Totem Pale Ale
Watch City Brewing Co.

from the 13th anniversary party on april 11, 2009.

clear, deep amber. small but creamy head fades to wispy layer, then just a ring. good, webby lacing.

aroma: lightly caramelized malt and apple esters. gently piney hop and citrus zest note. metallic whiff.

taste: nice malt with caramel and toffee, hint of apple. crisp, moderately hoppy bite, decent bitterness from the mildly pine/citrus resins. mineral note.

light body, smooth, but very crisp carbonation, just a tad too much. faint, dry resins in the finish.

This beer pours a deep copper color, offwhite head that recedes slowly. There is very minimal spotty lacing left on the glass. Nose is predominantly of caramel malts with a slightly bready scent. Taste is all about the blending of malts and grains. Sweet caramel malts are up front, lending to a bready/grains taste, and towards the end there is a touch of a hop kick that isn't present in the nose. This is a medium body, lighter carbonation beer. Creamy feel at first sip and a dry finish to it. This is a highly drinkable beer.

Appearance: clear orange in color with a short 1" head that falls quickly to a surface foam. Some spotty lacing developed.

Smell: aroma is very mild, only some caramel and a bit of hop presence are detectable.

Taste: caramel, bread, fruit sweetness, and some mild bitterness.

Mouthfeel: lightly crisp from start to finish. Aftertaste is very short as only the caramel sweetness and light bitterness lingers.

Drinkability: decent beer that can go well with just about anything on the menu. Worth a look, but some of the other Watch City beers are better.

A: Pours a dark copper with a one finger frothy white head that disipates to a tad more than a layer and leaves good lace.

S: Aromas of caramel and bready malts with a slight fruit hop background.

T: Tastes bready and caramel flavored malts with a faint hoppyness in there also. More malty than hoppy. Dry tastes with a smooth finish.

M & D: Mouthfeel=alright. Slight bitterness, but ever so faint. Also got a slight metallic taste. Pretty high drinkability as its a very easy drinking ale with a smooth finish and a low alcohol content. I think this could be a very popular session beer.

The menu indicated that this beer was 4.6% abv. This pale ale poured a very nice, clear amber color with a small amount of white foam that left some traces of lace on the glass. The aroma was malty, but was weak. The taste was good. It was nicely balanced with a decent amount of hop flavors and malt. The mouthfeel was crisp and clean, but the carbonation was light, and the body was medium. The drinkability was good.

Medium amber color, small tan head, no lacing. Aroma is light, malty and sweet. Flavor is light malty sweetness, some hints of syrup, and very light hops in the end. A little light and watery feeling on the palate. Goes down smooth and easy, but isn't a standout.

Presentation: Hand bottled @ Watch City for BeerAdvocate.com

Appearance: Pours a rich, copper in colour beer with a very creamy head that lasts and sticks very well.

Smell: Soft floral perfumy hop aroma, touch of citrus, fruit, esters and grain in the nose.

Taste: A relatively smooth and creamy beer that turns coarse with a leafy, bitty, fresh hop mouth-feel. Both hop and grain tannins are present on the palate, and are at times intense and astringent. Body is even, borderline medium. Malt flavours are biscuity, grainy with a touch of toasted malts. The malt sweetness is more fruity (light, with some esters), balances out the beer and gives it its body. Hop bitterness is actually mild, citrus/rind-like in flavour and peaks for a pleasurable bite. Tannins carry thru into the finish and seem to never go away. However things tend to smooth out a lot as the beer warms.

Notes: This is Watch City's signature beer. A very nice dry-hopped (26 IBUs) American Pale Ale, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The aggressive tannins could be overpowering for some drinkers, but I don't remember them being as pronounced on draft. Best bet, let it warm up a bit and it'll be right as rain.