On tap at The Lantern in Naperville, well-rounded pale ale pushes the envelope slightly without becoming too harshly alcoholic. Profoundly embittered IPA-like fruiting protrudes above crisp bite of stylish summer session ale. Pungent piney hop resin flourishes beside juicy pineapple, grapefruit, orange and peach tang, leaving an imprint on its mild wheat-sugared biscuit malt bottom.
Tag Archives: pale ale
MOTOR CITY PALE ALE
1st beer ever made by Detroit microbrewery retains subtle floral citrus appeal and sticky pine resin bittering. Lemon zest, yellow grapefruit peel and orange pith tartness increase mild dry hop bittering.
O’SO HOPDINGER
Confusingly confounding wordage regales modern art label of nickel-hued medium body. Pungent hop bittering gains resinous pine-needled mildness to satiate floral-bound dried fruiting. Honeyed fig and apricot undertones slither by teasing yellow grapefruit nip, settling softly at biscuity malt base.
(NO LABEL) PALE HORSE ALE
Affable rust-hazed American pale ale with supposedly “significant amount” of caramel-toasted pale malts and dry Cascade hops could be mistaken for mild IPA thanks to brisk floral-perfumed citric nature and oily pine bittering. Bright grapefruit-peeled orange rind, lemon zest, pineapple and peach tang reaches ultra-dry finish.
KARBACH WEEKEND WARRIOR PALE ALE
Summery canned pale ale with sunny citric crisping and minor piney resin adding brisk India Pale Ale-like fruiting. Orange-peeled grapefruit rind bittering brightened by clementine, melon, grape and sugared spices as well as wafting floral nip. Caramel-malted white bread spine lightens overall tone.
(ATWATER) STATE FAIR PALE ALE
Sessionable and well-rounded moderation thrusts illustrious honey fruited bouquet into mild grassy hop resin. Sweet peach, nectar, mango and mandarin orange vibrancy fades slowly as bitter lemon-seeded yellow grapefruit and pineapple briskness increases. Some musty cellar dankness disrupts its delicate crystalline flow.
GREAT SOUTH BAY BLOOD ORANGE PALE ALE
Novel fruited summer ale brings juicy blood orange tang to citric Cascade hop spritz. Sweetly tangy and sourly tart tangerine-candied midst picks up burdening plastique astringency. Subsidiary mandarin orange, tangerine and clementine illusions reinforce blood orange theme fairly well.
GLUTENBERG AMERICAN PALE ALE
Canned gluten-free misadventure. Millet-grained buckwheat parch picks up cloying candy syrup nature. Acrid hop astringency ruins murky cherry-berry off-tones.
GRIFFIN CLAW GRAND LINE PALE ALE
Indelible canned medium body brings sunny grapefruit-orange tang and zesty lemon twist to clean-watered saltine cracker spine. Bright citric briskness scurries through grassy hop spicing, sugary dough starching, barley biscuit toasting and earthen floral nuances. One of the best sessionable pale ales marketed.
TOP SHELF HONEY SMACK
Unconventional cider-honeyed pale ale brings compost-wafted earthiness to lemon-rotted green apple tartness and champagne-fizzled yellow grape esters. Burnt rubber off-taste brings unwanted astringency.
FALLING DOWN NINJA CHICKEN PALE ALE
Signature amber-copper staple loads aggressive India Pale Ale-like hop bittering into piney tropical-fruited citrus crisping. Pineapple leads the way above zesty orange-peeled grapefruit rind luster and sugary caramel malting. Phenol dark floral spicing relegates tertiary mango, guava and passion fruit illusions. A step ahead of lighter, less flavorful pale ale peers.
(THORNBRIDGE) KIPLING SOUTH PACIFIC-STYLE PALE ALE
Disappointingly overrated golden-hazed English pale ale with under-utilized New Zealand-bound Nelson Sauvin hop astringency feigns unspecific tropical fruiting (kiwi, grapefruit, passion fruit, papaya, guava, pineapple) as simple carbolic lemon spritz covers up bland stylistic moderation. Forget any intended Sauvignon Blanc white wining. Instead, its minor grassy hop spicing tingles the senses but leaves very few citric pleasantries.