Pale Rider Ale
Prairie Rock Brewing Company

Sampled on tap at Prairie Rock Elgin after a long day of work. Pours a hazy copper amber and topped with a creamy one inch head that faded into a cap and leaves some nice lacing down the sides of the glass through the session spent with this beer.

Spending some time with this beer its pretty easy to see that this is almost an identical clone of a SNPA, maybe a bit more hop forward but you could put these two beers side by side and I'd be damned if I could tell the difference. Still, it still drinks like a SNPA and after a long day still very drinkable. Yum!

Amber in color with a decent head. The hops hit the nose before you pick up the glass from the bar. A good balance of aroma from the malt and the hops. Flavor is similar. The malt fills the mouth before the hops hit you with a citrisy bitterness. Beer has a nice hop in the finish as well.

One of the better pales I've had at Illinois establishments. Definitely one to come back for. Would work very well with some of the food offerings available.

American Pale Ale, On Tap, Golden Amber, good solid 3/4" head that dissolved slowly.

Good hops attributes that were quite enjoyable, Good aroma, good citrusy taste, and good bitterness. It really is a fine beer, that I enjoy. My one criticism is that the hops attributes do not blen perfectly, they sort of stand alone. It's a rare beer that manages everything perfectly though, of course. I would have no trouble ordering this again, and in fact did not, while at the brew-pub.

Nice and fresh. Citrus / light floral hop. Good malt balance. Quite a good offering I thought. Nothing really stand outish about this beer, but definitely not terrible. Wish I could have had more of these. I would definitely revisit this brew. And I'd like to try more of their offerings.

This arrived with a very light head; really, it was not much more than wisps. The color was a deep-amber with copper highlights. The nose had a lightly hoppy presence. It had a medium mouthfeel with a good hoppy bite. The finish was lightly dry with a lingering hop presence.

(Served in an American pint glass)

A- This beer has a clear light brownish-copper body with a white head that faids pretty quickly. There is very little carbonation.

S- The big smell of pine and citrus has a hint of spicy to the hops in the finish.

T- There is a nice flavor of pale malt with a nice hefty taste of hops to follow. The hops have notes of pine sap and spicy grapefruit that then turn to hop bitterness pretty quickly. The grapefruit flavors aren't really sour or sweet but just kind of dry. As it warms there is a faint grassy note in the background.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel.

D- The label at the bar said this was all Cascade from bittering to dry hopping. It does have some good depth to the hop flavors and a nice supporting role by the malts. It would be nice to see more hop flavor and a bit less hop bitterness.