Pioneer Pale Ale
Connecticut Valley Brewing

 

 

 

This past weekend I went to check out this little brewery/orchard/disc golf hangout.

The pale ale was a headless cup of deep amber . . . nothing to sniff at either. I was searching hard for something to pick up on the tongue, but I couldn't find much at all; just a tiny bit of malt and vague fruit, no real hop. Mannequins are to humans what this was to pale ale. It was creepy. It had no body at all. None. Seriously. There were a ton of bikers at the brewery getting wasted on the stuff, so somebody likes it.

Later edit: to be fair to this brewery, I also sampled the Wit which was decent, but I didn't take notes. I sampled the nitro stout as well, which was an instant drain-pour, but I didn't take notes on that either. So this place may or may not be worth trying for you.

Appearance: Arrives with a hazy amber color and an inch of a cap that leaves squiggles around the pint glass

Smell: Toasted grain, caramel and stone fruit esters

Taste: Caramel and toasted grain, up front, with a developing stone fruit character; an earthy bitterness arrives by mid-palate and persists after the swallow with a hint of minty spruce

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Reasonably well-balanced but a rather malt forward pale ale that is just a bit too grainy, in the final analysis

From BeerAdvocate Magazine Volume II, Issue V:

Standard thick white head, great lacing follows even after several sips. True golden color comes through bright and clear. Clean citric and faintly minty hop aroma with some toasted biscuit in the back. Great crispness flaunts a big refreshing quality within. Solid medium body, perhaps a bit full, but solid nonetheless. Bitter, nowhere near excessive, but a rather intricate hop flavor develops with a thick herbal and citric peel flavor. Heavy bready character from the malt, toasted cracker and dried hay toward the finish. Quick flashes of yeast and fruitiness in the middle. The dry finish lands almost completely clean with a linger of malt and yeast.

A good rendition of what an American Pale Ale is, at least in New England. It hits the benchmark if not a notch or two above. Great to see something out there that is not the usual Cascade hop/Chico yeast combo.

Got to try this guy thanks to a growler brought over be the Good Doctor, Dr. Gonzo (the hot pepper mash guy).

A: Big giant frothy head that slowly fades, leaving a slight lacing. Very clear with a golden orange yellow color. Light bubbles gently dance as they float to the top.

N: Nice light ale aroma, with light hops, golden ale crispness, a little spicy, slight pine, and a slight fresh hop earthy oil aroma.

T: Pretty tasty! Very grainy with lots of toasted earthy malts and almost a brown rice like taste. Some light pale hops pierce through and add a slight juicy fruit quality as well as a slight pine and citrus. A big malty kick in the center adds a sweet fresh wort taste that brings me back to brewing.

M: Semi thin, light and airy, decent carbonation.

F: The bitterness starts to kick up at the end. Its slightly dry as the bitterness helps dry it. It's also pretty clean compared to the huge malty grainy spicy earthy malt taste in the middle, and leaves your tongue ready for more. The slight earthy malt tones and some light bitterness linger on the back on the tongue for a bit though.

Pours a light golden amber into my imperial pint. Head gets up there and quickly back down to all but disappeared. Aroma is very mildly sweet with a very light dry hoppiness to it. Taste is very nice, strong malt up front quickly transitioning to a deep hoppy taste and dryness. Hops is quite dominating but not too overpowering for me to enjoy this.

I like these Pale Ale...things...that I cand drink...thanks ppoitras

22oz bottle purchased at the brewery. First bottled Pioneer beer.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1" beige head over the clear dark golden brew. Pillowy head fades slowly, with plentiful lacing. Aroma is pale malts with grassy hops. Taste is pale sweetness upfront, hops coming on in the middle, and closing with reasonable but moderate bitterness. Mouthfeel is smooth, soft over the tongue, with nice drinkability.