Granite City Pale Ale
Kennebec Brewing Company, Inc.

Poured into an imperial pint glass a light dull golden with a huge foamy head that went over the sides like an eruption whoa where did that come from?!Very light aromas a little hard water and toasty malt with a hint of orange and leaf but its basic.Somewhat medicinal and leafy on the palate not really anything to write home about and Iam not big on the medical flavor profile.Average about some it up its light and really subdued,I would have passed if I had did my homework on this one ahead of time.

Pours a three finger thick cream head that fades slowly leaving a good lace. Almost clear amber color. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied. Hoppy/piney nose. Flavor is smooth, hoppy, typical pale similar to their ESB without the yeast chunks, has a sour/bitter finish. $3.50 for a 22oz bottle from Tully's Beer and Wine Wells, ME.

Presentation: 22oz bottle in a dimpled Seidel mug

Poured loose & very smooth. Nose is somewhat sour (a recurring theme with Kennebec beers), some florals and light citrus (dull grapefruit), faint honey & piney hops, the aroma of walking in the damp, deep woods at night after a cold rain. A finger's worth of loose, mixed pale ivory foam sits atop a murky, warm, brassy honey amber hued body with a decent amount of bubbles rising slowly through it, with the head settling to a thin blanketing of the same with some decent edge lacing...visually a pretty beer.

Smooth & even up front, an initial semi-sweetness quickly yields to a bittersweet, tart, sour quality. Malts are flat & rocky, dull, hops are bitter and crudely sharp & abrasive. It grows drier on the palate with a subdued, ciderlike crunchiness which only amplifies the bitterness & sour aspects. I honestly admit I have difficultly differentiating this from Kennebec's ESB & Cream Ale in that they all share almost eerie similarities in mouthfeel, taste, bitterness & especially a sour quality. The finish is metallic, dry, sharp with a dull grapefruit rind tartness, leaving a filmy, chalky blackboard coating that is chewy and not all that pleasant.

That said, I did find this the most palatable of Kennebec's non-stout ales, which isn't saying much (although, ironically, the one I cared for the least (Cream Ale) has such a sour quality to it I would actually drink that once or twice a year for that reason alone!). If you like bitter, crude beers with a sour edge, you should check these out, but outside of getting a annual pucker fix I'll pass on future ones.

Picked this up at the new, larger Tully's. This beer is a hazy orange with a small head. Nicely carbonated. It has a sweet, malt aroma. Very bland taste, not much there. A little hint of hops that quickly dissipates. I think one could drink this as a thirst quencher, and then move on.

22oz bottle.
Pour: light golenrod color, pretty clear, white head that neither goes up very much not lasts for very long.
Smell: I know it's not just me - I had my SO taste this one and the Cream Ale as well. They both have a strong and acrid fruity (apricot/citrus) smell to them. Definitely not an IPA smell!
Taste: very very light for an IPA. No discernable hop flavor at any point - not early, not in the aftertaste, not ever. Strong fruity/sour aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: again, as with their Cream Ale, the mouthfeel is about the closest the beer comes to being in its genre.
Drinkability: again, as with their Cream Ale, it's not a question of 'will I drink another?' it's a question of 'will I finish this one?'

Again, as with the Cream Ale, purchased at the Whole Grocer. Maybe they are stocking the stuff well? Maybe their supplier isn't stocking well? Both beers had the same odd flavor/aftertaste. This says that something, somewhere was the same and wrong for both of them... I'll try to remember to try both of them again and modify my review if anything changes - but I don't have much hope...

I picked up a 22 oz. bottle of this product at RSVP in Portland last week with high expectations as I hadn't tried any of this brewery's products previously. My expectations were quickly dashed. It would rank near the bottom of the micro Pale Ales I've tried. Pours OK with a decent head but the taste is quite different from what I would expect of a Pale Ale. Not real malty and not real hoppy - sort of a raw taste as if the beer had been bottled too early. Lacking in any type of character. Ranks as the first product from a Maine micro in which I've been disappointed.

Granite City pours a hazy orange/amber color with a white head that hangs around and leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma is faintly sweet with some notes of floral hops. The taste is... er well er.... the taste is pretty damn average. It's not malty nor is it hoppy. It is very balanced but not in a way that would give it kudos. The finish is slightly dry with just a hint of hop bitterness. The aftertaste is fleeting at best and a kin to water. Mouthfeel is light with a wee bit of carbonation tingle on the tongue.
Overall a disappointment. Not a crappy beer but not a very inspired beer either. I would call this a very average beer in every respect. I'll let you decide if that is good or bad. I can't make up my mind.

An average pale. Mildly-hazey copper colour with a sticky, splotchy cover and lace that lasts. Strong, wet hop-leaf nose and and more subtle, sweetish malt. Leafy hops, very bitter with some malt back-up. Rounded, although not quite balanced enough for a pale. Slight buttery malt. Medium body, dry, with rough carbonated edges.

A bitter American pale. Bitter, but not quite balanced. Cheers.