Bare Bottom Madness
Door County Brewing Co.

Pours out of the can a hazy straw-gold color with a finger of head that dissipates rather quickly. Smells like citrus rind and a little floral. Taste leans to the citrus and a dryness that you don't usually get with a hazy, but it still tastes nice. Good full body and good carbonation.

 

 

 

 

i am surprised people on here havent liked this one more. thanks to my buddy greg for hooking these up in a wisconsin box! its good beer, looks great in the glass, with a really full creamy white head, almost like it came from a nitro tap. it has a lot going for it, big citrusy hop nose with lemon zest fresness and an awesome flavor that bring that citrus around again with something a little more sharply bitter. citra and centennial maybe? its hard to guess the hops here specifically because they are so well integrated. the mouthfeel is also awesome, there isnt too much body, but its bigger feeling, heftier for the style, and i like that a lot with some of the more delicate hop notes, a nice change of pace there. the carbonation is great, and it accentuates the hops, especially after the swallow. fresh and grassy at times, balanced by the lighter crystal malt happening here, and relatively dry at the end. overall a really well done and quite distinct american pale ale, great example of the style, and probably deserving of a little more credit here. my first from these guys wont be my last i hope.

 

 

Excellent APA. Get ready for a bigger than normal hop blast for your typical APA. Reminds me of a very well rounded IPA.

 

 

poured dirty amber with a sandy 2 finger head into snifter. Very earthy and leafy hops with some bitterness. Malts are not too sweet, so this APA is more on the bitter side. Good carbonation, a bit soapy. It's decent, but I'm not a big fan of it.

 

Picked up a six-pack of bottles at the nearest gas station. No bottling date that I can see, but I'm fairly sure it's fresh given the fact that it just showed up on the shelves. Poured right from the fridge into a conical pint glass.

L: Pours a hazy straw-tinged amber with about two inches of off-white head that sticks around for a bit, falls to a healthy film, and leaves nice lacing on the glass. Plenty of visible carbonation at the edges.

S: Pine and floral hop notes are prominent in the nose, peaking over the top of cracker malts. Some citrus zest and herbal notes are in the mix, as well. While not a very assertive bouquet, it is pleasant.

T: Cracker malts right at the front, with just a bit of lemony citrus zest. The middle brings on more pronounced hop flavor--citrus rind, pine, and floral notes are all present. There's also just a bit of herbal funkiness that emerges in the middle, and it's difficult to tell if this is coming from the hops or the yeast strain used. Some cut grass and subtle bubblegum, as well. There's a tartness that emerges and develops into bitter as the taste moves from the middle to the back end. The close has fairly pronounced citrus rind and (more subtle) pine hop bitterness that lasts into the aftertaste, but the malts still make their presence felt on the back end.

F: This one is on the lighter side of medium-bodied. It's bright to begin, transitioning into some nice creaminess, and finishing decidedly bitter. Nice level of carbonation and relatively clean-finishing. Pretty easy to put these away.

O: I didn't have very high expectations for this beer. It was relatively cheap ($7.99), and I wasn't too impressed with the other offerings I've had from Door County Brewing. But this one pleasantly surprised me. It has bright hop flavor and drinks a lot stronger and richer than its 5.2% ABV. I recommend giving this one a try.

 

I find this to be a solid pale ale, the type you could drink 2-3 of without ruining your palate or mind. There is not a ton going on with hops the way some contemporary APAs are like the IPAs of 10 years ago. It's just got some solid malt presence without being sweet, and it is well balanced by hop bitterness. In many ways it is what I think an American Pale Ale should be.