Big Hole Headstrong Pale Ale

Brewed by Madison River Brewing Company
Style: English Pale Ale
Belgrade, Montana USA

On Tap at Smokeless Joe. Aroma of mild malt and candy, copper, with a very small toffee head. Taste is a full malt, nutty and woody , some hops toward the end. Really well balanced, medium bodied, which is impressive for a draught. Terrific! Thanks Joe Sacco for the headsup.

Bottle: Very malty aroma that is loaded with buttered caramel and only light hops. Pours a very hazy dark amber with a small white head. Malty up front with a light hop finish. Caramel constantly lingers in the background from start to finish. Because of so much malt, this beer needs a stronger hop balance to it.

Bottle pours amber, fairly translucent, tiny fizzly white head, with spotty lacing.   Grainy/malty nose.   Cereal with minor hop notes on the tongue.   Light body, medium mouthfeel.   Finishes a bit better, slightly nutty.   Doesn’t seem like a Pale Ale, but more of an Amber Ale perhaps.

didn’t know it was an english pale ale until i smelled it. very balanced and mild aroma, light floral hops and light malt. thin amber appearance, but solid body of malt with a noticeable tang of hops (Kent apparently). very very smooth and mild, masks 5.2% well. enjoyable, but not special.

Bottle, no best before date. Pours amber with satisfying head. Aroma of toffee and Goldings. Taste is dry with grains, caramel malt, honey, attenuated biterness, pleasant light herbaceous hop aroma. A pretty decent session ale in the British style.

Poured a GIANT head (1/2" of beer and the rest of the pint glass was full to the top with soapy looking foam). To see if this was a fluke I poured a second beer in a different glass on a different night and got the same results. Once the foam died down enough to get the full beer in the glass the beer was a very hazy/dirty looking light amber color. Very little aroma. If anyone lives near a farm they have smelled fresh tilled earth. That smell of fresh tilled soil is what this beer tastes like. Tastes like bad home brew. Not worth the effort.

Amber with light head and lace. Bitter hops and floral aromas. Mellow malts. Caramel comes out in the flavors accompanied by floral hops. Nice.

2004 NABA Festival: Dark, mahogany. Thick tan head. Smell of spice and fruit. No taste slight bitterness.