The last time I tried this particular beverage, I didn't give it a very good rating, but that was written in the cavalier days of when I did little more than post things to Facebook. Now that I have a relatively respectable blog, I need to write it up correctly. I just had the Amber Ale, and it was actually pretty good, so this one deserves a second pass.
The color beverage is clear and fairly dark for a pale ale. It's almost distressingly dark for the beverage type. It's not uncommon for a pale ale to not be pale, but it shouldn't be all that dark. This one has the same reddish hue that the amber ale did, and would probably be indistinguishable from it. The head is a bit more frothy, and it leaves a lot more lacing along the glass as it goes down. The aroma is not strong; it's hoppy and a bit citrus.
First sip, and I remember why I didn't like this last time. The carbonation gives more bite than the hops do, but the hops are contributing to the tartness. The problem is that it's just bitterness without taste. All the sting of carbonation is covering up any hop taste that there might be hidden in there. I'm hoping beyond hope that a big swig will help, but my last attempt at this beverage was not a good one.
The big swig.
The citrus is more noticeable in the big swig, and the bite from the carbonation is lessened. Unfortunately, the middle doesn't gain any of the flavor that was lacking in the sip. Instead, it's just an empty vessel looking for flavor that isn't coming. It calls out for the flavor, and I really wish it was there.
It retains its earlier rank.
1.5/5
Tap Room No. 21 Pale Ale (Revisited)
Sunday, September 15, 2013