Paste Magazine, Best Pale ale blind test

I like Paste's lists. this one does point out that when you drink a large number of the same thing, the one's that rise to the top are not necessarily the best, but the one's that have something differentiates them from the back. That is most likely why you find Farmhouse pales and Milkshake pales up at the top of the list.
I am not saying those aren't great beers. Merely pointing out a factor that results in them getting high scores

 

Kudos for submitting their beer in the first place which I think shows confidence in their product.

 

Of the top 50, I've had 4 and can only see 4 others that distribute in my area. Must be Pale Ale deprived around here. Surprised to see Zombie Dust outside the top 50 though. That and PseudoSue are my 2 favorite hopped up Pale Ales. I tend to like the more balanced Pale Ales, like Deschutes Mirror Pond and New Glarus Moon Man, for example.

 

Indeed. Whether you agree with the results or not, and many times I don't either, you can't fault them for the design of their tasting. It's far better than most. With the sample size being so large, though, some beers that might otherwise perform better might not make the "best of show" simple because they got an unfortunate tasting slot and/or were tasted by some people that just didn't like the character of that particular beer.

 

Decent list, had a few of them but not many. Solid beers for sure.

 

Too bad they didn't have any Sneakbox....I wouldn't be surprised if it #1 spot (yes, even if Fort Point made the list )

 

I love lists, not crazy about Pale Ales, only had 4 of the top 25. Pseudo Sue is probably my favorite

 

I'm wondering why they'd include a 7.4% ABV beer (Southern Fellowship) labeled "Belgian Style Pale Ale"... that's even packaged in a corked and caged 750 from a brewer that specializes in Belgian beer types. I suppose because it says "pale ale" and the brewer sent it in, but still... why open that door just a crack?

There's an awful lot of NEIPA and NE-PA (get it?) references in the article. I'm not sure if this is evidence of the need to split up IPA into different types or the futility of doing so. Or for that matter, the futility of separating "pale ale" from IPA. Seems like a slight contradiction if people want to have a NEIPA category but not a NE-PA category (we all know that brewers are gonna make "American pale ales" that are just like NEIPAs). Let's just paint ourselves into a corner anyway.

Glad they found their current favorite. I'm happy with mine - Sierra Nevada.

 

Naturally! The true test of a Pale Ale is how it tastes at the 24th ounce, not the 4th .

 

These blind tastings are fun to read, however I just think it's silly to put IPAs (as many of these very hoppy APAs really are, they're just marketed as pales) up against pales that lean toward English-style. I know the idea for them is to get 100+ beers together and rank them, but with each one of these tastings they obviously prefer a certain subcategory of the style and a lot of fantastic beers have no chance at the top 50 because they're really just different styles. And it's pretty much standard that I've only tried 3-5 of the top 50 because they're all regional with tiny distribution.

 

Surprised to see Yum Yum ahead of Zombie Dust and Invasion it the top 50. Big fan of Guayabara, so nice to see that one on the list. I did not like Invasion at all. IMO, Daisy Cutter deserves to be in the top 50.

 

As of last month Florida Sue is what we're getting in Los Angeles. Talking to folks that have had both, they are in agreement with you that the Florida product is inferior.

 

I have had both, yes. They are definitely different beers. TG never quite got it dialed in at the Brewhub facility in Florida. However, I was one who felt that the Florida version was still an excellent pale ale, while other people seemed to act like it was infected swill. The Iowa brewed stuff is far and away a better beer though, which is all that you will see from here on out as they've just opened a much larger production brewery in Decorah, IA. It's what Pseudosue used to be before they had it contract brewed in Florida. It was the first beer I'd ever tried that literally made me stop and sort of look at my glass in awe, and boy am I glad it's back to its original glory!

EDIT: Someone correct me if I misspoke about TG only brewing in Iowa from here on out. Maybe they do still contract some in Florida?

 

IDK what they are doing in FL. Here, if the 4-pack is in cardboard, it came from Decorah. If it is in plastic, it came from FL. Again, IDK if that is a rule to depend on, but that is what the packages / cans say here when I have checked.

 

As to the Paste lists, I commend their process (blind tastings), but I strongly criticize their mixing of beer styles just because they use a common word in the brewer's marketing. Their esteemed reviewers are smarter than that, and could to a better job of sorting, so this mixing is unnecessary.

In this case, the mixing of IPAs labeled as APAs is unnecessary and compromises their results, IMO. Just as in previous tastings, the mixing of flavored and unflavored stouts was unnecessary and compromised that tasting. Their reliance on brewer marketing is just lazy.

As to the results, I was disappointed the classic-style pales were relegated mostly to the also-ran list. I was disappointed in Surly's Rising North placement but OTOH, not at all surprised that that Xtra-Citra abomination did not make the cut.

pseudoSue is a fine, excellent, tasty beer. Too bad it is not an APA .

 

Well, you could argue it deserves to be exactly where it was placed, considering this was a blind tasting.

Unless you mean it's unfair to place it against "hazy pale ales".

Because the alcohol is too high? Or because it's a hazy pale ale?

The Brewer's Association now has a "hazy pale ale" category, granted the ABV on Pseudo Sue is a tad too high for their guidelines. Theirs tops out at 5.4% ABV, Pseudo Sue is 6.2%.

But then again, Fort Point Pale Ale is 6.6%, Proclamation Derivative is 6%, Zombie Dust is 6.2%...the industry has kind of trended towards higher ABV "pale ales" for years now.

 

Glad to see Atlanta repping the #1 spot. I've had Han Brolo many times and it is right good, just surprised to see it ahead of some of those beers.

 

Mostly I was making a lighthearted comment, but only mostly.

It is too high in ABV, but the styles have so much overlap, that is hard to die on that hill, so to speak. To me the FL Sue tasted like an APA. The Decorah Sue tastes like an IPA, so it's subjective. If I had to give a reason, it is more the level of hop dominance in the taste than the ABV, but both together say "IPA" to me.

 

Well, today's "hazy pale ales" aren't supposed to be balanced. At least that's how I read the Brewer's Association definition, and based on the ones I've tasted myself.

• Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Low to low-medium malt aroma and flavor may be present
• Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Medium-high to very high hop aroma and flavor are present, with attributes typical of hops from any origin.

That being said, if I was organizing this tasting, I would have had the cut-off be about 5.5% or 5.4% to make it match up with the BA. Just to draw a nice line in the sand to avoid arguments, not that their still wouldn't be arguments.

Granted, the top pale ale on their list was 4.7%, so maybe it doesn't really matter?

 

I was going to make a similar comment. I have to imagine it's the cheapest beer than made the Top 50.