Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale
Berkshire Brewing Company

Reviewed from memory. Blah, not good

This review is inspired by Todd's recent post about this beer being his first beer ever reviewed on this site. I was up in Western Massachusetts this Labor Day weekend and picked up some of this beer which I drank regularly when living in the area around 25 years ago.

Pours a straw color with a thin layer of head. The nose is pretty weak; there is some grainy qualities, but that's about it.

The malt presence in the flavor profile and the body are slightly above average for this style.

This was enjoyable paired with a bowl of homemade seafood chowder.

Pours a clear dark yellow with a thin white head.

Aroma of straw, apples, raisins, and hints of vanilla and caramel.

The mild malt sweetness with hints of apricots and shortbread cookies is well balanced by the mild hop bitterness and transitions to black tea and biscuits for the finish.

It's light, refreshing, and finishes with a delightful tea-like tannin dryness that makes you want to take another sip.

Overall, it's delightful. It's mild, but flavorful, and each sip leads into the next such that it disappears faster than you'd expect. I think it would pair wonderfully with a wide variety of foods, and also pair well with nothing more than good company or a moment of quiet relaxation.

Canned 11 weeks ago. Was able to snag just a single and thought why not review the beer that gave inspiration to BeerAdvocate and is (I believe) the oldest listed brew on the site. Pours a pale (but not too pale) golden with a bit of sediment in suspension. Aromas are grain-forward, with some light grassy hoppiness. Flavors are similar -- almost like a pilsner -- with a refreshing balance of dry pale malts and saaz-like dried herbal hops. A certified classic that would make a great grillside companion in the summer

77/100

-Look: Crystal clear bright gold with a beautiful fluffy white head.
-Smell: Toasted grains and baked bread with mild grassy hops.
-Taste: Amazingly balanced and smooth - delicious!
-Feel: Soft and round, full and slippery.
-Overall: Very good pale ale that's flavorful and highly drinkable!

 

DL likes this one a lot. JK just OK.

 

 

I rated this beer a 3.5 but this isn’t bad it’s just a beer you can pound down easy with more flavor than a bud light. Just an easy drinking ale. Could definitely pound several of these after a shift but not a beer I would buy for enjoyment.

 

Pours a pale straw color with a wispy white head that quickly settled into a sparse cap with some lacing. A notch or two below the color spectrum for an APA.

The aroma is of a honey malt and metal notes. Light rust?

Malt forward APA. Toasted cracker malt. Light bread and slight apple fruitiness. Hops are just there to balance. Perhaps the "Extra" pale ale name comes from a slightly more aggressive malt presence. Certainly not from the hops.

The feel is moderate with soft and fizzy carbonation. Lightly sweet on the palate with just enough bitter offset. Quite dry in the finish.

A meh craft brew. A notch above the mass brewed crap but not spectacular.

 

 

Somewhat hazy medium yellow with a bit of short-lived white head that receded quickly to a thin cap. Aroma has some AAL vibes to it, with some lemon and breadiness. Taste is fairly non-descript. Light bread, very little bitterness. A drinkable beer that really stood out 15+ years ago. Still solid after all these years.

 

 

The beer that started Beer Advocate - Berkshire Brewing Company Steel Rail extra pale ale. A big thank you to @Roy_Hobbs for sending this one along.

Pours a cloudy, pale straw color. Thin sudsy white head forms on the beer before mostly dissipating. Aroma has notes of straw, crackery malts, some light lemon, honey and floral hop notes. Its a very mild aroma overall.

Taste follows the nose in that this is a very mild approachable pale ale. Notes of crackery malts, a touch of grain, honey, dried grass, alfalfa and a touch of floral notes. Light to mild bitterness on the back end. Simple, approachable, and well done. Feel is light, sort of crisp. Bright carbonation.

Overall a solid pale ale. However, it is admittedly cool to get a chance to drink this beer given its history and importance to BA.

Poured at fridge temp. Pours a nice transparent yellow with minimal head. Good carbonation with bubbles slowly disappearing.

Nose is crisp malts, honey, wheat, light lemon. Slight floral note. Quite mellow overall.

The taste is really nice. Surprisingly sweet upfront. Crisp. Honey, candy, lemon, bread, wheat, grass, and a bit of a floral note.

Mouthfeel is light and crisp. Overall, a nice easy-drinking pale ale.

Steel Rail (2021) from Berkshire. Received from @Roy_Hobbs in BIF #14. 12 oz can. Stored at home at 38 degrees. Reviewed12/12/21. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Can stamped on bottom “BORN ON 08/24/21”. Served at 44.7 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 51.4 degrees.
Appearance – 3.
First pour – Pale Straw (SRM 2), clear. As the end of the can approaches, some sediment rises.
Body – Straw (SRM 3), Hazy. When rear-lite, translucent with many very tiny particles and much effervescence.
Head – Average (Maximum three cm, aggressive center pour), white, diminishing to a three to six mm undulating crown fed by effervescence and a thick complete cap with tiny rocks.
Lacing – Fair.
Aroma – 3.25 – Initially weak hoppiness, no malt, no yeast.
Flavor – 3.25 – Taste follows the nose but slightly grainy as well, no malt, no yeast. No ethanol (5.3 % ABV, according to website, NOT marked on container) taste or aroma. No gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Some slightly bitter maltiness builds on the aftertaste.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium, watery, soft but lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.25 Not sure what makes this an “Extra Pale Ale” – certainly neither the aroma nor taste. Maybe it’s the unfiltered remaining yeast?