, citrus fruit peelings, and dank herbaceousness with a minimal malt backing in the, er... back. Taste: Fairly soft pale malt base with only a snippet of ill-defined sweetness, then it’s hop time: fresh floral tones, fresh-picked herbs, citrus pith, and, of course, the medium-high bitterness. If the malts started mild, you can’t expect them to crash through the window like a SWAT team this late in the game. Finishes dry with a lingering bitterness. Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium-low carbonation. Drinkability: Thankfully, this isn’t one of those mealy-mouthed, cinnamon-chapped ass pale ales you occasionally run it. While it is true I’d normally prefer just a skosh more maltiness, it’s only because many brewers, in the name of perceived haute brewing, skip the whole aroma and flavoring hop thing in lieu of focusing entirely on the bittering hops, leaving up with a caustic pint of bitterness, bile, and vengeance. Not so with Crosstown! While the malts are mild, at least the hops and subsequent bitterness aren’t ghastly and gack-inducing and you get a nice range of hop flavors.

22oz bottle. Aroma of honey caramels. a bit of citrus hops. flavor is a sharp, crisp bitterness alongside a caramel malt. Light citrus. So sessionable. Very worthy of my belly.

GABF 2009, Light to medium yellow/orange pour, Medium bitterness, nice bitterness. Caramel malt flavor, nice sessionable pale

Nice classic style Pale Ale. Good flavor and balance. Sampled at the brewery in downtown Portland.

Not a bad pale by any stretch of the imagination. Almost an IPA in bitterness. Light and refreshing. Aroma is a bit muted.

Bomber from Liquid Solutions. Pours orange gold with a frothy off-white head. Floral/citrus aromas. Medium body with frothy carbonation. Pretty fair amount of hop bitter, with some backing caramel. Quite pleasant. Floral notes stick into the finish. A good bitter beer. Not harsh, but not wimpy.