This is my third post from Hale’s Ales in Seattle, Washington, where I stopped for a few samples while on a trip for work. The conference I was at was finished for the day, and I stopped at Red Mill Burgers for a bite to eat and then here for a quick few small drinks. I started with their Red Menace Big Amber, followed by the Cream Hale’s Special Bitter on a nitro tap. I wasn’t necesarily impressed with either, but had seen a delivery truck outside of the brewery with this beer on it, so I figured it was one of their signatures.

Location: On tap and served in a curved sample glass at Hale’s Ales in Seattle, WA.

Numbers: 6% ABV, ~170 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It’s straw-golden in color and slightly hazy with a thin, creamy head, which left a little bit of lacing on the glass. The aroma was slightly caramel malty with a little bit of citrusy-floral hops.

Taste & Feel: The body was fairly light and the mouthfeel was a bit thin and watery. The flavor up front was slighlty bready with some caramel malt. Near the middle, some light, dry earthy and citrus hop came in, and it finished slighly dry and lightly bitter with some light bready and caramel flavors in the background.

Food Pairing: This beer was also light enough that it could go with almost anything. I’d probably pair it with something big, like a burger or steak, as this beer is light enough to help wash the flavors away, leaving you ready for the next bite.

Overall Impression: Since I was in the northwest, the home of hop country, I was expecting a really big, west-coast style IPA. That is not what I got. It was a very light, very balanced and drinkable IPA. I felt like the body and mouthfeel were too light for the style, and the hop flavors seemed to have faded. While I’m sure it might appeal more to the masses, I didn’t feel it was a craft beer drinkers style IPA.

My Rating:

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