Anchor Humming Ale

Anchor Brewing Company
San Francisco, CA

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Pale gold, slight haze. White head that fades to lace nicely. Foamy.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Honey, lemon rind, orange blossom, bubblegum. Very floral, pretty aroma.

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Very citrusy—lemon, pineapple, bubblegum. Bright, high and sweet notes, bouncy up front. Bitter hop apparent.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Candy sugar aftertaste, bitter finish that lingers. Sweet and sour.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Effervescent. Body is nice, appropriately balanced.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: A different beer than you might expect from Anchor, but good, definitely worth a try. A unique take on a pale.

TOTAL: 16/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: I bought this because it was on sale. I'm glad I did! Bouncy, bright, refreshing—a light, sweet, tasty ale, definitely worth a try. I'd buy it again!
Ben: Interesting—DIFFERENT. Lemon, citrus, a bright pale. You need to try this unexpected and satisfying beer.

Nimbus Pale Ale

Nimbus Brewing Company
Tuscon, AZ

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Gold, hazy. Thin head, laces.

AROMA: 2.75/4
Subdued aroma. Malty, sweet. Some grapefruit, some earthy woodiness. Not a lot of aroma.

TASTE: 5.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.25/4:
Woody, grassy. No real citrus or piney flavors.
Aftertaste: 1.5/3: Weird metallic tang. Strong bitter, increases with time—almost overwhelming.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Nice and malty, but it can't compete with the bitterness.

OVERALL: 1.75/3: This is a really bitter IPA. Needs to be much bigger and maltier to be a good pale.

TOTAL: 12.75/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: I'm not knocked out by this pale—I appreciate the bitterness, but it's really lacking in the flavor department.
Ben: If you're really into bitter beers, you might like this. There is a weird aftertaste I'm having trouble getting past.

Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale

Great Divide Brewing Company
Denver, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Copper to dark gold color. Big head, big bubbles that stick around. Laces the glass nicely. Crystal clear, steady stream of bubbles.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Grassy, meadowy, citrusy. All hop nose, clean and crisp.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Piney, fades to a lasting bitterness. Hop dominant, but some body is there–subtle sweet/malty notes.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Woody aftertaste, bitterness and hop lasts. Nicely bittered, just right.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Crisp, appropriately carbonated (though maybe just a touch too fizzy).

OVERALL: 2.25/3: May need a bit more body to balance the fresh hop. Mostly aroma and flavor, good bittering hop.

TOTAL: 15.5/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Tasty, maybe a little light-bodied, but well-balanced. Very hoppy, citrusy yet piney. Nice.
Ben: Mouth full of hops. Fresh, crisp, bright green. Good–I'd buy it on tap (if Sierra Nevada Estate weren't available, that is).

Dale's Pale Ale

Oskar Blues Brewing Company
Longmont, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
White, creamy head. Orange-brown color. Crisp.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Very malty, nutty, woody. Some hop aroma. Clean, almost lagerish.

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Sweet malt, sugary flavors. Lots of hop bitterness throughout. Woody and nutty.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Bitter throughout, nicely so. Punch of hop bitterness from the start.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Full, bitterness lasts on the tongue. Crisp and clean.

OVERALL: 2.5/3
Bang! Bitter hop hits you at the front and sticks around through the end. Clean and refreshing, nicely bitter, a unique pale!

TOTAL: 16/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Bitterness done right–a clean, crisp pale with bitterness in all the right places. Dale, where have you been all my life?
Ben: This beer is best appreciated with mountain views. A great, hoppy pale, a must-have for any hop-head's beer bucket list.

Stone Levitation Ale

Stone Brewing Company
Escondido (San Diego County), CA

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Nice amber color, deep red-brown. Creamy, if thin, head that clings to the glass. Pretty.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Woody hop aroma. some residual maltiness. Brown sugar.

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Woody, grassy hop flavor offset by brown sugar maltiness. Bitter hop offset by malt nicely.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Fades to lasting bitter-woody taste. Maybe a touch too bitter but adding any more malt would make it too big for a session beer.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Light-bodied, not heavy. You can enjoy several and stay in control. Appropriate carbonation.

OVERALL: 2.75/3: This is an awesome hoppy session beer. Light, hoppy; a great change-up from big IPAs.

TOTAL: 16.75/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: I'd been looking for a light-bodied, relatively low-alcohol, hoppy session beer with no luck - until now. Another fine Stone offering.
Ben: Sometimes you want a light hoppy beer that won't put you to sleep - this fits the bill to a "T.".

Magic Hat #9

Magic Hat Brewing Company
Burlington, Vermont

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Honey-gold. Clear. White, foamy head; steady stream of bubbles.

AROMA: 2.25/4
Apricot/peaches and cream. Sugary, malty. Minimal hop. Very sweet-smelling.

TASTE: 6.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.75/4: Woody, nutty—burnt almond. A hint of Tang*. And apricot, obviously.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Very sweet, lasting bitter. Almost chemical. Soapy.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Woody, nutty. Fizzy. Fairly light-bodied.

OVERALL: 1.75/3: Odd—almost a fruit beer, not a pale. I (Ben) have had it on tap and thought the lines were soapy—nope, it's the beer.

TOTAL: 13.25/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: I think I like this more than Ben. If you hate apricot, though, it's a non-starter. Nice for a change, refreshing enough, but one will do. Sadly, this is the best of the Magic Hat brews.

Ben: Struggling to get past the apricot flavoring—very woody and nutty. I don't think this is a pale ale.

*You know, Tang? Drink of astronauts? Hello?

Schlafly Dry Hopped APA

The Saint Louis Brewery
St. Louis, MO

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Orange-honey color. Clear. BIG head, tons of bubbles. Creamy, rocky head.

AROMA: 3/4
Hoppy, pine, grapefruit. Pleasant.

TASTE: 6.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Lots of hop flavor. Malty, too. Nutty, caramel notes and grapefruit-citrus.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Bitterness at close–lasts, but is pretty mellow. Slight astringence.
Mouth-Feel: 1.75/3: Full mouth feel. Effervescent, maybe a touch too fizzy.

OVERALL: 2/3: Not bad, a decent offering–a nice, unassuming, hoppy APA.

TOTAL: 14.25/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Not overwhelmingly hoppy, but probably a good gateway beer for craft beer newbies. I remember just loving this when I first started drink craft beers.
Ben: A decent brewery, better than its big brother. Better on tap, but not at all bad out of the bottle.