Pale Ales

An underrated style, a well brewed pale ale brings the hoppy flavor in a smooth drinking beer palatable for the vast majority of beer drinkers.  They can also be enjoyed multiple times during a quality session and do not leave your tongue paralyzed to the flavor of other beers you may enjoy later that day or night.  Here a few of my favorites in that style, plus a special mention to one I anxiously await trying in my next trip north of the border.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, 5.6% ABV

Space Mountain of Craft Beers

To be the man, you have to beat the man.  First brewed all the way back in 1980, SNPA is still the man.  The trademark SNPA hop style first came to the forefront in what remains their flagship beer.  The hops are balanced nicely and create a smooth drinking style for a beer that is often an oasis at places that otherwise carry BMC products.  Likewise, SNPA still holds its own at some of the best beer bars in this country and deserves to be celebrated for launching a style that promotes the flavor in beers (not just the "drinkability" of light adjunct lagers).

Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale, 5.0% ABV

A Reliable L Line

One of GI's new brews for 2010, the Green Line Pale Ale is an excellent interpretation of this style and refreshingly drinkable.  After first sampling this at the Schoolyard Tavern in Chicago, I was floored by the balance in this beer and how smooth it drank (and the third one went down as easily as the first).  The hops present a stern, yet welcoming kick at the start and fade nicely as you enjoy each sip.  While my beloved Marquette Warrios proceeded to lose another heartbreaking early round game in the NCAA Tournament, the night was far from a loss after discovering this Goose Island brew (as of now, tap only).  Goose Island can do little wrong for me right now and the discovery of this tremendous brew played a big part in their current White Sox like winning streak in my beer sampling.

Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale, 5.0% ABV

This beer does not remain full in my glass for long

My introduction to the fine brewery out of Bend, OR, the bomber of Mirror Pond left my Lakefront pint glass quick class quicker than Brett Favre changes his mind about retirement.  The west coast hops from this plentiful hop region blended in nicely and formed a tremendous texture that hastily disappeared into my large mouth.  One bomber could have easily been three or four and I'd have been wondering what just happened to me as I wobbled back to my room.  If Deschutes decides to start distributing to Illinois I will not complain and in the mean time will make sure that beers like Mirror Pond will come back home on my voyages to Minnesota.

Three Floyds Alpha King Pale Ale, 6.0% ABV

Crown Jewel of Three Floyd's Awesome Craziness

In the midst of a brewery that is as adventurous as any currently going, Alpha King is the rock solid foundation that allows Three Floyds to take so many risks with their other brews.  A touch hoppier then the other pale ales mention here, Alpha King remains very drinkable and worth all of the praise it has garnered in the beer world.  Though Alpha King may not create the waves of excitement as say Dark Lord, Behemoth, Apocolypse Cow and 3F's other big beers, it deserves the same recognition for its excellence and its consistent quality gives Three Floyds the freedom it needs to be a preeminent big beer brewer.

One beer that I expect to hold in this high regard once I sample it is New Glarus's new pale ale, Moon Man.  Another smooth drinker that is very sessionable, my friends from the lands of brats and beer gave it rave reviews and I anxiously await trying it myself.

Bock to Basics

[written by Vinnie, posted by Zuch due to Vinnie's internet filter restrictions]

If asked to form a static rank of favorite beer styles, I don't think I could do it. Mood, season, time of day, and other such variables factor so heavily that I would find the task impossible. That said, any attempts at such a list would typically have bocks in the lower half (for taste, that is--not for pun-making). With a few notable exceptions--Capital's Autumnal Fire being the first--I find bocks to be too syrupy, too musty, or downright bland.

California probably isn't the place to go for good bocks, but after the nice things I had to say about Sierra Nevada on Sunday, I thought I'd try the 30th Anniversary Charlie, Fred, and Ken's Bock (yes, that's one beer) on Tuesday night and a Glissade last night. The Glissade is a golden bock, the Charlie more of an amber, but if you asked me which was which, I could only tell the Charlie by the overpowering boozy taste. Other than a little bit of the musty flavor, both beers are flavorless, odorless, and way too sweet to my tongue.

But rather than writing off these beers completely, I have to wonder whether it's just me. Maybe everyone's palate has its ageusic spots--something akin to color-blindness--and one of mine is whatever quality redeems the bock. If that's the case, I owe my sincerest apologies to Charlie, Fred, Ken, and any other brewers whose bocks I'll inevitably pan on this blog. In the meantime, I'll continue seeking out those rare ones that do stand out.

