Until they went and fucked it up. Total recipe change, higher ABV, and harsher hops. The OG version was GREAT, 4.5 % so you could drink them all day, and enough hop personality that you would stay interested in it all day. I'm still angry those fuckers fucked with that beer.
Do you know why it drank like an IPA? because it was/is an IPA. Even the brewery says so. I know a guy who was the OB sales rep for my area, and during his training with the company they drilled into them that Dales was an IPA. The only reason it's called a Pale, is to not mess up the flow of words; dALEs pALE ALE. Fuckin' stoners.
To me, SNPA was, and remains, and IPA. The fact that they label it as a Pale has trained 3 generations of beer drinkers into thinking that a beer that hoppy is a Pale. It's a great beer, one that I've enjoyed since my first one in the late 80's, but I've never thought it was anything but an IPA. For me, Mirror Pond is the template for an APA; smooth, easy to drink, enough hops to balance the malts, but not so many palate fatigue sets in after a couple.
I'll take a Pale Ale over an IPA 9 out of 10 times. Unfortunately though they're not as easily found as they used to be. Still miss FW'S Pale Ale/Pale 31. Wish they'd bring it back as a regular offering.
The article Jack posted points out that initially they were one and the same. Over time however, the style parameters have shifted a bit (with the introduction of new hop varieties). At least that's what the article claims.
"ESB" and pale ale aren't one and the same. "ESB" is a type of pale ale (ignoring that it's a brand for the moment). I don't think Alworth would think drastically different.
In highlighted print, the author indicated they were synonyms for the same beer. He was talking about bitters and pale ales. And yes, I do understand that ESBs are/were typically a higher strength bitter/pale ale. I'm just referencing what's in the article. I'm not trying to "win" an argument on this topic.
Their site list it as an American/American Pale Ale, BA list it in the style of American Pale ale category. But yea, if you know a guy then it must be an ipa then
It's an IPA. Check the stats on it vs. BJCP for American IPA and American Pale Ale. Not an end all, be all, but if it walks like a duck...
Ok, then it's an ipa and they (BA/Brewer) thinks it's a apa....and I thought to myself all these years of drinking it that it sure as fuck taste like an ipa, oh well.
Why do they do this? Admittedly I haven’t had F41 in a long time—and I seldom drink more than one beer a day, maybe two if it’s a 4.5% session beer. But I’ll never get why breweries change the recipe on a perfectly good beer. I guess I’ll just remember it the way it used to be.
One of these days I'll wrap my hands around the brewers neck and find out. I suspect it was that they thought it would increase sales. and, maybe it has.
This thread is bumming me out. Regular ol' pale ales -ie not IPAs and not hazy and not jacked up with some adjunct- are so goddamn tasty. My desire for them is strong throughout the year, doesn't matter if it's cold or warm out there. But they are rare. Sure, SNPA is always around, but it would be great to have a couple of other options too.
Weren't Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale and Anchor's Liberty Ale arguably the original American Pale Ales? Also, Mirror Pond, while weaker at 5%, is 40 IBU's. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is 38 IBU's. The draught-style pale ale is even lower at around 34-36 IBU's from what I could find (and also only 5%). The story he told is one I've heard many times over the years. It's an IPA and only called pale ale for marketing purposes. Dale's IPA doesn't rhyme. There's pale ale strength New England IPA's in our area, but of course, they're hazy/turbid. For a more classic pale ale I find Backbeat in Beverly does many of these. Doesn't exactly help you in RI, but hey, it's something.
One difficulty of this topic is the overall lack of current Pale Ales to talk about, that was one of the key points that I wanted to make. I purposely did not attempt to distinguish between American pale ale and British pale ale, I like both and they don't really seem to conflict as they are quite different. The lines might be less clear between a pale ale and and IPA, and a pale ale and an ESB. I believe that both of these styles are derivatives of the classic pale ale or bitter and some overlap is very well justified, IMO. I am very pleased to see many strong responses for pale ales so far, "Yay, pale ales!!!"
Flying Jenny Extra Pale Ale ? I dont remember it being that good so thats probably why you didnt mention it. Its available and easy to find so there's that. Ive gave it many chances over the years and it just never hit with me. I think Im willing to give it one more try since its in their variety pack I saw.
