Middling canned ale suffers from tinny astringency, bland crystal malting and understated stylistic approach. Mild roasted hop bittering usurps casual orange-red fruiting. Tealeaf, lemongrass and citrus undertones soften bread-floured bottom of sessionable straw-hazed springtime fodder. On tap at Ambulance, sour yellow-fruited dry body goes awry due to musty barley graining, rotten vegetal musk and dirty earthen bottom. Lemony pineapple tartness and infrequent herbal spell lose steam to crusty rusticity.
Tag Archives: pale ale
EVIL TWIN WILLIAMSBURG HIPSTER ALE
Simple sessionable pale ale for hip Brooklyn plebians. Woody hop dryness saturates dried orange-apricot tartness and minor grapefruit rind bittering. Caramel-malted almond toasting recedes beneath floral citric finish.
MC SORLEY’S IRISH PALE ALE
Slick, indistinct, lame. Astringent grassy-hopped orange-dried spicing develops mucky diacetyl buttering over doughy breading. Meager honeyed almond undertone fades. Stick with much better Smithwick’s Irish Red Ale instead.
BOULDER HOOPLA PALE ALE
Politely soft-tongued with light piney bittering reminiscent of IPA and perfect as crossover fodder. Easygoing lemon-dropped apple, peach, pear, tangerine, mango and grapefruit illusions pick up tingly marzipan sweetness plus minor grassy-hopped herbal-floral spiciness appending wood-dried fruited finish. Chamomile tea, caramelized rye, hop resin, celery, rhubarb and fennel illusions make cameos.
BEER WORKS FENWAY AMERICAN PALE ALE
Uniformly balanced Bostonian gains sharp citric affluence above woody spice-hopped dryness to cereal-grained toasted almond spine. Piney grapefruit-soured rasp overrides ancillary floral dalliance and distant celery tinge, but minor phenol astringency lowers backend appeal.
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BRONX PALE ALE
Straightforward medium-bodied session ale richer than most American competitors. Creamy caramelized malting and wheat biscuit toasting suffuse mild peppery hop spicing. Ancillary buttery nuttiness sidles peach, orange, pear and apple nuances. Minor alcohol burn may put off lighter thirsts.
BARRIER GREEN ROOM PALE ALE
Casual copper-hazed medium body places citric-spiced rye malting atop grassy earthen mineral graining. Bitter grapefruit-peeled ascension overrides recessive vegetal nuances. Minor astringency lowers mainstream appeal a tad.
(GREENPORT HARBOR) HARBOR ALE
VICTORY HEADWATERS PALE ALE
Bold amber-hazed pale body closer to brisk piney fruited IPA. Sharp grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering and rising lemon peel tang heighten hop-oiled juniper berry bite. Bright pineapple, mango, tangerine, kiwi, pear, and quince fruiting sweetens caramel malt backdrop. Resinous wood-grained alcohol assertiveness plies grassy hop bottom.

ALEXANDER KEITH’S NOVA SCOTIA STYLE PALE ALE
Vapid pale-yellowed moderation downgrades mainstream Canadian version. Astringent hop acridity, thin white-breaded base, and soapy pale-malted nut spicing deprive brief spun-sugared sweetness. Nifty citric-rotted lemon-limed spritz needs brighter up-front flavor profile.
COTTRELL OLD YANKEE ALE
Basic moderate-bodied session beer perhaps closer to easygoing toasted lager than fruitful pale ale. Jaunty cereal-grained almond, pecan, and marzipan conflux drapes citric-dried lemon zest tingle. Mild orange-tangerine tang envelops roasted caramel malting. Phenol hop fizzing underscores doughy salted pretzel buttering.
(NEW JERSEY BEER CO.) HUDSON PALE ALE
Refreshingly straightforward moderate body brings crisp-watered hop-spiced citric intrigue and affable crystal-caramel malting to buttered baguette base. Initial grapefruit peel bittering tails off to misty red apple, peach, and pear sweetness. Unquestionably a fine middle-of-the-road session beer that holds its own against better known fare.
