2005 Tulip Festival Ale
La Conner Brewing Company

Appearance – This is a dark orange in color, almost brownish-orange I’d say, with a nice head that shows plenty of retention and pitting.

Smell – The nose has some musty funk in it that goes nicely with the big malts. This smells more like an English Bitter than an APA. The hops are sharp, fruity, and very East Coasty.

Taste – Ah, yes, the hops are sharp and biscuity, again almost like an English Bitter. There’s definitely none of the classic PacNW hopping that one familiar with the brewery would expect. The fruity character is intense and, as I said in the Smell, musty.

Mouthfeel – This is in between light and medium-bodied with some stiff bitterness and some good, lively carbonation. It’s not dry at all, but the bittering salivates the mouth to no end.

Drinkability – This went down extremely well. It was a bit different but none the less tasty. A very satisfying ale from LaConner.

On the LaConner menu was "Pale Ale" without any other name. I'm placing my review here rather than creating a new beer profile. Overall, this version was disappointing. While the flavoring and aromas were okay. This beer had nearly no head (and the head it did have was large-bubbled like soda). The body was also very thin, almost like a beer that was oversparged.

Given the overall quality of their beers, this is an aberration. I will give it another shot when I return to the LaConner Brewery.

22 oz. bottle. Has an amber hue with a thin white head. Nice, medium intense aroma of flowery hops. Light / medium bodied with a watery texture. Lightly carbonated. Grainy bread flavor with a mild hop bitterness. Finishes crisp and clean.
A decent Pale Ale.

Big-ass 1pt.6oz bottle purchased at Jim's Homebrew in Spokane for $3.64.

Poured a nice looking dark orange/copper color, but with virtually no head, just wisps of white. Oddly enough, there is some lace, but it fades away rather quickly.

Smell is very different than what I expected. Mostly roast grain, and perfumy, floral hops. Not what I expected from a pale ale brewed in the PNW. Smells like a delicious change of pace!

Very similar to the smell. Any bitterness in this one is from the roasted grain, not the hops, which seem almost sweet. There is a buttery maltiness in the background that provides an interesting contrast. I expected this to be another PNW pale ale that seems like an IPA in the witness protection program (not that there's anything wrong with that), but this is something else entirely, and it's tasty.

This is a medium bodied ale without too much carbonation. I think it was meant for fairly recent consumption. I wouldn't have minded trying it fresh.

A very tasty beer, but not one that should be set aside. I think it would have been even better had I drank it sooner. My limited experience with LaConner beers tells me they know what they are doing, and that I should check them out next time I find myself in the vicinity of the Skagit Valley.

This is a totally different approach for a spring seasonal. This beer is grainy, malty and full flavoured without falling back on the usual PNW hops. Englich in profile , this is food friendly and challenging to the palate. A well done take on the style that goes against the grain.