Hornpout Pale Ale
Hornpout Brewing

Hornpout Brewing's bottle-conditioned pale ale pours a just-slightly-hazy sparkling gold and amber body beneath a frothy head of bright white. The retention is excellent, bolstered by the fine bubbles rising from below, but the lacing is just merely adequate.

Yeast abounds in the nose, followed by some delicate apple-like fruitiness and an undercurrent of thin malt. Surprisingly, for a pale ale, hops are barely a ghost-like presence in the background.

Gently crisp and medium-light bodied in the mouth, it's softly tingly and then pillowy smooth as it becomes airy via warming.

Malt and yeast dominate the flavor, as suggested by the aroma, but there are, thankfully, more hops here. The malt is delicate and caramel-accented; the yeast more yeasty than yeasty-fruity; and the hops are citrusy and spicy. A gentle nuttiness from the yeast help to round it out. It finishes quite dry with a lingering, spicy bitterness.

Overall, it's a basic, straightforward pale ale that's refreshing; and pairs well with spicy foods and crabs.

22oz bottle purchased as a single from Middlebury Discount Beverage, Middlebury, VT.

It's a foamer. Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 5 1/2" off-white head over a sliver of slightly cloudy light golden brew. Head fades over time, leaving shaving cream froth all over the glass. Aroma is citrusy malts, maybe leaning towards sour. Taste is light maltiness, with a citric tang. Intensity is not high, leaves me wanting more. Mouthfeel is extremely thin, and drinkability is okay, except that I had to wait for the excess foam to calm. I'm always hoping to prove detractors wrong, but I can't dispute them this time.

Appears a light gold with a loose white head and mild carbonation bubbles rising to the top. Nice head that seems to last for about a minute. Lacing is having trouble sticking.
Smell is sweet with a slight skunkiness and a strange malt that resembles rubber.
Taste is about the same as the weird smell...only a bit worse.
Mouthfeel is watery and mildy sweet and sour that washes out during the finish.
Drinkability...ok. Catfish on the label and perhaps catfish nuggets...in the beer.

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! A new brewery in VT!!!

Pours a hazy amber with a big bright white head. Hoppy, but not boldly hoppy. Mellow and without the bite or crispness I crave in a pale ale. Decent balance and flavor, but not a standout. Goes down smooth and is very drinkable, but alas it doesn't stand out from the masses and ranks near the bottom of Vermont's Pale Ales.

Foamy, yet firm bright white head that slowly melts to a very porous, thin head. A few trails of light lace that doesn't stick. Light sunset burnt orange with shades of golden.

Light candied, sugary sweetness. A touch of citrus; lemon zest. Notes of husky wheat and grain.

Very faint pale malt character; a bit of citrus flavoring. An ever so minor powdered sugar sweetness, very tamed down compared to the aroma. An odd mustiness with a touch of pepper at mid-sip. An aftertaste of light sweetness and mustiness.

Light bodied; very prickly on the palate and overly carbonated, but for a bottle conditioned ale, it's to be expected.

Light and drinkable, but ultimately bland and boring. Not one to return to. I picked this up randomly at the Cabot Factory in Stowe last weekend, in their small refrigerator that houses a few local brews. I can't say I was pleasantly surprised with this one, but it was definitely something I had never seen before and warranted a try.