Hops can be intimidating for beer novices, but these little flowers are responsible for much of the bitterness and aroma in beer. If you are normally a watery macro-brew drinker, you probably are not used to hoppy beers and going from a macro-brewed beer to a very hoppy beer can be difficult for inexperienced taste buds. However, there are ways to ease into hoppy beers and broaden your horizons.
American Pale Ales are excellent gateway beers for novices. APAs use American hops with pine and citrus flavors. In my opinion, these hop varieties can make the beer more palatable. They are flavorful but well-balanced by the accompanying malt taste. I will be reviewing three APAs: Point Cascade Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Summit Extra Pale Ale.
The Point Cascade Pale Ale is produced year round by Stevens Point Brewery. The beer’s name refers to Cascade hops, the American variety of hops commonly found in APAs. The Cascade Pale Ale pours golden and clear. You can pick up light hints of the hops in the aroma. The hop flavor hits your tongue with a sharp bite then fades. Although you’ll definitely taste the hops in this beer, it is quite smooth and drinkable. The Point Cascade Pale Ale is an excellent introduction to the APA style.
The Sierra Nevada Brewing Company’s Pale Ale is the second best-selling craft beer in the United States. This amber-colored beer smells lightly of citrus hops. The carbonation is strong and the flavor is crisp. The hop flavor is more pronounced than that of the Point APA, yet the background malt flavor balances it nicely. The bitter aftertaste lingers a little in your mouth. The Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is an all-around excellent beer. You can even find this California-made Pale Ale on tap in local bars.
Minnesota’s Summit Brewing Company has brewed their famous Extra Pale Ale since 1986. Summit’s Extra Pale Ale, like most APAs, pours with very little head. This copper-colored beer has the slight hop aroma found in the other two APAs. I think that the Summit APA is the most flavorful of the three. The citrus bite from the hops hits you up front. As you drink the beer, the flavor coats your mouth and lingers. You will still taste the hops but the beer becomes more drinkable on subsequent sips. The hops stop hitting your taste buds with the same force that was so noticeable in the first sip.
Hops can be daunting, but they are an important part of beer flavor. Beer novices should recognize that American Pale Ales can be an entryway to new beer flavors.
Popularity: 9% [?]
