As I mentioned in my last post about Rogue’s Captain Sig’s Northwestern Ale, I’m at Fat Jack’s tonight for our ABNormal Brewers monthly steering meeting. Next month we’ll have a presentation at our meeting on beers from Schlafly/St. Louis Brewing Co. I’ve had several of their beers, including their Helles, APA, AIPA, India Brown, Octoberfest, Pumpkin, and more, so I’m looking forward to maybe sampling a few more. In the meantime, I had this beer while we discussed other pressing topics, such as our t-shirt orders and club picnic.
Location: On tap at Fat Jack’s in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 5.5% ABV, 35 IBUs, 13 Plato OG, 146 Calories
Ingredients: Hops: Northern Brewer, Cascade; Yeast: American Ale
Appearance & Aroma: The beer was clear and amber colored with a creamy, cream colored head that fell in a moderate amount of time. It left a thin layer of bubbles, allowing me to pick up on some caramel maltiness with a hint of citrus hoppiness.
Taste & Feel: The body was light medium, and the mouthfeel was slightly crisp from carbonation. There was a decent caramel malt flavor before a decent amount of citrusy hop flavor kicked in. It finished with a bit of a grassy-citrusy hop flavor, but the malt flavor was still fairly present.
Food Pairing: I think that pale ales like this are perfect for washing down hearty pub meals like burgers and fries. The caramel flavors on the front end complement the breadiness of the food, and the hoppy finish adds a nice complexity of flavors.
Overall Impression: I’ve had this before in the bottle, and it seemed like the bottle contained a bit more hop flavor. I knew pretty much what to expect, and got what I expected. It’s a fairly good, flavorful pale ale with nice balance. There’s not much that stands out about it, but it was good for this hot evening.
My Rating: 
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