Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale

Brewed by Sweetwater Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Atlanta, Georgia USA

Draught pint at Six Pence Pub in Savannah, GA. Light honey-apricot-thick syrupy body, with a modicum of lasting head....the nose at first shows lots of sweet fruity character, with apricots and bananas prominent, but candy and nuts, vanilla-almond and maple sugar show up quickly, a riot of complex sweet, lightly acidic aromas, with hops growing in tune with the massive sweet sensations....it’s absolutely stunning and unique....the body doesn’t hold quite the same thrills, but is well-defined and constructed nonetheless, with light woody touches, moderate fruity sweetness, veering off into some serious dry bitterness at the very end with malty-syrupy detours in a very juicy, full mouthfeel....low to moderate carbonation, ridiculously easy to just slam down unthinkingly even though there is so much to ponder....a treasure.

I serve this on tap at home, an excellent beer, forms a nice head if poured down the middle of a shaker glass. this will dissipate, but it leaves very nice lacings, which should be recaptured by lightly swirling. Great Hot Wather Beer!

Straw colored ale, creamy white head. Nose held soft notes of florals, nutty earthiness, light citrus, and a kiss of underlying sweet malt. Flavor is basically a subdued hop / malt balance that mirror the aroma. Light to medium bodied, prickly carbonation, semi-bitter finish. A nice easy drinking APA…

Bottle. Poured a deep gold with little head and an obvious effervescence. A notably sweet hops dominates the aroma. My beer, which was withing their freshness date had a mild hop bitterness up front with a decent malt body. Finished crisp and clean. Nothing special, but quite drinkable.

Pours to an nice yellowish orange color with a white head that dissipates quickly...but nice lacing that stays on long. Fruity, hoppy aroma of bananas and citrus. Taste is slightly bitter, but has a good mouthfeel and finish. Would be good for the golf course, beach or other activities calling for several beers.

On tap at Summit’s Wayside Tavern (Snellville). I had this on 04/20/06 and I got to keep the glass. And the next glass, and the next one and… Anyway, 420 is a clear gold and it formed a bit of a head after I drank it down and swirled the glass. A little lacing was left on the glass as I drank it (them). The aroma is light and piney. The taste is of hops up front with a clean aftertaste. Good beer for a hot day.

On tap at Summits sandy springs for the 420 release party and came with a 420 pint glass. Pours a light copper color with a decent white head. Aroma is nice and hoppy- pine and citrus, slight orange resin, and a nice light crystal malt profile. Flavor is moslty hoppy with more c hop flavor and bitterness, along with a bit of light crystal malt, but finishes a bit too overcarbonated and or dry. Could ahve a bit more residual sweetness, but makes for an easy drinking nice summer beer.

Amber pour with medium white head. Nice round floral hop aroma. Sweet malts mixed in with the hops. Resinous although almost muted malt flavors, if that makes any sense. Malts are not overly assertive. Grapefruity hop bitterness to finish, very dry...too dry for my taste.