Shoreline Bennys American Pale Ale

Brewed by Shoreline Brewery
Style: American Pale Ale
Michigan City, Indiana USA

On tap.
(Notes from October 2006.) Pours a clear rich auburn-amber with a thin but stubborn white head. Aroma is barely detectable but what does come through is a bare hint of grapefruit. Flavor is a solid wall of Cascade hops without much of the "balance" alluded to in the commercial description. Another in the tiresome "more-is-better" mode of so much Cascade and/or Centennial that the beer ends up tasting like dish soap. Where’d the citrus hinted at in the aroma go? Hidden behind the solid fortress of hop bitterness, I guess. You hop addicts can keep this bereft-of-finesse abomination.

Draft at the brew pub. Clear orange color with a white head that left a nice curtain of lace on the glass. Attractive grapefruity hop aroma. Tasted of malty caramel and citrusy hops. pretty standard, but one of their better offerings.

this was a good pale ale not to hoppy but just enough to keep hop heads happy hints of citrus and amarillo but still a very drinkable beer

When I had my first Benny’s, I thought it was pretty hoppy for an American Pale Ale. Even though they have the Don’t Panic pale ale, I would say the Benny’s is right there as far as hops and flavor. Great mouthfeel. Good aftertaste. Slip me a Benny’s!!!

Sample from growler at <a href=http://www.chibeer.org>Chicago Beer Society meeting & Randy Mosher birthday party, Dec. 1. Beer pours cloudy looking, but I was pleased to find it’s not yeasty tasting (I’ve had too many brewpub offerings lately that seemed full of trub). Offers a plain, straightforward bouquet of those Centennials and Cascades, with, I suspect, a hint of Amarillo. In other words, unless you really like hops, the unmistakable twang of cat dander. So most folks will love it or lump it.

Enjoyed on tap at the brewpub. It was served in a standard American pint glass. Yellow and orange and very hazy. I’m guessing the hazy if from dry hopping. There was a decent white soapy lookng head that left very nice lacing. The aroma and flavor was the basic grapefruit and piney hops with some bready malt character. There wasn’t a whole lot of carbonation. I found it to be pretty dry and puckering. Bennys isn’t going to knock you socks off, but is alway welcome in my glass.

1st batch on tap: Golden hue with a small head and okay lace. The aroma is that of fresh PNW hops, piney and grassy with grapefruit and apple notes. Dusty yeast esters as well. The taste is bitter and acidci with a nice bready malt background that work within the framework of the brew. A straight forward pale ale that is not over-the-top in hops. The feel is smooth and refreshing but not boring. I think this is a beer that would pair well with most food offerings. I liked it enough to order a full pint.