Pack-A-Wallop S.P.A.
Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fatheads Pack-A-Wallop

Pours a bright straw with a white froth and lacing down the glass. Aroma of fresh, piney hops and some bread crust/bready malt action. Intensely bitter upfront with a citrus/rind/pine flavor that makes me wonder how many IBUs this pale has. Nice earthy hop kick on a pale and crystal? malt body. Overall, nice hop kick, solid beer.

A- Pours a light amber color and a thin off white head. Head becomes a ring around the edge of the glass and leaves some pretty light spotty lacing.

S- Pretty tame on the nose. I was a bit disappointed about this one after reading the describtion of this one. A light piney and citrus fruits. With a touch of caramel malts.

T- Again like the nose, and a bit weak. Has a good taste but its just really light. A bit of pine and citrus hops. Light caramel malts add a bit of sweetness. A bit of a spice here too.

M- Medium in body and light carbonation.

O- Not too bad I guess I just expected a bit more from this one.

On cask @ Fat Heads Cleveland. Served in a pint glass for around $5.00.

The beer looks nice in the glass. ‘Pack a Whallop’ is a golden copper color with some notes of orange thrown in for good measure. The one finger head is white and stays around for a bit, leaving nice lace in its wake.

Unfortunately, the smell isn’t terribly expressive. I get the distinctive notes of grapefruit and orange pith from the use of CTZ hops, but they’re buried deep down in the glass. The malt base doesn’t add much either, maybe just a slight touch of grain. Overall, this is pleasant, but more expression would be a huge improvement.

The taste, however, makes up for the lack of pungency in the smell. There’s a nice balance between the sweetness from the malt and the bitterness from the citrus and pine notes in the hops. In particular, the depth of flavors from the hops is impressive. In addition to the slight grain in the malt, the tasting experience is dominated by grapefruit, orange pith, pine, and a touch of green hops.

The mouthfeel for a cask beer is good. The lack of carbonation makes the medium bodied beer a bit more of a chore to put down than I’d like, but it’s pretty average for the serving type. Overall, this is a good beer but lacks identity in the Fat Heads lineup. I’d go for a Head Hunter or Prohibition Pauley’s any day before ordering this again. A decent beer but nothing exceptional.

Pours a hazy copper color with an off white head. In the aroma, a nice, mellow grapefruity hop. In the taste, mellow grapefruit hops, and a fantastic balance of the malt. A small bitterness and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry grapefruity hop in the aftertaste. Very nice, very close to Nugget Nectar.

A= Cloudy, but yellowish straw in color.
S= Piney and citrus. There is a small amount of malt presence as well.
T= WOW! I hope you like Columbus hops! This beer has a huge amount of hops up front but finishes nicely with a touch of malt. Very smooth and tasty!
M= Thicker than I expected. Finishes clean.
D= The best pale ale I had to date. I can't get enough of this beer!

Stopped at Fatheads in Cleveland Veterans Day for a beer and lunch.

Wanting to start a little dark I tried the Chocolate Pumpkin Stout which was very consistant as far as style. Great flavor, but not the beer I am reviewing.

Second beer time! I had heard much about the Head Hunter, and after deliberation I get one while my wife gets the Pack-A-Wallop.

I try mine, it is good, but not the knock your socks off IPA I was expecting. I try my wife's beer, and there is instant jealously.

The beer is amazing!!! Wonderful pale ale flavor throughout, with just the right ammount of hops. Throughout lunch I keep stealing tastes of her beer, much to her anger.

In summary, it was the beer we brought home in a growler, and that I am finishing now.

If you have a chance, and are a fan of a good american pale ale with a good hop backbone, grab a Pack-A-Wallop and you won't be disapointed.

Had at Fat Heads in Pittsburgh

A: Pours a nice clear amber color, with some golden twinges (could have been the lighting). A very thin white foam head that does not last. Some spotty lacing.

S: Ample amount of pine hops, with a small amount of citrus. There are some bready/caramel malt as well, but the pine dominates.

T: The pine hits you big on the front end, leaving a bitter flavoring on the palate. There are some caramel malt flavoring on the back end but it is tough to pick up with all the pine bitterness already on my tongue.

M: A solid medium bodied beer. Despite the bitter pine hops (which I enjoy) the beer finishes with a little film of creaminess on the palate.

D: A 6% ABV but it certainly does not feel like it. If you enjoy pine hops with some malt hints, this beer is easy to enjoy over and over again.

I had this on tap at Fat Heads in Cleveland. The menu description: "American Strong Pale Ale brewed exclusively with English malted barley and packed with Columbus hops, which are known for their pine and citrus intensity. A sturdy malt backbone braces you for the wallop of Columbus hops".

The beer is clear, pale gold colored, with a thin head (less than 1 finger) that laces into small clumpy islands. The smell is piney and malty, I'm actually reminded of Hops Wallop more than any other beer (not because of the name, just the aromatics). This is definitely more of a pale ale than an IPA, based solely on the hops/malt ratio. The taste is about the same, well balanced and tasty, lots of pine needle and malty sweetness with a lingering bitterness in the aftertaste. Well carbonated, giving a reasonably average mouthfeel for a pale ale, this is an easy thirst quencher but not quite as tasty as Fat Head's IPA.