Machine S-Hop Pale Ale
Fegley's Bethlehem Brew Works

On tap at the Bethlehem location. This one should not be marked as retired...

Poured a lighter to medium golden color with a small sized white head. Aromas of citrus, a little floral, and lighter fruitiness. Tastes of fruitiness, citrus (orange cream), and lighter floralness. Light lacing left on the glass.

Appearance – This one poured a beautiful, deep, rich, orange with a monster slightly-tanned head that seemed to last forever. It left some nice lacing on the inside of my Ruination glass as well. Awesome!

Smell – Big, rich, Pale Ale aromas of complex hops and a strong, grainy kind of backbone.

Taste – Oh, is this smooth. This is American grain at its finest. The citrus hops and sweetish malts blend perfectly together. There’s also a nice, tangy super-sweet finish.

Mouthfeel – This was the ale’s strong point, IMHO. It was so smooth and so well blended I couldn’t believe it. Each sip drained about three ounces from the glass. It is just on the shy side of medium-bodied and silky smooth.

Drinkability – I’ll have no problem draining this 64 oz growler tonight. This is the poster child for session ales.

Comments – This took me mentally right into the heart of my favorite pub. Not that they have a beer with a similar taste, but this is a pub’s tap for sure.

A special thanks to francisweizen for exchanging a couple of my bottles with a couple of his growlers. This was a real treat. I don’t get to the pub as much as I’d like, but this took me there in a heartbeat. Cheers!

A new offering at BBW. It is a deep red amber color with somewhat small head that fades quickly. The smell is of light hops and chewy malts. I thought the taste was good, it had a nice malt backing with a good amount of body and a nice blend of hops. I even detected a little butter-sweetness from diacetyl perhaps. What stuck out in my mind was the alchol. At 7.2%, I felt like they were pushing it a little too much, and it stuck out in the taste and especially the finish. The hops are nicely balanced and add a nice bitterness in the mouth. I feel like they don't come through in the finish enough to cover the alcohol though. Always nice to see new brews though, and I liked this better than the other pale ale they did awhile back.

A dark amber colour with a small head of tight white foam. The aromas are not very hoppy at all, contrary to what one may believe a brew called "Machine S-HOP Pale Ale" should smell like. The aromas I pick up are clove, some banana, some yeast, and some wheat, as well as some background sweet hoppiness, and some belgianesque spices. The taste is very reminiscent of their rescent weizenbock, and this brew drinks more like a pale ale that has been infused with the flavors of a german wheat, or a belgian wit, instead of the flavors of hops. The hops do hit again in the finish, but they sweetly say hi, kiss you on the cheek, and than go away again. The mouthfeel is super creamy, yet light, and this gives this beer an amazing drinkability, especially for a beer of 7.2%abv. A nice brew, but if it were rated to style, it would do horribly. However, for what it is, it is very good, and I recommend it whole-heartedly!

A very intriguing brew, to say the least. This brew tapped a little darker than the light amber colour I am accustomed to seeing with pale ales. The head was foamy and present throughout the pint. Well-constructed in aroma, and the Perle Saaz and Hallertau hops come through in a subtle way, with background notes of bitter orange and corriander. Not the straight-up pale ale I was hoping for, but a very interesting and flavorful brew. Well-crafted and complex. Very comparable to a Belgian-style pale ale. Worth trying, while it is available.

Zum wohl!