Denver Pale Ale
Denver Pale Ale is very clear and a light copper color. It's topped with a foamy, off-white head that reaches a couple of fingers deep. It was pretty quick to recede, but deposits sticky, thick lace on the glass. Not bad at all. The nose isn't bad. I was expecting an American Pale rather than an English. One whiff prompted a verification of the style. It's primarily malty and sweet smelling early on. But hops emerge rather quickly and add orange and lemon citrus notes, as well as more earthy and floral elements. Rather diverse and impressive, it is. It smells pretty even-handed and balanced for what it's worth. A little yeast and a light biscuity aroma round it out. Pretty straight forward and uncomplicated. Nicely done for the style. The flavor is nearly a carbon copy of the nose. The malt bill tastes like an even mix of caramel and pale. It's a little sweet, but not overly so. The hop bill is a citrusy and floral. A little lemon and orange are noted. They war for top billing with grassy and grainy flavors. It is well balanced. I suppose one could argue that that's appropriate for an English Pale, but I'm not sure that's the case. In any event, I prefer things to be more hop forward in Pales. Just sayin'. A little yeast and biscuity flavors are noted on the tail. Alcohol is masked very well and is not noticeable at all. All in all, it's pretty good, but could be better...with a little more hops. Its body is on the lighter side of medium. Carbonation is light...very light...too light. It's fairly smooth, but could use more bubbles. Drinkability is above average. It goes down easy and has a pretty good flavor. More hops would result in a better flavor rendering it more drinkable. How's that for a sentence? I could handle a few, but would prefer to move on to an American Pale. Denver Pale Ale is more London than Los Angeles. I'll give it that. Generally speaking, English Pales pale in comparison to their American colleagues. No pun intended. This one has a pretty good flavor, but seems a little short on hops, even for an English Pale. It's not a bad beer and is more than decent for the style. But, it'd benefit from a nice infusion of hops nonetheless. Very much worth a try in any event.