So recently it dawned on me that I display "Beer" right smack in the middle of the masthead (does a google-based template even qualify as a masthead?) - yet aside from a few references to my love of the oat soda, I really don't get too much into beer specifically. That ends now with my first in a Thousand Series of the Whiskey Tree Beer Reviews.
But this isn't going to be some snobby Beer Advocate style review where I moan about the fruitcentric forwardness and how it spoiled my pairing with lox and bruschetta, or the abysmal addition of sulfates that upset me so much that I left my wife. Nah. Just a simple regular man's guide to beer. Basics only.
The question is not whether or not I can find 1,000 beers to review. The question as with everything else in my life is, Will I follow through?
DALE'S PALE ALE
Brewer: Oskar Blues Brewery (Lyons, CO)
Type: Pale Ale
ABV: 6.5%
Six Pack: $8.49
I've seen Dale's in the beer coolers for years but was always turned off by my most basic of beer prejudices: The Can. Then on Christmas Eve, my wife and I met up with some friends at our old neighborhood pub and Dale's happened to be on tap. Andy's Corner Bar (Bogota, NJ) is renowned in the Northeast for it's craft beer selection, and the staff there is more knowledgeable about beer than Augustus Busch himself, and I was assured, quite bluntly, that the lingering can taste was "in my head" and Dale's would be a worthy purchase.
I don't know that canphobia is necessarily a mental hangup. I enjoy a Budweiser on tap, and I love a Budweiser in a nice cold bottle after mowing the lawn. But Bud in a can? I'm gagging just thinking of it. Then again, maybe those are some Cats in the Cradle issues I need to deal with separately.
So I picked up the sixer of Dales and figured I'd see if I could tackle the can issues. Of course, I poured it directly into a pint glass - but I do that with most beers anyway - bottle, can, tap, anything but a good .40 oz.
If you care about color, this was kinda copper-redish. Honestly, I don't keep up on what constitutes what hue of a drink I'm about to devour. It's a beer, not an accent for the curtains.
The most notable aspect of the pour was that the head was pretty small. To me, that's a good thing. There was no outburst of fizz from the can either, for whatever it was worth. Despite these symptoms, the taste was anything but flat. Nice and crisp with some lingering hops in the aftertaste, a little hoppier than most Pale Ales, but that's fine by me. Actually, it's a bonus in my mind.
Pale Ale is one of my favorite types of beer. Generally go down easy and they pack a solid-but-not-debilitating punch. But this went down super quick. I remember saying to my brother in law "Wow, that's the fastest i've ever drank a six pack of 6% or better beer". And it showed.
A couple of hours later, in 20 degree weather, we were walking 2 miles to the liquor store to load up on light beer.
My final report card (scale of 1-10):
Bang For The Buck: 6. Average price, slightly above average punch
Taste: 8. About average for a Pale.
Drinkability: 10. Super Smooth.
1 Makes You Feel: Happy
3 Make You Feel: Excited
6 Make You Feel: Like Solving the World's Problems
Ideal Musical Companion: Dave Matthews Band Live at Central Park
Ideal Cheeseburger: Classic American Cheese with lettuce, tomato and raw onion
If this beer was an athlete, it'd be: Allen Iverson. You're turned off by the appearance, but you look a little deeper and appreciate it's greatness.
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