Craft Brew Collective Pale Ale | Fish Brewing Company / Fishbowl Brewpub

3.76/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I recently relocated to SC and purchased this brew at a newly opened Lidl store in Goose Creek after being given a few "samples" by my son. Price was 6.99 per six pack.
Slightly heavy mouth feel , with noticeable but moderate hop presence. Pours a brownish- orange tint with heavy white foam and lacing. Some mild bitterness at the finish. My opinion is that it definitely feels and tastes like full bodied craft brew and is totally enjoyable. Kinda more like awesome!

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3.88/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Leavenworth Beer "Craft Brew Collective Pale Ale"
12 fl. oz. can without freshness dating
$6.99 / 6-pack @ Lidl, Virginia Beach, VA

Notes via stream of consciousness: It looks like everything you need to know about this beer besides the balance is right on the label:
"Light, slight bitterness,
resiny and citrusy flavors and aromas
Malt: Pale, Wheat, Crystal
Flavoring Hops: Columbus & Amarillo
Dry Hops: Citra, Equinox, Mosaic"
I guess my job is done! Kidding. It pours a very hazy deep amber / copper colored body beneath a finger-thick head of densely creamy off-white that holds fairly well and leaves some impressive lacing about the glass. The aroma is citrusy, resiny, and somewhat floral with a little bit of something extra added in, perhaps some berry-like fruitiness and a bit of mucky earth and pine. The flavor is distinctly "pale ale" with a medium caramel character and stiff bitterness. I'd guess it's around 35 IBUs. The hops are more earthy, spicy, herbal, piney, floral, and pungent than they are citrusy, but that's there as well, and I get lemon and dull grapefruit. Some other descriptors might be peach, melon, grape skin, and lychee but I'd say those are kind of reaching, you really have to look for them. It finishes dry, and although the malt and fruit fade fairly readily (don't get me wrong, they linger for a bit), the bitterness really holds on and builds, making it seem much more bitter than (my originally estimated) 35 IBUs as piney and herbal notes re-emerge. Interesting. That long-lingering bitter finish is unusual. Anyway, I'd call it medium to medium-light in body, and crisp with a standard carbonation. So what is it? American pale ale without question, just subbing in some of the newer hops on the market instead the three C's that used to be so common a decade ago. I find the balance a little off with that lingering bitterness, but otherwise it's really quite pleasant, and it is nicely done and polished. Given the price-point I'd say it's hard to argue against as a fall-back or basic fridge filler. I'm curious now as to the other beers they make. I saw they had a session IPA but I passed it by. Maybe next time.

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