Sudwerk Pale Ale

Brewed by Sudwerk Privatbrauerei Hubsch
Style: English Pale Ale
Davis, California USA

(Draft: Sudwerk Restaurant and Brewery in Davis, CA) The latest batch (and thus a new recipe), this one is not your typical west coast pale ale, and frankly, it’s not your typical American pale ale either. The aromatic nose tells you this right from the start. The deep caramel maltiness smells sweet and rich without seeming sugary. That same true caramel maltiness leads the way in the flavor, again showing quality and characer by tasting sweet without seeming cheap and sugary. Mild hops sits in the background, lending modest bitterness and a hint of citrus for pleasant balance in the finish, though the caramel maltiness always remains on top. Although, as the beer warms to true room temperature, a bit more citrus starts to show up. The long-lasting, medium-to-full body is testament to the rich maltiness of this pale ale. Pours a gorgeous dark amber color, and the tall light tan head slowly settles to a thin but complete layer, leaving large, dense patches of lace on the glass. Honestly, I couldn’t believe this was a pale ale, and I thought they poured the wrong beer, but I’ve confirmed that I did indeed have a glass of the pale ale. So much different from any other American brewed pale ale I’ve tasted, and simply outstanding.

Draft at the brewpub. Think the board said Plain Old Pale Ale. Maybe not. Aroma of pale malt and some sort of hop. Nice though. Amber gold color with an ok white head. Flavor is lightish pale ale with floral/citrus hop. Thinnish body with mild and creamy carbonation. Good drink. Finish is flowery, and has a fair amount of bitter. Delicious rather than hoppy. Decent pale ale. It was fun to alternate this with the Dragonfly.

Draft. Copper color with a very good whitish head. Big citrus hop aroma. Citrus hops and earthy/spicey hop flavor that just don’t quite meld. Some malt backing.

On tap at the brewpub. The bartender was calling this an IPA, but I’m sure this is the beer that I had. Dark amber with an off-white head. Something was wrong with the keg connection, as the beer was exploding out of the tap and delivering only glasses full of foam. After that subsided, you could enjoy a rich sweet caramel maltiness and a grapefuit citrus hopiness that is present, but not obnoxious. I’m always reticent to rate an ale after having consumed many german style lagers because the hops are a different beast and the ale suddendly reminds you why we love ales. So, within the context of having had several lagers, this really stood out. I’m not so sure that I would have found this to be that outstanding at a pale ale tasting. But I’d be happy to try!

A golden ale with a thin white head. A light malty aroma with nice British hops, resinous and nice. In mouth, a classy pale ale with citrussy hops, lighter bodied. Nice. On tap at brewpub, August 27 2009.

Notes from March 05 visit to Sac/Davis. Draft. This is an unfiltered APA, according to the Sudwerk manager. Very cloudy light amber color and a decent head. A decent hoppy nose, of some mix of citrus hop and earthy hop. Flavor is a little lacking, malts and some mild fruits. Again there was an earthy element to it, probably from the hops. A mediocre pale ale.

Very bready yeasty flavor. Some sweetness, but thankfully dry. Pours straw yellow.

Cloudy and unfiltered with a medium amber color; nice head. Very curious nose; made me think of green fruits and yeast (kind of musty, too). Soft and creamy texture with a mild carbonation. Seemed like it was from a cask, but I couldn’t ask my server because he never came by to check on us -- at all. The beer had some other elements of earth and wet rag, but it wasn’t as bad as that sounds.