Paste Magazine, Best Pale ale blind test

That is correct. Anything this is in a cardboard 4 pack is from Decorah.

 

Area you basing that off a 1st batch can of Painted Gold I sent a year+ ago or this last batch? Two different ales. This happens alot these days with Fw. They've tweaked so many, esp last (Feb, Mar?) batch of Painted Gold. It is sublime, maybe top 3 PA for me for me in last 12 mo; aptly rated > Pseudo Sue. Only PA I've had better in recent memory is Nelson Crush by Moonraker. Neither of us are right or wrong though.

 

Likewise we could name some that aren't even worth considering on a best of style list like Zombie Dust; I'd rather drink virtually anything off the Grocery craft pale shelf than that or probably a dozen others on that list. But what do I know, I only like juicy pales.

I'm glad to see Painted Gold getting much love on a blind, it really was super delicious. I should have copped more than a couple cans but had the same impression on year prior pilot batch as you and thus didn't bother trying a splash. I quickly realized that was a big mistake! Now I hope they brew it again soon.

 

I'm with you on liking the more balanced ones like Mirror Pond, SNPA and Daisy Cutter.

 

My only beef with Paste lists is you can clearly see a fruity palate preference amongst the tasters. Top 50 is an interesting list of beers to try, but they tend to ignore the malt in pales which I've always felt is a key flavour (and have enjoyed). SNPA not placing in the top 50 is a good example of this preference.

 

I am uncertain whether the Paste Magazine taste testers are following style guidelines but below is an extract from the BJCP style guidelines for the APA beer style:

“Flavor: Moderate to high hop flavor, typically showing an American or New World hop character (citrus, floral, pine, resinous, spicy, tropical fruit, stone fruit, berry, melon, etc.). Low to moderate clean grainy-malt character supports the hop presentation, and may optionally show small amounts of specialty malt character (bready, toasty, biscuity). The balance is typically towards the late hops and bitterness, but the malt presence should be supportive, not distracting. Caramel flavors are often absent or fairly restrained (but are acceptable as long as they don’t clash with the hops). Fruity yeast esters can be moderate to none, although many hop varieties are quite fruity. Moderate to high hop bitterness with a medium to dry finish. Hop flavor and bitterness often lingers into the finish, but the aftertaste should generally be clean and not harsh. Dry hopping (if used) may add grassy notes, although this character should not be excessive.”

My read of the above is that the APA beer style should be notably hoppy with low-moderate malt flavors.

Cheers!

 

Don't pay much attention to the ranking itself (given the mix of beers here) but it's nice to see some new-to-me beers that I can try whenever I travel or venture into my local shop. Thanks for sharing this, OP.

 

From the article:

 

I wonder if Double Dry Hopped Fort Point would've been top 10. Probably my favorite hoppy beer.

 

Agreed. I think people have been willing to evolve their standards for malt presence in IPAs and IIPAs in a way that hasn't held true for APAs. SNPA and Mirror Pond are great legacy APAs, but many seem to think that level of malt balance is the only "right" way to do it.

From my perspective, all hop-forward styles consist of a spectrum of sweetness/dryness, with ABV as the main distinction between APAs, IPAs, and IIPAs. Some people seem to like a higher malt presence in their APAs than they do in IPAs, which is cool, but that doesn't mean a 5% beer with great hop aroma/flavor and minimal malt character can't be a great example of an APA too. Regardless of ABV, I prefer my hoppy beers dry enough to give the hops the entire spotlight.

 

Fruity is the new standard and, very unfortunately, malty, earthy, citrusy, and/or bitter pale ales don't stand a chance, even if they are excellently made, very balanced beers.

 

The lines have become so blurred that I find it hard to delineate between APA, Session IPA and even IPA. Is the definition the fact that a Session IPA has to be under 5% ABV yet an APA can vary from 4.5% - 6.5% ABV?

I always thought that APA's (like the classic, SNPA) is all about balance between malt and hops...one of those malts (traditionally) being in the Caramel family and resulting in a more amber appearance. Dry hopping is conservative just to add a bit of floral/fruitiness to the nose, but nothing pungent. IMO, TG Pseudo Sue (for instance) is an IPA of some sort and far from an APA.

That said, it seems like I would consider an overwhelming number of these entries to fall outside those guidelines and would therefore appreciate people's feedback as to their definition of APA because...I'm confused!

 

One place I would refer you to is the BJCP style guidelines. In post #68 above you can read the flavor portion of the BJCP definition of an APA.

Cheers!

 

My only beef with certain fine dining establishments is they focus too much on presentation, fusion and taste. Chopped liver not placing on any top 50 best list is a good example of this preference.

Seriously though, they put a legitimate number of mediocre malt bombs on that list.

 

Easily, imo

 

I'm surprised SNPA isn't #1.

 

Serious question: What do you mean by "juicy pales?" I get that there's a level of common slang in it, but are you thinking of pale ales that have fruity flavor from hops and/or yeast... or are you thinking of a much more specific type of beer... or are you just taking the piss (as the expression goes)?

 

juicy: expressive yeast, headliner hop