Beer Blogging - Sweetwater Brewing 420 Extra Pale Ale
While I'm down here in the sticks, I figured I'd buy some beers that I've never seen in Southern California, and then I'd drink them. To that end, here's a glass of 420 Extra Pale Ale from Sweetwater Brewing Company down in Atlanta.
This beer is described on the bottle as "a crisp pale ale accentuated by a stimulating hop character, handcrafted with selected malts and Pacific Northwest hops". We'll see about that.
Pouring it into a glass, I see that it has a very nice clear amber color. The head was white and thin, and dissolved quickly into a little bit of foam on top of the beer. The aroma was fairly malty for an extra pale ale, with the hops lurking underneath.
The taste: mmm, hoppy! They weren't kidding about that stimulating hop character. The flavor of this beer is like the aroma, except exactly the opposite. The hops come right out front and hit you in the mouth, followed by some sweet, light malt. The aftertaste has more hops, pretty much the same as the ones at the beginning. I don't know if this is so much a re-emergence of the hops as it is just the malt falling away. The hops never really leave, and overall they give the beer a nice bite. In contrast to the Abita Turbodog, there's a good, carbonated mouthfeel going on here, and you can actually taste a bit of alcohol (again, damn Southern brewers didn't put an ABV value on the bottle).
I'll rate this one a solid 8/10. The malt and hops are very well balanced; that is, you can really taste the malt. This is a good example of the style. If you're in the Atlanta area, I highly recommend picking some up.
This beer is described on the bottle as "a crisp pale ale accentuated by a stimulating hop character, handcrafted with selected malts and Pacific Northwest hops". We'll see about that.
Pouring it into a glass, I see that it has a very nice clear amber color. The head was white and thin, and dissolved quickly into a little bit of foam on top of the beer. The aroma was fairly malty for an extra pale ale, with the hops lurking underneath.
The taste: mmm, hoppy! They weren't kidding about that stimulating hop character. The flavor of this beer is like the aroma, except exactly the opposite. The hops come right out front and hit you in the mouth, followed by some sweet, light malt. The aftertaste has more hops, pretty much the same as the ones at the beginning. I don't know if this is so much a re-emergence of the hops as it is just the malt falling away. The hops never really leave, and overall they give the beer a nice bite. In contrast to the Abita Turbodog, there's a good, carbonated mouthfeel going on here, and you can actually taste a bit of alcohol (again, damn Southern brewers didn't put an ABV value on the bottle).
I'll rate this one a solid 8/10. The malt and hops are very well balanced; that is, you can really taste the malt. This is a good example of the style. If you're in the Atlanta area, I highly recommend picking some up.
posted by The Disgruntled Chemist at
5:51 PM
