Population Pale Ale
Three Heads Brewing

Bomber poured into a pint glass.

4.5 A: Lightly hazed medium orange color. Two fingers of frothy off-white head. Retention is very good and a full thick finger of lacing is left.

3.0 S: The nose is pretty bland. Bready malts with a subdued hop aroma of floral and spicy components. Neutral maltiness underneath. Not bad, just needs some power.

2.25 T: The taste isn't very good. The thing that stands out is a metallic (not really metallic, but that's the closest I can come to describing it) tanginess and an unbalanced moderate bitterness. Lightly bready, but otherwise, nothing much going on in the malt front. There's almost no hop flavor as it's mainly bitter, but there's a touch of earthiness.

2.5 M: Light to lighter medium body. More watery than I'd like. Moderate carbonation. Lacking creaminess.

2.0 D: Really unbalanced, which isn't what I want from a standard pale ale.

 

Bomber purchased from Costco. Dark orange out of the bottle with a billowing off-white head. Something tastes off about this, there is definitely a big earthy and piney hop presence, but I'm getting almost a hint of skunk or malt overload (perhaps because of being stored out in the light?). Honey and orange flavors round out the back end with some bready malts. It's good, but I'm guessing I didn't get this at its best.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

more of an english style pale ale here, this bomber from three heads, who keeps doing cool stuff. caramel malt is a dominant flavor, but its also somehow light here and only minimally sweet. american hops do the rest in terms of flavor. a cool amount of nuttiness here, and the hops are very bitter. its neat too that the body is thin, it lets the flavors not get hung up, everything is exposed and naked, yet there are no visible errors, so its clear that the brewers know whats up. hops are maybe a little too bitter, and the body is maybe a little too thin, but i still like what it does. the bomber is no chore to drink, because it seems clean for an english brew at its core. an almost wood aged maturity to it too, despite its thin feel, which is rad. these guys are bending style guidelines just enough to be relevant, this is a hit for me.

 

Bottle purchased at Nathaniel Square Corner Store in Rochester, NY.

Pours a dark orange, with a half inch head, and huge sheets down the entire glass.

Smells like your standard pale ale, smells a bit grassy and piney, with some slight citrusy sweetness, and a bit of malt.

This won't knock any doors down, but it's a highly drinkable pale ale. There's some earthy hop flavors, a small bit of crisp piney floral hops, and a small dose of citrus hops, with some mild malt flavors. It's best quality is how crisp it is. No idea what hops are used in it.

This is medium bodied, with a nice crisp mouthfeel, and a higher level of carbonation.

Nothing crazy or out of this world, but I could see being able to drink a lot of this easily and enjoying every bit of it.

A - copper to golden, some transparency. Yellowish to off- white head with very little white lacing. Bought at local craft beer store in 1 pint 6 ounce bottle, served in pub glass.

S - a little hoppy, not overwhelmingly so. Pretty mild smelling compared to some of 3HB's other ales.

T - smooth and not overly hoppy. Can definitely taste the malt in this brew. Alcohol is very transparent (ABV of only 5.5%). Not overly bitter with some flowery sweet notes on the way down.

M - light carbonation, light to moderately sticky mouthfeel. Goes down easy and alcohol does not make it's presence known.

O - another solid brew from 3HB. Being a hop head personally I enjoy their Too and Tre kind a little more, but still good for an American pale ale. Would definitely try again but probably won't become a staple in the fridge. Very good effort from one of my favorite upstate New York craft breweries.