Sly Fox Columbus Pale Ale

Brewed by Sly Fox Brewhouse
Style: American Pale Ale
Royersford and Phoenixville, Pennsylvania USA

Growler: Deep orange pour with a copper hue and a light tan, well retained head. Zesty, resiny aroma- the Columbus are so nice and piny with a spruce note and a touch of caramel bready malt. Creamy carbonation with a velvety body. A firm bready, mildly caramelized crystal malt base backs a nice orange zest/bright citrus and resiny hop presence. Quite bitter with a long finish. The high AA of the Columbus make it great for a single hop APA/IPA. Nice stuff.

On tap at the Peekskill Brewery. Pours clear light yellow amber with a thin white head. Big citrus, light pine, subtle grapefruit. Medium bodied, big sweet malty citrus flavors. Lingering grapefruit bitterness. Nice and easy.

Just when I thought the previous offerings in this year’s Hop Project were the best, along comes the Columbus. I tasted this beer at Sly Fox’s annual Hop Project Day, when they have all the beers of the year’s Project on all at once. Upon tasting this one, I wish I would have sampled it when it was first released. I could very easily spend all day and night drinking this fantastic pale ale! It starts with a copper-colored pour with an off-white and very sticky head. The head leaves a beautiful amount of lacing around the edges of the glass, as well. The aroma was the only downfall of this beer, as it really didn’t offer a whole lot. I got a small trace of hops, pine and grapefruit in the nose. Maybe my stuffy nose and cold got in the way, though! The body was extremely smooth, drinkable and enjoyable. This pale ale, in my opinion, completely describes the concept of a session beer. Like I said, this is one that can be enjoyed throughout an entire evening all by itself. The flavors are spicy, hoppy and crisp. There is a perfect balance instilled by a generous amout of caramel malt and bready flavors. The body also contains some subtle but also apparent notes of grapefruit and pine. The finish is also quite hoppy, dry and spicy. The single-hopped Columbus varietal is a definite hit and the stand-out winner of this year’s (and the final year’s) Hop Project!

On tap at Phoenixville. Amber in color, smells of the hops over take the malt. Has a sweet hint to it compared the Phoenix Pale Ale. Easy to session with.

On tap at Capone’s. Poured a medium and clear amber color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of floral hops, citrus, and lighter caramel. Tastes of citrus peels, pine, toastiness, and lightly earhty. Nice bitter finish.

From the tap poured a clear amber color with a fair amount of head. Nice light hoppy flavor with a lingering finish.

Tap at Rofo. Pours a translucent golden amber with a medium bubbly/foamy off white head that laced.. Aroma of fresh floral, pine and light citrus American hops, some light malt sweetness and hints of caramel. Flavor of the same floral, grapefruit and pine American hop profile. Some toasted malt and light caramel. Bitterness is pronounced, yet smoothed. Columbus is a great bitter hop!

Cask at Phoenixville: Aroma of hops, light fruit, and a hint of pale malts. Poured orange/amber in color with a medium to large-sized, creamy, dense, off-white head that lasted throughout. Cloudy. Not sparkling. Full of tiny and small particles throughout. Very good lacing. Flavor is light to medium bitter and lightly sweet. Tastes of hops, crystal malts, slight resin, slight toasting, slight earth, and light hop-spice. Medium body. Chalky texture. Cask carbonation. Light to medium bitter, hop finish.