Simcoe Pale Ale (Dry Hopped)
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

Beer Geek Stats
From:
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery
 
United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
3.89 | pDev: 8.48%
Reviews:
2
Ratings:
2
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 09, 2008
Added:
Apr 19, 2005
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by BuckeyeNation:
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

4.22/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I'm a sucker for a good single-hopped pale ale (dry hopping is an added bonus). I went into my local Rock Bottom today looking to try the April seasonal, but this cask-conditioned offering caught my eye and took my money. The Naughty Scot will have to wait.

Blurry, dark gold bullion that became resplendent amber when held up to the brewpub's window. The child's one finger head was bone white with a trace of lemon and was unimpressive at first glance. As the beer fell though, the lace became a short collar that became longer and longer and longer still. By the time the glass was empty, thick sheets were covering nearly the entirety of the glass opposite.

Emanating from the glass was a wonderfully bright aroma of pure, unadulterated hops. I keep adding hop varieties to my 'most favored' list once I smell and taste them in single-hopped pale ales. While not in the top few, Simcoe definitely belongs up near the summit. Sweet lemon, grapefruit and pine, oh my! Clean, simple, marvelous.

SPA had a solid malt base, which many APAs seem to lack. The best thing was, there was very little, if any, flavor contribution from the malt; which is exactly what is required in a beer meant to show off the personality of its single hop. The malt was noticed indirectly rather than directly, in a balancing sweetness and a somewhat firm mouthfeel.

The flavor profile consisted of sugared lemon and white grapefruit sections with a finishing flourish of sweet pine. It wasn't overly sweet, it's just that the hoppy bitterness was perfectly countered by malt, allowing the hop flavor to shine without turning off those who have a low IBU tolerance. One more notch on the flavor intensity scale would have garnered it one more half notch in terms of score.

The body was light-medium, but developed a slightly greater viscosity on the finish, resulting in a mild degree of mouthcoating. Even with that minor (and welcome) slickness, the finish was clean and pure. The carbonation was so well-buried within the liquid that the mouthfeel seemed airy and lush at once.

Simcoe Pale Ale is a classic single-hopped ale that does right by its chosen hop. I'm more than satisfied with the pint that I downed about 30 minutes ago, but it occurs to me that doubling up the ingredients would make for a mind-blowing Simcoe IPA. In its current form though, this beer trounces quite a few of the craft APAs that have soaked my taste buds.
Apr 19, 2005
More User Ratings:
Photo of DesMoinesMike
Reviewed by DesMoinesMike from Iowa

3.56/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I decided to get a growler to quench the thirst of many at a Halloween party. This was the option in the pale ale category. I would say this is comparable to their White Tail. It is pretty smooth with a hint of citric spice. The foam is a white and stands a little less than a finger high. (disappointing since my Sam Adams costume required brew with copious foam) It had a nice medium-amber color. This would probably make for a good beer-bread mix.
Nov 09, 2008
Simcoe Pale Ale (Dry Hopped) from Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery
Beer rating: 3.89 out of 5 with 2 ratings