Great Dane Über APA

Draft at the brewpub. Clear dark orange color. Head was thick and white with good retention. Aroma was of spicy malt and light sprucy hops. Spicy, dry, and prickly on the tongue. Tasted of dried fruits (fig, raisin, cherry), light grapefruity hops, and some malty caramel.

Draft at the brewpub. Pours a clear amber golden with a one finger off-white head that fades to a thick film. Aroma ofbig pineapple and grapefruit citrusy hops, some piney hops in the background. Mild caramel malts noted. Flavor is again big pineapple and grapefruit with the addition of a bit of soap. There are still caramel malts, a bit of flowers, and some light toast. Semidry mildly bitter finish. Low to moderate carbonation, medium body. On my notes I said this kinda reminded me of the hops from the Hopsicle and Double Simcoe, though not quite the strength of those. Damn fine beer.

Hazy amber with a frothy head. Full citrus (grapefruit) with a bit of lemon and pine. Mild clover honey. Lacks body and complexity, but it is what it says it is. Bitterness is lower than I expected.

On tap at Great Dane. Apparently, they use one of those hop funnels that Dogfish head has popularized to expose the wort to hops on its way to the conditioning tanks. (I’m not a brewer, so I might be describing this incorrectly.) Anyway, there’s a lot of hop aroma and flavor, but not the unpleasant hop bitterness on the finish that one might expect from that much aroma and flavor. Its really an American strong in my estimation -- I think the pale ale designation is a bit of a misnomer. On the nose, there’s citrus hops and honey. On the palate, some cherry notes mixed with grapefruit. Its a bit thin and lacks finish, but its solid and enjoyable.