Duckdive Pale Ale
Bill's Tavern & Brewhouse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Had this on tap in August of 2009 at Bill's Tavern in Cannon Beach, Oregon. The colour was somewhat cloudy and quite golden with a thick ecru head. The aroma was quite hoppy (like pine as opposed to grapefruit) but not resinously so. On the palate, plenty of piney and sort of citrusy hops up front, gently CO2, a nice dry bite around the edges of the soft palate and a moderately long finish.

Countless pitchers of this were consumed with a group of old friends on the eve of a good friend's wedding in Cannon Beach, Oregon.

The beer pours cloudy pale yellow with a crowning pillowy white head. The retention is nice and some lacing is left behind.

The aroma has a nice hop profile, with lots of orange and lemon. The balancing malt is caramel, adding complimentary sweetness to the hops.

The flavor is bitter grapefruit, orange, and lemon. I was surprised at the medium level of bitterness, which is more reminiscent of an IPA than the Pale I was expecting. The malt is caramel and slightly sweet.

The beer is light bodied with good carbonation. The mouthfeel is slightly watery.

This is an IPA leaning Pale that is quite sessionable, and session it I did.

Congratulations to Will on his marriage to a great girl. This was a fantastic night I'll never forget.

I had this on my first night in Oregeon. This was a slightly dark coppery color. It was served to me with a smallish frothy white head. The smell was dominated by flowery hops. The taste started with a little sweet caramel that was quickly washed away by a wave of flowery and mildly bitter hops. This was a great way to start my trip.

The bartender at Bill's called this a "hoppy pale ale." Hoppy was right, I have a hard time calling this a pale ale and not an IPA. Yeah, this is the northwest, where brewers love their hops. Yeah, this is a great tasting beer, just not what I'd call a pale ale.

Color was a darker golden, clear. It had a nice head that faded to a ring in a few minutes that left a decent amount of lacing around the edges.

I could still smell this beer sitting on the table when I was leaning away from it! Lots of pine and floral hops that had a sweet, nectar quality. A little bit of citrus, but mostly pine and flowers. Dry hopping is very evident with these aromas. Definitely more what I expect out of an IPA.

The hop flavors are not quite as strong, a little more citrus being noticeable. Then, mid-palate, it changed and the malts came through. Brief, but very biscuity. I like how they balanced out the hops a bit.

Mouthfeel was fairly clean and medium-bodied. Complimented the flavors well, no complaints.

If you're in Cannon Beach, check out Bill's Tavern for good food and a tasty brew in the Duckdive. Just prepare yourself for an IPA-like experience.

Had this at Bill's and Warren House. Yummy! I thought this was an outstanding example of a classic NW hop head beer. Exactly what I love. The grapefruit aroma is very strong. The taste matches the strong aroma and the resin mouthfeel is pronounced. I just wish it wasn't served sooo cold.

This is not a pale ale at all, though if Bill insists on calling it one I’ll go along. It’s truly an IPA that the menu says is “generously dry-hopped.” The bartender informs me that the brewer might have “accidentally” double dry-hopped the particular batch I drank from. This garners no complaint from me.

The beer I was served was dominated by a huge, yet laser-sharp infusion of hops whose character is flowery moreso than bitter -- though a more stringent bitterness pervades towards the bottom of the pint. I’m unaware of the particular strain of hops used for dry-hopping Duckdive Pale, but I would say they are of fine quality and very fresh.

Duckdive is clear and golden and leaves a crazy Rorschach pattern of lace on the glass. It is named for the surfing technique in which one dives into a wave to pass through the breaker without being carried by it.

I can’t think of a better beer to cap off a day of surfing. If this beer were a wave, I’d advise anyone to catch it.