Wednesday, January 23, 2013

The Brew Kettle Four C's APA

 The Brew Kettle   Strongsville, OH

Notes:
American Pale Ale
12oz Bottle
6.0% ABV
55 IBUs

From the bottle:

A malty pale with Cascade, Centennial, Columbus and Chinook hops creating citrus and pine-like flavor with assertive bitterness.


Appearance:  Pours a nice autumnal orange mixed with caramel brown…way too much off white head formed with the lightest of pours (see photo above)...this is the last of a six pack I picked up and all of them have done this...it’s thick, with big and little bubbles…tons of big bubble lacing around the glass…fairly transparent, there’s tons of bubble action throughout…a well carbonated brew…when it finally simmers down, it has a nice, drinkable appearance…(3.89/5)

Smell:  Earthiness, yeast, floral, piney, grapefruit, orange, sweet caramel malts, honey candy and toffee…there is a light airiness; a fresh, out-of-the-shower aroma going on here…a touch of alcohol heat way in the back…it’s a lovely smelling brew…(4/5)

Taste:  Yum! Sweet, caramel malts blending nicely with piney/resin and citrus (orange and grapefruit) hops…way more yeast flavor than typically found in these types of pale ales...a very fresh feel and taste to it…not overly complicated, it really comes in as it finishes…there’s a biscuity, citrus bitterness in the after taste…(3.89/5)

Mouthfeel:  Light to medium body, tons of carbonation…it fluffs up all over my palate leaving piney/citrus resin all over my tongue…for all the fluff and body, it’s not overly chewy, still has a nice, drinkable body…(3.89/5)

Overall:  This is a pretty good beer…the flavor isn’t overly unique, as I’ve really been hitting the caramel malts mixed with citrus hops American Pale Ale variety pretty hard lately, so it’s difficult for a brew like this to stand out...what does separate this beer from others is the yeast they use…it’s very evident in the aroma and flavor making it borderline Belgian in life and effervescence (though the over zealous carbonation makes me burpy!)…things are nicely balanced, it’s very drinkable and at 6.0% ABV, I could have a couple over the course of a night and still be able to hold my head up… (4/5)

Score:
(3.93/5)

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