Brass Tacks
Bert's Brewing

yet another pale ale from these guys, they are running together a bit in my mind, and this is alright, but was definitely the least impressive of the beers i had on our recent visit, slight astringency to the ferment, some hop intensity but kind of generic there, and a little bit of sweetness heavying it up, flavorful sure, but not as drinkable and dialed as i have had the luxury of getting used to from these guys, and it doesnt warm up great either. immaculately clear, indeed brassy orange toned in color, and with a pure white head an inch high, it looks malty but gorgeous. the nose is lightly metallic, mild copper, toffee, and herbal hops that feel slightly northwestern but uninteresting, and im not even sure these elements all go together that well, the freshness is nice, and i guess the proportions are somewhat unique for the style, its kind of missing something hard to explain, but it also has something that doesnt quite fit in, which is also hard to explain, if that makes sense, its hard to explain okay, leave me alone. the flavor clears it up a bit, like its almost tangy with some hop bitterness and a mouthful of coins thing happening, all light enough, especially for its color and bready malty middle. but its just not real cohesive, fresh as it seems. medium bodied, bitter only at the end, a light estery thing that seems odd, some lingering sweetness but not offensive or anything, i dont know, its fine. perhaps this was colored by the fact that the handful of beers i had before it were all absolutely splendid, especially the new japanese lager, wow, but this one just didnt quite measure up and seemed inferior in that context, but maybe against other middle of the road pales it would shine a little brighter. im never going to be too critical of these guys, love all they do, but this is a forgettable one as they go...

Taster at Bert's. Bright, clear golden pour, spotty head with ring and lacing. Very light, pleasing hoppy aroma. Taste is malty, mildly sweet, faint hoppy profile. Highly enjoyable and a good gateway APA.