Angry Dragon
Ten Ninety Brewing Company

 

Getting back to the classic American craft beer, there's no style that made a greater mark on the U.S. beer scene than the American Pale Ale. But with a contemporary twist, Ten Ninety Brewing takes advantage of the newer, juicier and smoother hop varieties that are common in today's pale ales.

Medium amber and a shade darker than honey, Angry Dragon builds dons a creamy white sheet of foam while greeting the senses with a boastful fruit bouquet of citrus, stone fruit and hints of tropical fruits with a medley of herb, hemp and spruce. A hearaty malt base builds upon the tongue as the grain profile shares caramel, honey, candied nuttiness and bread crust in a most granola-like kind of way.

As the hops continue to build, the middle palate is brightened with the character of honey dipped orange, red grapefruit and the juiciness of mango. With the suggestions of peach and apricot giving the beer a richer and deeper fruitiness, the hops soon develop into an herbal bitterness for balance that takes on the flavors of fresh grass clippings, hemp and citrus peel.

Perhaps slightly fuller than the classic Pale Ale, the beer shares a bolder sense of flavor but with a heavier feel. Still, Angry Dragon finishes crisp, bittersweet and balanced with a linger of both caramelized malts and hemp-like bitterness. Not sure what this dragon is angry about because this beer is quite pleasant.

 

 

 

 

Pours a hazy, dark amber color with over an inch of coarse, khaki suds. Tropical bouquet consists of tangerine, pineapple, and passion fruit, with a hint of honey.

The taste features grassy, peppery, slightly resinous hops that mostly subdue a bready malt substrate. To be honest, the synergy is less than easy. There's a distracting dankness and the suggestion of an ABV noticeably above its actual weight. High carbonation and medium body do their best to lend a dry finish, though the scrubbing bubbles are a bit much.

Overall, this comes off as a disjointed offering that doesn't know quite what it wants to be. The first subpar offering I've had from Ten Ninety.

Too dark to justify the pale label, this seems like a cross between a brown and pale. Overall, a perfectly decent beer, but not really worth its alcohol content...

 

 

 

 

 

Tasted in a Spiegelau IPA glass from a 12 fl oz bottle on June 23, 2017. Sweet malt forward with juicy tropical and citrus flavors as well. I would prefer a little more bitterness and a little less sweetness.