Town Hall Centennial Pale Ale

Brewed by Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
Style: American Pale Ale
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA

On tap at the brewpub on 6/22/07: Pours a transparent deep bronze with a full-lacing clingy white head. Aroma of big fresh citrusy hops and lightly sweet pale malt. Body starts with good light malty sweetness, nicely balanced with an assertive grapefruity piny hoppy balance. Very smooth, crisp and flavorful toward a slightly drier, lingering bittersweet finish. A very nice APA.

Clear orange color with a thin head. A good blend of pine and citrus-based hops in the aroma. The citrus tends to win out in the taste, but so much that it obliterates the rest of the beer. Dry and bitter finish with a little malt to keep it afloat. Well balanced Pale.

Called a pale ale, but basically a mild ipa. Fruit in the aroma, fruit and hops in the flavor. Good but one dimensional. Lately this brewery is all about boring hops.

Tap. A light golden color. A hop infused pale ale with a crisp clean and bitter finish.

Latest in the single-hop series, second after the Columbus, which was more of an IPA than a regular pale. No caramel malts were used in this, to keep the color light golden and let the hops shine through, and doing so prove that a light-colored beer can be full-flavored. True, the mates at the bar all marvelled how much it's appearance could be mistaken for a pint of Miller, but not when you taste it, oh, no! Appearance: as already mentioned, perfectly clear, bright golden, sparkling yellow, with a nice, white head above. Aroma: hop-hop-hoppy, with pine, citrus, peach, apricot, and more bursting forth, fruit forward, as they say in wine-land. Very appealing and inviting, sweet and tasty. So, taste! Hops dance and sing on the palate, neatly buzzing the tastebuds, then softly fading, until the next sip, which isn't taking it's time in coming around..this is lovely stuff, and it likes being in the mouth! Light in body, with a long, fruity finish, good hoppy texture, very easily consumed, with a persistent, zingy, hoppy flavor. And there's just enough malt, too, where there's no worry of this pleasant creature turning into a hop monster. Quite high on the drinkability factor! Another top notch effort from Town Hall!

On tap at the brewery, August 2006, in commemoration for batch 700.
Translucent, nectary yellow with a steady film scum clinging to the edges. Aroma takes on sugary lemon grass, daffodils, citric corn chex, honeydew and marigolds. Could go either way. Flavor seethes static orange blossoms and elongated cotton. Dynamically refreshing. Centennial prominence projects mangos and spastic sugary orange drops. Melon and papaya are persistent in their tropically based citric showcase, with a clinging bitterness and a well supported and malcontented sweetness. Nectar laden wheat pipes the bittersweet arraignment, pursued by a crisp, orange glazed biscuit bite at the edges. Well-balanced, with a dry fruitiness melding well with the medium momentum format. Classic, aggressively balanced American pale ale, winding down with orange marmalade and a light yet authoritative clementine centricity in the end.

Cask, August 2006.
Settling. Suspended yeast is involved in the pillowy orange tinted cotton, as a one inch cap frames the beer with retracting marshmallow lace. Whetted sandpaper meets sprouts and the entrails of an orange rind in the aroma. Fresh, sugary hop bouquet peaks through with orange blossom honey and an autumn leaf’s seasonal mustiness. Smooth flavor portrayal of an orange rind edict. Mild, light tobacco wrappers circle round mango and papaya shards. Granted, there’s gentle carbonation to give a new persona to the formerly aggressive beer, conjuring motion in the slightest sense with the swiftest tongue flick. Citric glazed, almond sweetened bran flakes. Mild mannered, playing the part of a moderately bittersweet seducer.

Sweet, hoppy aroma that doesn’t smell overly bitter...perfect for an APA. Slightly hazy light amber with an average-sized off-white, creamy, frothy, somewhat lasting head. Excellent lace!! Initial mouthfeel has a strong hop aspect. A touch on the dry side. This is an excellent pale; almost bitter enough for an IPA. I could drink this all night at 5.7% ABV. Not quite as rich and sweet as the Masala Mama IPA, but nearly as hoppy.

On-tap: Clear soft and light gold yellow color, much like most marco lagers with a soft creamy foamed white dense head about a finger high with some whispy strings of lace. Smell is where its at with this one. Wow, its lovely hopped up with a great fruityness and light dryness. I'm reminded of a dulled down version of lemon drops candy and bubble gum when sniffing this in. Highly aromatic with a pleasant fill of hops; citrusy, touches of dry leafyness or grassy grains and a lighty toasty backing of malts. Perfection. Now I know what Centennial hops bring to the table...fruit and dullish citrus. And the taste follows suit, imagine that, great hop character with long lasting flavors of dulled fruityness of light citrus and lightly dryish with a pleasing sweet bitterness overall. Touches of the malts make a slight appearance but this is all hops, and not in a overbearing sense. Super smooth body and feel thats a soild medium hold gaining a bit of fullness near midway and closing out with a soft fluffy dryness and hints of hoppy bitterness in a citrusy realm. Just floats down with a nice hoppy length of character with ease. Extremely drinkable! Very good stuff! One to have again and again. Just goes to show those who think a light yellow colored beer can have taste, and alot of it. May they eat their words with every sip of this stuff!