Pale Ale Night

As it was the topic for the session, and having already written my blogpost, when choosing what to drink last night, some more Pale Ales seemed suited to the occasion.

53: Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale, Flying Dog, 5.5%
Not particularly pale in appearance. A very hoppy smell. I thought I was smelling Citra hops, but was being a bit too much of an eagerbeaver in my endeavour to identify flavours as apparently Cascade is the hop variety used. Must remember to not get too big for my boots! Very fresh smelling beer. Taste was quite malty, but quickly disappears. Not particularly bitter. Not vastly unique, I would argue, but a good beer nonetheless.


54: Hermes, Summer Wine Brewery, 5%

Very pale in appearance. Smells of tinned peaches and mandarin. A really lovely aroma. Very bitter. Flavours similar, but not strong and meaty, and in conjunction with this the bitterness is pushing the boundary of too intense. It just manages to hold up against it though. Burnt orange peel bitterness. Drinking this pale ale made me realise that I might be missing out a bit when I share bottles, as this beer got better the more I drank, and the more accustomed to the bitterness I got. Another thought provoking beer from Summer Wine!

55: High Wire, Magic Rock, 5.5%
Massive amount of fruity aromas coming through. Mango maybe, a bit grassy. Amazing smell. Flavour-wise, was very different (something I am finding more and more often that the flavour isn't at all like what you'd expect from the smell). Malty, I was expecting more hops based on the 'west coast pale ale' discription. Popcorn and caramel flavours. In terms of appearance and bitterness, it struck the middle point between the Flying Dog and the Summer Wine.

All three beers smelt hoppier than they tasted, all were very enjoyable, and a learning curve, because they were all vastly different from each other and the beers from Thornbridge. It seems that not only are beer styles massively varied, but also that within styles, there are big variations.

The journey continues...