Big Hole Headstrong Pale Ale

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

473 ml can from Harry! Says 5.5% ABV Nose of grassy hops and a bit of maltiness; copper with a big beige head; flavor has a bit of hop bitterness and some caramel; godd session brew.

473 ml can. Wellington County version. Pours golden/orange with a mid sized off white head. Aromas are pale malt and citrus hops. The flavours are initial hops with great caramel malt undertones. Slightly bitter hop finish. A very good addition to my local LCBO.<P> i have had this several times since my first reveiw and it is currently my session pale ale. very good ale.

473ml can, 5.5% a/v Pours a light copper colour with a very generous tan head. The nose of this beer is largely citrusy hops with some very slight brown sugar notes. The taste is immediately hoppy which stays that way for awhile then peters out into a nice smooth caramel finish. Very good beer, with a nice mouthfeel.

Hop aroma with sweet caramel malt. Pours brown and is very balanced. Starts off with bitter hops that burn out fast to a nice malt finish. Sweet and smooth.

Served a frost-hazed amber under a light-tan head that settled creamy yet wet. Sweet orange aroma. Flavor has a very sweet base with citric/floral hops only adding a hint of bitterness. Very "English" persona with tea bitterness to boot. Mid bodied and (according to my notes), "very f’n good".

<font size=-4>On draught at <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/ontario/london/ Alex P. Keaton, London, ON, CAN</font>

650ml bottle. Pours a hazy orange colour with little head that dissipates fast. Aroma is strong and mostly of hops, but also maybe a little toffee too. Taste is strong, alcohol, hops, a tad metallic but nothing too bad. Dispite some sweetness it’s got a very bitter finish that’s a tad long. Seems pretty enjoyable over-all, but certain aspects of it get a little annoying after a while. EDIT: It’s been reformulated a bit, and now comes in tall cans. It’s noticeably better now, much more hop presence with a really decent malt backbone to it. All the negative aspects of the older version seem to gone, which obviously works greatly to its advantage. It’s really a great EPA now, a style I’m getting to like more and more. It just gets better and better every time I have it.

Bottle from LCBO courtesy of my girlfriend’s father. Poured somewhat hazy into an english pint. Smell is of floral grapefruits and malt. Mouthfeel was medium and bursting with hops. But not the kind I like. I feel this ale is unbalanced, and the bitterness is quite uncomfortable. Won’t be drinking again.

650ml bottle. Poured a slightly hazy amber. Full of carbonation, but without much head. Nice lacing. The hoppy, floral aroma is stong but not over-powering. Inital flavour is quite malty with strong caramel notes. Hops then dominante the finish, consistent with the floral notes in the aroma but with subtle, citrus and cherry notes. Nice, full palate.....better than most, more watery pale ales. Very drinkable.