Sly Fox Crystal Pale Ale

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

Tap at Barcade. Pale amber beer. Thin head. The aroma is quite lovely. Softly spicy and herbal over a fairly light crisp crackery maltiness. Lightly zesty with a fairly lean bitterness. It’s got a pretty solid spicy/herbal flavour as well that works pretty well with the bready yeast. Pretty nice APA.

Tap at P-ville. Pours medium coppery toward dark straw at the bottom with 1-finger of off-white head. Nose is lemongrassy hops, pale malt, florals, citrus, and mild bready notes. Tastes citric, hoppy, with caramel. Not bad, but not as good as the varietal IPAs.

Poured a clear amber color with a small, off white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of floral hops, toasted malts, toffee, grass, and citrus. Taste of caramel, some nuts, toast, citrus, grass, and a light grapefruit finish.

Tap at Rofo. Pours a translucent golden amber with a medium bubbly off white head. Aroma of lightly floral notes, citrusy and lightly spicy hops, some caramel and toasted malt. Flavor of toasted malt, caramel, light pine, citrus and floral notes.

Cask at Sly Fox Phoenixville: Aroma of hops, grapefruit, moldy laundry, and slight citrus. Poured amber/slight golden in color with a big, rocky, dense head that lasted throughout. Excellent lacing. Flavor is lightly sweet and lightly bitter. Tastes of hops, grass, pale malts, and slight pine. Medium body. Dry texture. Soft carbonation. Lightly sweet, grassy, hoppy finish.

Tap at Waterfront Ale House (30th & 2nd location): Pours a clear golden with an off white head (well retained). Candied citrus notes in the aroma with a light caramel/doughy pale malt back and lots of perfumy/herbaceous berry hop notes. A bit thin and overly carbonated for my liking. Has a perfumy and berryish hop character in the flavor as well (crystal seems similar to target hops). A light caramel sweetness hold up the herbaceous and perfumy hop character. Simple and less impressive than other Pale Ale/IPA products from a brewer of reputable hop usage.

On tap at Coles Buffalo NY. Part of the Hop Project 2009. Pours a light amber. Citrusy hop aroma with notes of caramel sweetness. Taste is medium to mild hops, floral, notes of grapefruit. An APA with training wheels.

Draft at Coles in Buffalo NY. Pours orange amber with a thin white head. Light hoppy aroma with hints of sweet malt. The flavor is floral hoppy with light citric notes and a light hoppy sweetness. Nothing really exciting. An average APA.