Oaked Pale Ale
South Park Brewing

 

 

im guessing this one is done on the oak spirals. it has that pungency, and still retains its hop freshness, unlike extended time in the barrel generally speaking. i dont care that people call that a shortcut and stuff, i love the flavor it imparts to the beer while keeping the hops from fading. this is a really nice beer, heavy on the oak, and somewhat light on the malt in just a basic pale ale base beer, its a combination you dont see all that often, and its really good. the hops are pretty tame too, a little generic even, but with the oak, all the bitterness thats needed is there, and the whole is better than the sum of its parts here. good clarity for a wood aged beer too. smooth and maybe a little thin, but well carbonated. char and vanilla from the wood too, nice layering of flavors in a beer that still tastes fresh and hoppy and crisp to me. maybe some centennial hops in here, it has that wet lumber quality about it, but that could be the oak too. overall a unique and tasty beer. i liked this place a lot, and this was one of their best beers. i havent seen this one in the bombers yet either. hopefully soon...