Pale Ale
Middle Ages Brewing Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

as much english as it is american i think, this is and always has been the kind of beer middle ages does best. a nice redder color to it, indicative of the malt balance that is to come, with a full inch of creamy white head on it. nice looking beer, maybe a little dark for a pale ale, but i appreciate the richness. the hops are bitter more than flavorful in this one, more of an old world profile too, kent goldings or fuggles or something in here for bittering it up, and a bit of a grassy dried vibe to it as well. the grain has some caramel and toasted notes to it, but its not real sweet, just fuller bodied and sort of interesting for a basic pale ale type. i guess its less english in that there isnt a ton of yeast flavor here, its very dry and soft and mild in the finish, except for the bit of lingering hop bitterness. this is really a nice session beer in the winter, being a little more robust on the grain side of things, and while it might not be the most inventive thing they make here, its as solidly done as any of their stuff. enjoyed on tap at the brewery!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The beer pours a dark golden/amber color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a basic pale and light crystal malt scent along with fruity Ringwood esters. The taste is decent as well. It has a smooth pale malt flavor with a light crystal malt sweetness and some yeast fruitiness in the finish. It has a mild hop character and is well balanced. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is an above average APA, but it's probably Middle Ages' least inventive beer. It's a simple brew, but is damn drinkable.

Appearance: Nice light brown in color with a decent finger length head that had a nice lacing with legs.

Smell: Has a nice malty caramel with a nice sweet undertone scent.

Taste: At the forefront is barley that picks up bits of sugary malt sweetness with no hint of bitter at all.

Mouthfeel: Quite carbonated maybe even too much and in the aftertaste department there wasn't anyone hanging around.

Drinkability: Easy down and would make for a great 'backporch' session

Overall: Bitter goodness that dares you to stop drinking it.