It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon on a holiday weekend. My parents came to town and were keeping an eye on the kids, so I relaxed and had a nice brew with lunch. I wasn’t sure exactly what kind of beer the Avery Brewing Karma Ale was, so I looked it up on Beer Advocate – which said that it is a Belgian Pale Ale. I hadn’t heard of the style, but was guessing that it would be a nice light beer for this night summer day.
When I poured it in the glass, it was extremely clear and was amber in color. It seemed to have a lot of carbonation, but the head fell almost as quickly as I poured it, even faster than the falling head on a soft drink. It had an interesting aroma that was hard to identify, but I picked up on some light lemony, buttery, and lager-type smells, almost like a blonde ale.
The body was very light, and it was very crisp and refreshing to drink. The carbonation within the beer was very heavy, which made it a little crisper. The flavors were light, and I tasted a lemon grass type flavor with some subtle flavors which reminded me of some light bready lagers. It also had some very light sweet malt flavors, almost like a subtle caramel flavor which came though a little more as I continued to drink it.
There are very few beers that I would probably pair with a salad, but this might be one of them. It was pretty light and crisp, and would go along great with a summer salad. Overall, it was a pretty good, unique beer. I can’t say I’ve tasted many like it. I think I would really enjoy this sitting outside on a patio or beer garden somewhere watching people stroll by.
