Breckenridge Trademark Pale Ale

Brewed by Breckenridge Brewery
Style: American Pale Ale
Denver, Colorado USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker

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Cool lable, a throwback to an early commercial-era lable (much better than Breckenridge's normal mountain backdrop label). Plain golden color with a very middling head on my pour. My first whiff suggested olives, for some reason, but that was just a ghost. The label calls this a classic English pale ale, but in fact this one deserves to be categorized as an American pale ale. The aroma is strongly, classically American Western microbrew hopping, but there is a substantial maltiness that makes it seem like it has real strength (not barleywine strength but headed at the top range of the pale ale). I agree that the flavor is distinctly malty, but this is not to diminish the semi-piney, dirty bitter hop flavor. The palate is a bit weak, seeming watery when chilled, slightly more syrupy when warmer. Didn't do it for me, especially as I had it with an expensive home-grilled steak ($11 N.Y. strip, free from a grocery store offer)--it just couldn't match in quality the other foods I started to eat along side it.

Another simple pale ale with a bit of hoppy bitterness that fits well with the overall flavors from the malts.

Tap @ Breckenridge brewpub, Downtown Denver. Pours light golden with a white head. Aroma of malt, bread, grass, pine. Taste is bready malt, grass, floral hops, pine. Medium body, soft carbonation, lightly bitter finish. 290212

On tap at the brewpub in Breck, CO, pour was clear yellow-orange with white head, aroma brought notes of floral and grassy hops, hints of caramel and biscuit, slight earth. Taste was a nice clean mix of grass, pine and floral notes, hints of sweet biscuit and caramel, finishing fairly dry and very crisp. Nicely done.

Draft at Breckenridge. Pours a lighter amber with a fluffy head. Nose is pretty nice, floral and faint citrus. Some dusty malts as well. On tasting, pretty straightforward pale. Nice level of bitterness balanced by the malt profile. Really fresh and floral. Really enjoyable, actually.

Slight dry hop mixed with subdued malts, don’t get me wrong its a decent APA, its just no where near the greats.

tap at the brewery. This is one of the acceptable members of breck’s otherwise offensive portfolio. Lightly hopped pale ale, grassy, light citrus.

Slightly hazy gold, with an aroma of grassy pine hops, very little malt on the nose. Taste brings the toasty malt out, as well as some curious green bell pepper notes. Thankfully that part doesn’t linger too long. Finishes delightfully bittersweet. Odd. Not very hoppy and not very malty, but not "blah". Slightly skunky ripe fruit esters. Not terrible, just wouldn’t reccomend.

UPDATED: OCT 19, 2011 Tap @ Denver location. Golden orange appearance with an off white head. Still citrus hoppy, pale malty nose. Citrusy hoppy, bland pale malty flavor. Boring.

Pretty average pale ale with unforgetable flavor. Definitely not enough hops to suit me. It’s sad when companies try to appeal to the masses and distribute just subpar beer when you know they could make much better brew. Try their small batch 471 IPA and you’ll know what I’m writing about

Tap at Breckenridge BBQ. Pours a hazy golden amber with a small bubbly off white head. Aroma of light caramel and citrus notes. Flavor of orange. other citrus notes and caramel.