Pritchard Lane
Flatrock Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

Appearance: This has a bit darker color than the typical pale ale but I am just fine with that when it comes to this category of beer you need to be able to separate your self from the many others. This beer pours a clear dark orange color and is topped with ½” of off white head that leaves into a thin layer that lingers. Lacing lines the glass as you finish the pint
Smell: The aroma of this APA is hops in the foreground with a nice blend of malt that mixes in nicely.
Taste: I wanted a few more hops on the palate of this pale ale because the malt is more of the star than the hops are but so I would call this more of a English Pale ale more than American but it is still a good tasting brew none the less.
Mouthfeel: This is a light to medium bodied ale that is easy on the palate just wish there was more hops on the taste.

 

 

This pale ale leans on the darker side for the style, not quite orange but a very deep dark gold color with little transparency in the depths. It develops an eggshell white head that takes some time to put down after capping at a billowing pillow over two fingers tall. It does fade with time but remains as a solid blanket that leaves nice webbing and legging as it goes.
This is an aromatic pale ale. While the brewery itself claims this to be a malt-forward pale ale, it's done in such a way that the hops still take the lead and take charge. It's a nice bouquet of juicy citrus and leafy floral bitterness with some biscuit, a light, almost honey-like touch of sweetness, and caramel.
Bitterness is soft but strong, mostly a combination of floral and citrus on the palate. It's really one of the juicier beers I've had, with lots of grapefruit coming on but, at 35 IBU, more traditional than most made these days. What really makes it work is that the hop flavor seems stronger than it is because the balance is achieved by malts, but without overshadowing the hops. There's a ghost of tobacco leaf lurking in the back.
The feel is nice, and this beer manages a solid medium body. It's fluffy on the tongue with a gentle bite of crispness that remains through the session and the softness overlying making it pretty smooth, too.