Firestone Walker: Pale 31 ( USA: American Pale Ale: 4.9% ABV)
Visual: Clear yellow gold. Large mounded froth yellowed head. Small bubble carbonation.
Nose: Lemon meringue and creamy hops. Apricot. Key lime pie. Crushed digestives.
Body: Steam feel. Crushed digestives. Milk. Moderate bitterness. Earthy notes. Key lime pie.
Finish: Good bitterness and hop character. Steam feel. Soft lemon. Slight rustic earthy touch. key lime. Rye crackers. Pepper.
Conclusion: I may be coming to this a bit late for it to be at its best, but I’ll give it a shot. I find it interesting that they call this a Californian Pale Ale, mainly because my first sip of this brought to mind the mouthfeel of a steam beer, a beer style also known as the Californian Common. Wonder if that is just a coincidence or an aimed for stylistic choice. Anyway, yes this has the unusual mouthfeel of a steam beer, but with the hops pushed up a bit.
By the time I had got to that sip I already had high hopes for it, the aroma had been promising as well – the mix of fruit desserts, creaminess and hops that had put me in mind of the Union Jack IPA. That is seriously good – so the idea of a steam beer styled APA with Union Jack quality hop character was having me excited. The body fulfils some of that promise, but not quite the full shining, wondrous, vision. It keeps things a bit lower key, a bit more earthy and rustic alongside the steam character. However you can see the more playful notes at the edges, before it finally goes into the dry and pepper spiced finish.
It isn’t bad, and I have feeling it would be even better fresh. It is a nice mix, if suffering slightly from the over attenuated dryness I associate with APAs. Despite that though, I am enjoying the experience – they do add a lot to what can be a dull style for me.
So, not perfect, definitely so, but I have a soft spot for what it is going for. If I see this fresh in the USA on any of my travels I will definitely try it again.
Background: Another beer break – This one took a while to get across form the USA – it was bottled 20/03/2015, so I thought I had best drink it as soon as possible. I am a big fan of Firestone Walker, their IPAs especially. This, described as a Californian Pale Ale, was picked up from Corks of Cotham. I grabbed a few beers while I was there, they are a bit out of my way but well worth visiting. Drink with a bit of Iron Maiden in the background, because I am still a fan of the old Irons.
