Randy's Pale Ale
Broken Plow Brewery

 

my first beer from these guys, and it sort of falls into that "just a beer" category for me, where its like okay, im drinking craft, but this is largely unremarkable. its not amateur, it just isnt special. a little murky from the tap and a shade darker than i normally consider american pales to be, but it has a nice tall head on it and smells fresh as can be, with a balanced and northwestern sort of old school hop profile to it, fresh pine and citrus zest, well timed and proportioned, but certainly familiar if not even a little tired at this point. what makes this a little different is the slightly higher amount of toasty crystal malt in here, sweet for a flash and adding quite a bit of structure to this, balancing some of the hop bitterness at the end, a really balanced brew overall really, but it just isnt all that interesting, and it could be a little more cleaned up than it is. this is just a simple pale ale, but it sort of seems like thats what they were going for with it. mission accomplished, a fine if forgettable pint.

 

Nicely balanced pale ale, this one is hoppier than the Prairie Pale, very approachable and refreshing. No resounding flavors, solid for the style.