Beer of the Weekend #609: Denver Pale Ale
Yours truly snagged a ticket to tomorrow’s Iowa City Brewfest. Some good stuff will be available for sampling and I hope some of the special and rare brew will still be available when general admission begins. One thing I really want to try is Great Divide’s Oatmeal Yeti Imperial Stout.
Speaking of Great Divide, the brewery started distributing to Iowa last week and I thought I would welcome it to the Hawkeye State with a BotW post. The beer of the weekend is Denver Pale Ale (DPA), brewed by the Great Divide Brewing Company of Denver, Colorado.
The beer is called “DPA” on the Great Divide website, but I prefer using the full name.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The “BOTTLED ON” date printed on the label is “SEP 05 2014.”
Appearance: Pours a lightly hazy gold color into a pint glass. An awful pour produces a half-finger of white head that leaves a swirled skim and a ring of foam and bubbles around the edge.
Smell: Overall, it is floral with a malt balance. A layer of floral hops is built on top of a solid foundation of caramel, toffee, lightly toasted malts, and a little bit of chocolate. There are also hints of brown sugar, dark fruit, and a touch of licorice.
Taste: The mouthfeel is smooth and dry, and the flavors seem to be kept at a distance; it is almost as if they slip past ones taste buds. The flavors are there, though. The floral hops are most prominent and leave a lasting bitterness after each sip. The malt foundation from the aroma, however, is not as noticeable, but it slowly reveals more and more of itself with toasted malts and caramel as the beer warms.
Drinkability: It is decent and drinkable — perhaps even sessionable — but it is nothing spectacular. That probably says more about the style than anything else, though. Overall, though, it is kind of “meh.”
Fun facts about DPA:
-Style: English-style pale ale.
-Price: $8.99/sixer at the “Drug Town” on First Avenue in Iowa City.
-Alcohol content: 5.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: Listed on the beer’s webpage is, “Spicy shrimp tacos, beer battered fish & chips, Italian sausage, prosciutto wrapped asparagus, Humboldt Fog goat cheese, strawberry shortcake.”
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
Speaking of Great Divide, the brewery started distributing to Iowa last week and I thought I would welcome it to the Hawkeye State with a BotW post. The beer of the weekend is Denver Pale Ale (DPA), brewed by the Great Divide Brewing Company of Denver, Colorado.
The beer is called “DPA” on the Great Divide website, but I prefer using the full name.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The “BOTTLED ON” date printed on the label is “SEP 05 2014.”
Appearance: Pours a lightly hazy gold color into a pint glass. An awful pour produces a half-finger of white head that leaves a swirled skim and a ring of foam and bubbles around the edge.
Smell: Overall, it is floral with a malt balance. A layer of floral hops is built on top of a solid foundation of caramel, toffee, lightly toasted malts, and a little bit of chocolate. There are also hints of brown sugar, dark fruit, and a touch of licorice.
Taste: The mouthfeel is smooth and dry, and the flavors seem to be kept at a distance; it is almost as if they slip past ones taste buds. The flavors are there, though. The floral hops are most prominent and leave a lasting bitterness after each sip. The malt foundation from the aroma, however, is not as noticeable, but it slowly reveals more and more of itself with toasted malts and caramel as the beer warms.
Drinkability: It is decent and drinkable — perhaps even sessionable — but it is nothing spectacular. That probably says more about the style than anything else, though. Overall, though, it is kind of “meh.”
Fun facts about DPA:
-Style: English-style pale ale.
-Price: $8.99/sixer at the “Drug Town” on First Avenue in Iowa City.
-Alcohol content: 5.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: Listed on the beer’s webpage is, “Spicy shrimp tacos, beer battered fish & chips, Italian sausage, prosciutto wrapped asparagus, Humboldt Fog goat cheese, strawberry shortcake.”
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
