BREWERY: Southern Tier Brewing Company
STYLE: American Pale Ale (APA)
ABV: 5.7%
PURCHASE: 60-oz. pitcher, $8.00
SERVING: Said pitcher, poured into chilled pint glass. In terms of actual amount, not very heady. From the tap, only about an inch topped the pitcher. The first (20-second) pour into the glass yielded not even half that. The second (10-second) pour resulted in ever so barely more. It took a fast five-second pour to get an inch atop the glass. I will say that whatever head did come about had remarkable staying power, especially in the pitcher. It remained in at least half its original capacity all the way down to the final pour!
APPEARANCE: A bright, yet musty, golden color bordering upon caramel. Somewhat orange-like. Moderately opaque; translucent. Wispy white head with okay lacing.
BOUQUET: Aside from hops, which is a given with pale ales, citrus was most prominent. However, for a pale ale this was fairly malty in the nose. Traces of caramel rounded out the overall aroma quite nicely.
PALATE: A light-medium body with easy drinkability. Mild carbonation with delayed commencement. Captain Obvious notes the hop through-line of each sip. Detective Crockett, however, delves a little deeper, observing the seemingly, slightly minty undertone that creeps in toward the finish and remains for the duration. Citrus notes abound peak after the finish as well, as the hops continue to crescendo. Somewhat biting initially, when just poured--and more chilled. Mellows as it warms, however. Then again, I guess you could say that about most any beer. Repeated sipping reveals a mouthfeel that comes off a little thin at the back, if still agreeable.
MUSINGS AND METAPHORS: Crowd pleaser for the pale ale crowd. Meets and exceeds most criteria for a good session brew: Smooth drinkability, balanced taste, etc. Makes for an attractive partner of various culinary offerings, too. That said, it lacks the polish of the top APAs on the market. A good ale? Certainly. But not "extraordinary." All in all, a poor man's Sierra Nevada.
GRADE: B-
POSTSCRIPT: I hope I don't get sued by NBC for using the term, "Detective Crockett."
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