DuckBoy Pale Ale
Little Dog Brewing Co.

On tap at the brewery. Pours amber with white head. Taste is of herbal hops, bready malt and ripe fruit. Medium crisp body. Ok brew.

Deep gold, almost amber pour with a massive head. With that kind of head, it follows that this beer is gassy, somewhat overly carbonated. The nose is mild, a little citrus, a little grain. Flavor runs shallow, mild citrus rind with a pilsner-type malt backbone. There's a bit of sourness that creeps in, in effect ruining the finish. Okay, but not worth an encore.

As if the Jersey Shore did not need to get any weirder, we have towns like Neptune and Red Bank and Little Silver and Little Egg. (oh it gets weirder just visit). But neptune is sister to AsburyPark, a famous NJ town and around here (Carton, Kane, LittleDog) they make great beer. It's the water (Pizza, bagels, french bread good too!)
APA is my favorites style in which Dales Pale is quintessential. Most APAs are blonder and lighter like DuckBoy and it hits the mark.
a) My snifter fills with dotty lace like stained glass over classic chill-hazed golden amber body.
s) Hot citric hops like peppery marmalade, rind included, over french bread toast. (not french toast)
t) Follows aroma, balanced, adds more lemon pound cake. Granted it's an everyday beer, not at IPA, bright, clean, somewhat pilsner like.,
f) Clean carbonation. Dry finish.
o) Juicy, balanced, good food and first beer of evening. Duck boy is a lucky boy.

 

solid classic style APA. Not overly focused on hop profile like a lot of APAs of today. Full bodied and smooth. Sips like a higher alcohol beer, some hop bitterness in the finish.

 

 

 

 

 

A: Pours an opaque golden amber. Off white head settles and leaves a thin ring of head around the glass. Sticky suds along the edge of my glass. No visible carbonation.

S: In reviewing my notes from the Steinerweiss Hefeweizen, this beer has a remarkably similar smell that I would describe as a struggle between sweet and sour. Pineapple upside down cake. Sweet pineapple juice and a sweeter, more dense, bread like, probably pound cake, quality. A touch of lychee and red grape.

T: The flavor profile is more difficult for me to ascertain. There is not a great amount of flavor here, but there are subtle notes of lemon, grass some dry white wine. Has almost a pilsner like bitterness to the finish (think Jever)

M: Good amount of carbonation. Dry finish.

D: As with the porter from LIttle Dog, nothing wrong with the beer and certainly drinkable. In fact I like this one better because of the great nose. The flavor profile is nice. It's subtle. There is no bitterness,and no over the top fruit juice flavors as with many American Pale Ales nowadays. It's a solid beer and one that I would drink again.