Fat Bottom "W.A.C." APA

I'm not sure how the Women's Army Corps got involved in this. Is this some kind of tribute to them, as it is an American Pale Ale, after all? I'm going to go ahead and say yes. The vaguely American flag behind the woman giving a salute with what appear to be B-52s flying overhead and Willys Jeeps parked alongside the airstrip makes me want to grab this beer and go watch a World War II film. But then I wouldn't get this review done. And you people mean more to me than that.

The beer is a brassy color with a good enough head that eventually dies down to an uneven cover across the top of the beer with bubbles resolutely gripping the sides of the glass and pushing up just a little bit of lacing. The aroma is mostly a caramel and bread malt, but there is definitely some hop goodness going on underneath it with a little bit of juiciness and possibly some accompanying pine. Presentation is pretty good.

First sip is pretty delightful. The beer is smooth and crisp at the same time, as it seems to have enough malt to give it substance and enough hops to give it flavor. The malt is mostly caramel, and the hops are zest of oranges, grapefruit, mangoes, and star fruit. There are often times that I don't like the sip of a beer but I very much like a gulp. This is not the case here. I don't know if I'm going to like the gulp or not, but I surely do like the sip.

Tip-in is sweet caramel malt with little carbonation and a light sprinkling of pine. The middle of the beverage is very smooth, as the carbonation cranks it up while managing to stay inoffensive; light, indistinct juices are backing the caramel malt that has a little bit of the bread crust to it as well. The finish is a crisp cessation of the sweetness a while the bitterness is allowed to encroach before the trail off is pine laced with fruit.

Bottom Line: She's a good one. And I'll have another.

4.25/5