Fitgers Starfire Pale Ale

Brewed by Fitgers Brewhouse
Style: American Pale Ale
Duluth, Minnesota USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker

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On-cask at the brewpub: Light golden peach and a medium capped off-whitish head to boot, lacing in lots of strings and keeps a puffy skim on top the whole glass down. Wow! Holy pine sap and needles soaked in oranges. Super powerful aroma. Nearly reaches out of the glass at ya. Clean, crisp, and hop loaded. After my first wiffs I just had to ask the server if they knew for sure if this was suppose to be just a pale ale and not an IPA or a double something. No one had the answer, not even the bartender. Apparently it just was put on today. Ah, but as soon as it went through the lips, my hopes of a hoplovers dream all but faded into a waking moment of disappointment. Where’s the hop palate, jeez, the nose promised so much but the taste does nothing to compromise my now watering tongue. Hop tones of pine resin, floral freshness, and juiced orange and yellow grapefruit all make a fleetingly small appearance. Reminds of the Skyline Imperial Pale with lesser girth on the hop scale; alot less. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, but after that nose full of hops, it was a big let down for me, so the mark comes down some in my book I’m afraid. The other quality to Skyline this has is the warming feel it has, which I figure is due to the cask. Which is one thing I’ve found common among the cask brews at Fitger’s is they all have tremendous warming capabilities. This does not differ. Warm! The feel here is also a little wearysome, somewhat empty and thin, displaced medium to light body, it seems to stuggle to find its way. One thing it does have, is again, the whole warming thing. Above and beyond in the nose arena but falls short after that as the ride goes due south into where I find myself saying its approachable and drinakble, but some improving, perhaps some aging, or a longer session of hopping, something, anything, to make that nose come through into the rest its character and this would be killer stuff.

On tap at Fitgers. A nice pale ale. Subtle hop flavour. More flavourful than most Pale Ales. Decent.

Date: August 11, 2011 Mode: Draft Source: Fitgers Brewhouse, Duluth, MN Appearance: Translucent orange with no head. Aroma: Hoppy. Flavor: Consistent with aroma and bitter finish. Other: Easy to drink and decent for style.

On tap at Fitgers. Pour was medium hazy golden with a white head. Aroma was of cascade hops, some spice, peach, and grapefruit. Flavors were similar but a bit more rough on the tongue. Good brew, but could have been smoother.

Tried as part of a sampler on our way to haul the sailboat for the winter. Nice pale ale. Kind of like a Summit but with more flavor. Left with a growler.

Cask Stillage from the Jug at the GABF, Colorado Convention Center 24/09/2009 Pale hop aroma. Small white head. Golden coloured hoppy and pine flavoured with a crisp and slightly dry bitter finish.

On tap at Fitger’s Brewpub in Duluth, MN. Pours a clear amber-red color. Has hints of hops in the aroma and strong hops in flavor, but seems much more reasonable than their El Nino IPA. Medium bodied and a tiny bit dry, but I would definitely drink it again.

[Tap] Part of the brewpub sampler back in August. Pours an even amber color with wisps of white head. Aroma of sweet biscuit and lots of pine. The taste certainly consisted of more pine than citrus, which was quite tasty. A good amount of caramel malts added a pretty decent balance to this beer. Could have been a little thicker, but a nice robust pale ale overall.

Sample at the brewpub Dark gold/amber with a white head. Good hops all around, a bit nutty as well, good hop finish, a little piney as well.

Pours a clear amber with a thin white head. Aroma is hoppy with pine, citrus, and some grains. Flavor is also hoppy though well balanced and features more pine, citrus, grains, sweet malts, and some earthy notes. Quite enjoyable.

TAP: pale amber pour, pine hop on the nose. Fairly well-balanced, medium-body, and citrus on taste.