Amateur Beer Review: Surly Furious

Surly's Signature Brew

Surly Furious pint can, poured into Lakefront Brewery pint glass

If you're looking for high quality beer reviews I probably should cede this department to Vinnie.  However, a few quick thoughts on the fine American IPA known as Surly Furious.

With all the hops of a west coast style IPA, Furious is the kick in the pants that helps start any good session.  Floral hops immediately takeover your taste buds but a strong malty body gives the beer a well balanced flavor that keeps it from being strictly a hop bomb.

The beautiful red color highlights Furious's intimidating look but the beer is also accommodating after the initial hop shock wave and it is very easy to enjoy two or three in a session (not recommended for a full session though unless you possess a mighty powerful tongue).

My clogged sense of smell notices the citrusy, floral scent common of IPA's but unfortunately cannot pick up the nuances assuredly contained within this strong brew.

All in all, an excellent representative of the American styled IPA (or strong red ale if you feel like using that classification) and Surly's signature brew among their regular line-up.  Unfortunately, finding a Surly pint glass in the Twin Cities was as difficult as finding Surly outside Minnesota will soon be.

Dogfish Head / Victory Saison Du BUFF, tap

Supergroup Saison

[written by Vinnie]

Al was a high school classmate whom I hadn’t seen--legitimately--since high school. No Facebook friendage or nuthin. But we ran into each other at Brixie’s tonight. I recognized him first, as is usually the case since I tend to look different than I used to. He ended up there after meeting a blonde girl, who ran into an old friend and her boyfriend, who said “let’s go to Brixie’s”... something like that. Al is a hotel manager now; he has a dog and a condo; he’s a fellow night owl who works strange hours and is off tomorrow. After catching up, the night ended with the blonde girl a stumbling mess stuffing change in my shirt pocket, her friend yelling at Al and alleging we were gay, and then the three tearing off in a silver compact with her two companions, leaving Al and I standing in the parking lot, confused and a little relieved. We exchanged numbers, said we’d try to catch a Sox game sometime, and headed toward our cars.


Before all that, I made a great beer choice. (Can’t say so much for the blonde girl who’d been drinking Bud Light with limes.) Saison has lately shot up my list of favorite beer styles, and I had high expectations for the brewing supergroup of Dogfish Head, Stone, and Victory. The aroma was fruit--peaches or passion, I think--a little musty, a little nutty, a little piny. The taste had the pine nut flavor but not much of the fruit. I also got some bulb--shallot or fennel--and cilantro, which may give the beer a soapy flavor to those with that cruel palate. It was not as sweet as most saisons I’ve had; there was no alcohol taste, and it went down at the perfect pace for the 6.8 ABV.


Drink in a patient mood--slow, swishy sips, one ounce at a time with long breaks in between. Each one will probably taste a bit different. Don’t drink this beer with food that will crowd out the flavor. Neutral and toasty only.


Grade: S, for sublime. I could drink this often.

Lindemans Framboise, tap

[written by Vinnie]

Last week I went to one of my regular spots, Lunar in Villa Park, with a taste for something Belgian but lighter on the ABV. I’d never tried a lambic before, nor had I given it much consideration. The appearance of the Lindemans bottle screams sweet and slightly poisonous like sweet vermouth, and whenever I see it in a liquor store, I can never conceive of a situation when I would want one at home. But a limited tap offering is always impetus to try something I would never stretch to buy, and my palate was in the right place. I also had a free pint coming because the bartender couldn’t find a cap for the growler of house bock I’d wanted to buy. If I were ever to try a Lindemans, this was it.

I had no clue what Framboise meant beforehand, but I had a pretty good inkling once I saw the head. My eyes started to water watching the pinkish foam go down. After the first sip, I almost cried. There is no subtlety--raspberries, raspberries, raspberries. I love raspberries, but raspberries as tart, furry lump-- not raspberries as sugary liquid explosion. But I drank it all down like a big boy girl. Once my sweet receptors desensitized, it wasn’t nearly as bad, but afterward I felt like climbing the jungle gym.

Grade: J, for juice. Lindemans Framboise is fizzy, raspberry-flavored juice. Now I know.