Pale Ale
Gamla Slottskällans Bryggeri AB

August 2005: Bottle, at Plan B, Copenhagen. Orange colour. Fruity / orangey aroma. A bit fizzy, quite dry. Fairly bitter hops, hints of metallicness. Could have been better.

A - Clear amber/brown with an beige small head leaving some lacing on the glass.

S - Caramel, nuts, flowerly hops.

T - Same as smell, but more dull. citric tones and malty caramel. Mild bitterness.

M - Big and balanced.

D - As it is not too strong, and balanced I think it is very drinkable. As I'm not a hophead I appreciated this one really.

The beer is a clear, amber brew, an off-white head, rather modest, leaving some lacing.

The smell is toffee, some lemon and green apples and hay.

The taste has an upfront biscuit sweetness, green apples and pears acidity, a good bitterness.

Medium carbonation, soft but with a dry finish.

A really decent pale ale, why haven't I tried this earlier?

I guess we're on new bottle labels now? Mine doesn't look like what is pictured here. It looks more like the red ale label.

This was nicer than I was expecting. Pours a clear brown amber. Nose is all caramel and that's it. Flavor is pretty smooth. Not overly exciting. Malty sweetness seems to be the dominant theme, but it's nice. Right in line with what it should be. Accent of hop pepper tones are there as well. Real smooth feel and real easy to drink. I like this one. Would probably drink it a lot of it were readily available.

A - Dark golden, quickly dissappearing white head that leaves a little lacing.

S - Lots of hops, some citrus.

T - A good compination of bitternes and citrus, with some tones of bread.

M - A little thin with moderate but sharp carbonation.

D - A nice pale ale.

Pours a golden colour, with a rather small white head, some lacing. Smell is almost citric and malty, but with a hoppy prescence. But not terribly exciting. Flavour is rather bitter, but also a bit sour. There is not much malts to back up the bitterness, this makes it a bit watery. If this beer had som more body to it it could have been a very well tasting example of the style, but sadly it hasn't. Mouthfeel is crisp with small bubbles. All in all a pale ale that is above average, but it does not impresse, like sadly is the case with so many of Slottskällans beers.

Amber/orange color with a head that is about three to four centimeters high and not very long lasting.

In the aroma I can smell toffee/caramel, nuts, banana, dried fruits and hops.

The taste is almost the same as the smell. A bit malty and with some fruit as well. The finish has medium bitternes and some yesty and lasting fruity notes.

Soft/moderate carbonation.

Not a new favorite, but a good pale ale though.

The colour is amber, the pale beige finger thick foam is rugged.

The smell is generous with lots of flavours like marzipan, aroma hops (lots of ‘em), some yeast and flowery notes. There is some alcohol in the smell.

The carbonation is soft and pleasant; just like pale ale .is supposed to be.

The first thing that I notice about the taste is the mild bitterness, making it almost creamy. There are also some earthy sourish notes in the background. The body is grand and balanced with a hint of sweetness. I also found notes of boiled peas and some burned notes of nuts The fruity aftertaste got an interesting touch of pears, apricots, sour drops and even some salt.

As I first heard that Slottskällan would complement their fine IPA “London” with this ale, I was somewhat sceptic. But now, I think that they both are fine beers with more differences than I had expected. Now, I’m only waiting for a good Bitter!