Palo Duro Pale Ale
Big Texan Brewery

 

 

 

Beer was given as a gift by some neighbors who took a trip down to TX. The beer has probably been bottled at the restaurant/bar for about five days in a flip-top bottle prior to me opening and sampling it.

Deep, copper colored body topped with a 1 1/2 finger cap of dense, creamy foam. Caramel and toffee scent with a touch of apricot fruitiness. Subtle grain flavors, more like white bread; bold hop bitterness from midway of the taste through the finish; slight fruity flavor, apple and pear. Medium body, leaning towards heavy; smooth and lush on the palate; mostly dry finish.

A weak malt flavor greatly detracts from an otherwise great little beer. An overarching wateriness dominates the taste although one can still get some warm and rich grain hints on the palate. Perhaps the current relative coldness inhibits the flavor components, so as the beer warms up, I'll reconsider some of my initial impressions. Otherwise, a decent beer that doesn't quite live up to its visual and olfactory potential.
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Ok. I've let the beer warm up a bit and have bumped up the taste to 3.5 from 3.25. I left the overall score at 3.5. Perhaps if I had a fresher sample, the beer may rate a tad higher, yet it still seems somewhat flat and dull despite some of its other higher qualities.