Emerald Triangle Pale Ale
Eel River Brewing Co.

12 oz can from Boise Co-op. Glad to see I'm not the only one not digging this. Clear, bright golden. From the start, the smell seems off. Kind of over ripe melon. More melon in thectaste, with a dry bitterness. Not working for me.

Aug. 2016: 355 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5%. Golden colour, moderate to low white head. Hoppy aroma, notes of pine and spruce, hints of citrus. Medium dry and refreshing flavour, piney notes, also some grapefruit.

this really didnt do much for me, a rather generic ipa even though it sets up to be something a little more than that, its well made and all, but is really nothing out of the ordinary in terms of recipe or execution, and while its drinkable enough, its uninteresting and largely unremarkable. the hops arent obvious to me in terms of varietals, and the maltiness of the beer is relatively high, not sweet necessarily, but bready and a shade darker in color than i generally look for in a pale. there is high bitterness here too, which i think is needed for balance, but it makes it less nuanced on the hops side than maybe it would otherwise be. i taste one wash of bitter orange, pine, and an almost detergent intensity, and it comes all at once and then its kind of just bitter and samey, a forward climax, but not enough to make me want to order another pint. good carbonation always is appreciated in this style, and the relative dryness to finish is also good. kind of a woodsy vibe to the hops overall, maybe a better pale for fall than summer with the higher grain influence, but this didnt really turn me on at all. i feel like in this day and age, if you are going to use the same ingredients as everyone else, the beer has to stand out as awesome, at least from a quality standpoint, and this one really doesnt. not bad, but it could have come from anyone...

 

 

 

Nicely hopped pale ale for fans of modern westcoast craft beer.

Poured from 12oz can into a dimpled mug.

Appearance: medium golden hue with a very light haze, a moderate effervescence and a finger of frothy ivory foam. Very standard but well-executed.

Smell: grassy hops over a mildly sweet malt base; uncomplicated but satisfying.

Taste: grassy hops, like the aroma, with a nicely fresh character; the malt is a bit sweeter in the flavor than in the aroma. Bitterness is mild but enough. Simple, but not bad.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a decent level of carbonation and creaminess.

Overall: nicely refreshing, if not especially remarkable. Definitely something you could have a few of in a sitting.

 

16oz pint on tap THG.

Served a clear light golden with a thick frothy white head that never really faded all that much. A thick quarter inch of foam persisted damn near the whole beer through. Beautiful; great retention. Wispy sticky lace was left down the glass.
S: Fresh hop nose with notes of simcoe and citra. Fruity but dank and slightly herbal.
T: Crisp, clean, light pale malt backbone with fresh fruity/citrus hops. Sweet citrus juice and bitter clean citrus rind in the finish. Touch of herbal dankness in the aftertaste. Bitterness is refreshing. Just a hint of toast flavor as well.
M: Crisp light body with a dry and super drinkable and refreshing clean mouthfeel. Fuzzy and crisp carbonation. Easy to drink.
O: I love the light body on this. Very dry and crisp mouth with refreshing carbonation and clean hop bitterness. An excellent pale.

 

 

 

From an undated 12 oz bottle. Also no ABV on the bottle, I thought that was required? Anyway, pours a pale yellow color with a finger of fluffy white head. Citrusy hop smell. Light feel with plenty of carbonation, easy to drink. Bright citrus and fruit flavors and a little bit of hop bitterness. Definitely on the lighter side, lives up to the session title. This would be a great summer beer.