Hangar 24 Amarillo Pale Ale

Brewed by Hangar 24 Craft Brewery
Style: American Pale Ale
Redlands, California USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tulip

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On tap at Mohawk Bend, pours a hazy golden with a small white head. Aroma of mild floral hops and some biscuity malts. Flavour of moderate floral hops, a little citrus, and some biscuity malt backing. Pleasantly floral with a good hoppiness for a pale ale. Good stuff.

Pours a yellow with an almost neon yellow tint to it. Aroma of malted hops and corn. Taste is simple with a mild hop aftertaste. A slight metallic taste after the swallow. A mild pale ale that was not complex.

Golden color with a nice white foam. Aroma is citrus and melon. Light body. A little bitter for a pale. Grapefruit and orange with little malt sweetness. Overall not bad.

There’s so much hype about IPAs these days that the classic pale ale tends to be forgotten about. Once in a while a pale ale comes along and reminds me how good the style can be. A good example would be Hangar 24 Amarillo Pale Ale - a beer that has plenty of flavor, bitterness and is highly drinkable without making a big deal about it.

I poured a 12oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Appearance: Clear, bright orange/amber hue. Plenty of visible carbonation. Forms an average-sized, off-white, foamy head which laces and retains pretty well.

Smell: Sweet, orange candy-like aroma with a general floral bouquet. Clean, but not intense.

Taste: Hangar 24 Amarillo Pale Ale is exactly what I expect in an American pale ale. Plenty of hop character throughout the palate but without the raw density or chutzpah of an IPA. The Amarillo hops give it a distinct orange flavor all around - slightly sweet candy-like flavor up front with a slightly sharper, dryer bitterness through the middle. The malts are muted, imparting a light sweetness to balance out the hops. There’s a quick hop bite at the apex which linger for just a few moments before finishing cleanly.

It’s interesting how much flavor is here, yet at the same time I would not consider this a super robust beer in general. It’s satisfying and enjoyable at the time and seems to have good re-drinkability in that you could drink many of these without it wearing you out.

Drinkability: Half the enjoyment of this beer is how pleasantly drinkable it is. The body is medium, there’s a perfect level of carbonation to give it noticeable, but contained, energy. It’s crisp and refreshing while in the mouth and goes down smooth. I was surprised to see it’s "only" 5.5% ABV as it has so much flavor, but without the weight of something bigger. This might be dangerously drinkable in the summer.

Bottle from Vons. Nose is somewhat sweet with a bit of hoppiness and a biscuity note. Understated dry hoppiness up front with a pretty strong malt foundation. Not super bitter, but not sweet either. Tasty pale ale.

Bottle 12fl.oz.

Clear medium orange yellow colour with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white to white head. Aroma is moderate malty, moderate to heavy hoppy, citrus, light orange. Flavour is moderate sweet and bitter with a long duration, dry, grassy, hoppy. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20120915]

Pours a amber orange with a small off white with a little lacing. Aroma is of toasted malts, bready malts, citrus (grapefruit & orange) and a little pine. Taste is well balanced with toasted and bready malts, grapefruit & orange, some pine, and a little fruitiness. Has a medium-light body with a slighty creamy mouthfeel and a dry, well balaced moderate finish. Overall, a pretty decent pale that might be a little thin but is still tasty and refreshing.

Bottle, 5.5% @ FOneFan. Hazy deep golden with small off-white head. Aroma is malt, fruit, hops and citrus. Flavour is malt, medium sweet, fruit, hops, citrus, grass and medium bitter.

Bottle @ fonefan tasting. Medium head with medium duration. Color is golden. Aroma and taste are pleasant bitter hops, citrus, fruits, malt and flowers.