Beer of the Weekend #831: Cheap Date
While watching the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, I cracked open another beer from my Michigan haul: Cheap Date, brewed by Arcadia Ales of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The color is lightly hazy, solid gold. A finger and change of buttery, beige, bubbly head leaves a skim spotted with bubbles and a frothy ring around the edge. A lot of bubbles rise from the bottom. The aroma is citrus dominated with scents of orange, lemon, and light grapefruit. Though it is not super sharp, the aroma is leaning toward astringent. Light caramel is also noticeable. The first sip is very pleasing and persuasive! The flavor is light and on the dry side, but still tasty and satisfying. There are flavors of light citrus, mostly orange and grapefruit with a touch of lemon. Toast malt and caramel are much more prominent, though, making the flavor much more balanced than the aroma. Even some light esters emerge on the tail. An herbal bitterness lingers on the taste buds after each sip.
Fun facts about Cheap Date:
• Style: Session ale, which I did not realize was a style. I’d call Cheap Date a pale ale that is a session beer.
• Price: It was around $8 at the Meijer on West Lake Lansing Road in East Lansing, Michigan.
• Alcohol content: 4.5 percent ABV.
• Food pairings: Recommended on the beer’s webpage are “Scallops & grilled peaches, ahi tuna, salad nicoise, chicken tacos, sausage & pretzels.”
• According to the beer’s webpage, “1% of all Cheap Date sales are donated to the Kalamazoo Parks Foundation on behalf of the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail.”
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
The color is lightly hazy, solid gold. A finger and change of buttery, beige, bubbly head leaves a skim spotted with bubbles and a frothy ring around the edge. A lot of bubbles rise from the bottom. The aroma is citrus dominated with scents of orange, lemon, and light grapefruit. Though it is not super sharp, the aroma is leaning toward astringent. Light caramel is also noticeable. The first sip is very pleasing and persuasive! The flavor is light and on the dry side, but still tasty and satisfying. There are flavors of light citrus, mostly orange and grapefruit with a touch of lemon. Toast malt and caramel are much more prominent, though, making the flavor much more balanced than the aroma. Even some light esters emerge on the tail. An herbal bitterness lingers on the taste buds after each sip.
Fun facts about Cheap Date:
• Style: Session ale, which I did not realize was a style. I’d call Cheap Date a pale ale that is a session beer.
• Price: It was around $8 at the Meijer on West Lake Lansing Road in East Lansing, Michigan.
• Alcohol content: 4.5 percent ABV.
• Food pairings: Recommended on the beer’s webpage are “Scallops & grilled peaches, ahi tuna, salad nicoise, chicken tacos, sausage & pretzels.”
• According to the beer’s webpage, “1% of all Cheap Date sales are donated to the Kalamazoo Parks Foundation on behalf of the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail.”
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
