Pub Ale
Main & Mill Brewing Co.

I found, or discovered, this ale a week ago, and I'm drinking one now as I write this review. I'd been looking for a traditional English style Pub Ale, or Bitter is it was formerly called. Having spent the last decade drinking increasingly over-hopped IPA's, and mostly Double IPA's to have enough malt backbone to counter-balance the radical grapefruitty (not a real word, I know) hops that have become the new norm for IPA's.

Recently I went the other direction. I wanted to drink some of the classic English Ales that I grew up drinking, like Bass Ale, Newcastle Brown Ale, or even Sam Adams Boston Ale. Sadly, all of these classic ales are no longer available. Discontinued by marketing departments and bean-counters who only want to sell what is currently popular.

So, when I saw a six-pack sitting in my local beer providers reach-in cooler that stated, quite clearly, and for added emphasis using an old English font, or typeface to state the words "PUB ALE" and in smaller, but still old English font "English Style" Pale Ale, I knew I had to try this ale.

Well, it did not disappoint me, it poured a medium amber ale, with a 1/2 inch cream-colored head. Nose smelled of bread and old leather, like a classic British ale. Taste was mildly bitter, with a little metallic aftertaste that reminds me of a Newcastle Brown Ale from 30 years. Fuggles and Kent Golding hops I'm guessing, and mildly carbonated like an old cask-drawn English ale.

Nicely done. I can't wait to try it on draught! Cheers!

Copper colored with a fingernail of off white on top. I smell light, sweet bready malt. I’m tasting bready malt and caramel. The mouth is delicate and crisp.

Draft at Shakespeare's Pizza. Poured a pale golden color with a small, white head of foam. It left sudsy lacing. It smelled of bread malt, caramel and toffee. Sweet bready malt with caramel and a mild bitterness.

Found this at the local supermarket. From an aluminum can labeled Pub Ale...English Style Pale Ale. The beer is an amber color with a light haze and a thick off-white head. Nice looking beer. The aroma has a biscuit, caramel, bread crust malt scent. Appropriate and enjoyable. The taste has a lightly deep fruit flavor mixed with a bit of toasted bread. Medium-full in body. This is a beer that delivered exactly what it promised.