Spanish Peaks Monterey Pale Ale

Formerly brewed at Spanish Peaks Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Bozeman, Montana USA

Looks like your average APA. A bit maltier than average, but I do like the originality of a small brewery having the sack to use something other than just cascade hops in their pale. It seemed to have a bad finish on the first sip, but this quickly went away as the glass warmed a little. Spicy enough to be interesting but a bit on the sour side.

Their Black Dog Ale and Raspberry Wheat have impressed me big-time, but could they make an APA without all the peppery excess of their US brethren. Being from California, Spanish Peaks would probably brew an Imperial IPA and call it an APA, right? Wrong. While spicier and hoppier than, say, a Sam Adams Pale, the Monterey Pale is no hop monster but rather has some herbal, flowery notes that enhance the experience.

Slightly cloudy orange color. Smells like bread and somewhat sweet. Malty, with a little less of the hop bite than I was expecting. Dry.

Beautiful amber color. Crispy, rich and sweet, cookie-like malt flavors. Rich hop flavors, but not overwhelming. Some bitterness. Leans on the malty side of the spectrum. Rerate 2/03: A decent, albeit mild, pale ale. As easy to drink as it is enjoyable, but nothing special. Has a strange, citric sourness that builds in the finish/aftertaste. Bitterness slowly builds too, kind of like the bitterness in a grapefruit. Not bad, but a little too mild mannered and predictable.

Faint toasty spring-like nose, thick beige head. Hops are there in the middle with a balanced bittersweet finish. I could drink a few of these.

A good PA with a mild hoppy presence, balanced well by a lightly malted body, and finishes dry and bitter – everything you’d expect to find in a standard West Coast PA. Not spectacular, but mighty tasty and deeply refreshing.

Average APA, nice amber color, clean citrus aroma, drinkable.

Slight citrus flavor. Nice bitterness. Well balanced. Very drinkable.