Samuel Smith Organic Pale Ale

I've had the regular Samuel Smith IPA, and I was not a big fan of it. As far as organic beverages from Samuel Smith, I have had two. The organic lager was not great, but it wasn't terrible. The chocolate stout, however, was notable and good. It was so good, in fact, that I have frequently purchased it while at a beer store just because I remembered how much I liked it. I think the 3.5 that I gave it during my review was possibly a little low. It seems like I enjoy it more and more every time I have it. Let's hope that's the case with this organic pale ale.

The beer pours remarkably dark for a pale ale. It's almost amber in color, and I would probably have guessed that it was an amber lager or possibly an IPA based on color and retention of head. The tiny bubbles stick around pretty well, and the lacing is quite indicative of a good ale. The aroma is slightly toasted crackers or biscuits. It smells sweet and floral. I am entirely expecting to enjoy both sipping and gulping this beverage.

First sip is not as good as I had expected. Earl Grey tea is unceremoniously shoved into toasted biscuits with possibly marmalade gently kissing the top. The bitterness from the hops is not really counteracted by the sweetness of the malt, and it's not entirely justified by the flavor of the hops. So, I'm left with kind of the bad part of both at the same time. It's unbalanced and less enjoyable than it needs to be.

Tip-in is tea, flowers, and toasted biscuit with mild carbonation tingle-turning-burn. The middle sends carbonation to the roof of the mouth while a delicious caramel malt overwhelms almost everything to take up most of the mouth with flowers and toffee at the outskirts. The finish is sudden nuttiness and bitterness with just too many flowers to really enjoy the trail off which lasts for quite some time.

Bottom Line: The middle saves this from being a bad beer, but this is never going to be one of my go-to's.

2.0/5