Irvington Pale Ale
Summit Station Restaurant & Brewery

Dark golden, slightly hazy, with an off white head that had okay retention and lacing.
Aromas of hops with some caramel in the background.
A good solid brew, much better than their normal IPA, which we had a side by side comparison of. Decent caramel backbone is finished with a striking bitterness.
Medium bodied, finishing slightly dry. The best of the crew of brews at Summit.

Good stuff. The pint arrived with a nice thick head that didn't lace but who cares. Color is a med/dark copper.

Nothing about the nose jumped out at me. Pretty much what I expected. But my nose was so fried from the wood smoke grill at Dogfish head earlier it's possible that I simply missed it.

The best part about this beer was the mouthfeel. It was like drinking velvet. Very smooth. The taste had a sweet rich start with a hoppy bite as the finish. I could drink it all night. This was one of the best I've had in a while.

Evidently everyone else agreed with me because when I went to buy a growler before I left, the irvington kegs were blown for the entire weekend and it was only 7pm on a friday.

It may say APA on this site, but talking to their staff, Summit Station was going for the British style pale on this one. They largely succeed except for one nagging negative factor.

Color is tarnished copper and fairly dark in hue with a rather unsturdy head.

Taste is (like a Fullers) english pale but with more hopp character, and a much drier finish. 6.8% abv also helps differentiate it from the British style. Couldn't make this a session beer at that level, that's for sure.

Here's the rub: there's something in the hop character, something of a true "bitter" flavor. Not an appealing hop bittering expected, mind you, but a cold, aggressive, cement-like bitter bittering that doesn't taste good. I have given decent marks, as I did finish the beer and could surely overlook the off notes, but they are there. You have been warned.