Lamar Street Organic Pale Ale

Being their Goose Island store brand, it comes in regular shape 12 oz bottles, in six-packs, unlike the niftier squat-bottled 4-packs that they get from their North Coast beers. This is an example of an American style pale ale that approaches in style and spirit the English bitter. What I mean by style is this: limp head, largely clear amber/golden color, vegetal and caramel aroma with a slight perfume note (but only when its cold), murky and grassy flavor. In spirit? It’s not expecting to do a lot and it achieves that handsomely.

Clear golden copper with a medium white head. Some floral hops and caramel in the aroma. Flavor has notes of pale malt, some lemon/grapefruit hop character and a little caramel. Moderately sweet, a little hop bitterness creeps in at the end. Medium bodied with a very smooth, velvety texture and lively carbonation. Overall, well made but very boring.

12oz. bottle. Orangey golden color with a thin film of white head. Lemony, grassy hops with grainy malt in the aroma. Unfortunate DMS sweet corn tinges. Mild grassy herbal hop character, some uninspired watery malt. These combined flavors fade to a pantina of DMS and notes of residual hop bitterness in the finish. Mouthfeel is thin, somewhat watery.

Bottle. Golden body with a lasting thick frothy head. Very nice looking head. Body could use some more color though. Nose-caramel and very light hops. Taste-very mellow malt profile with some light hops to back it up. Notes of cereal, pear, lots of malt, light citric zest. EVerything about this tastes mild and understated. Very easy to drink, but nothing about it is special. Thin is the only word that comes to mind.

GABF 05- Clear golden color, small white head. ARoma is apples, malt. Flavor is thin, apples and english hops, nothing special.

In the bottle from Whole Foods. $5.99/ six pack. Pours a deep deep gold that is slightly hazy. Has a bit of an off white head that settles down pretty quick. Not an overwhelming aroma, slightly grassy. No pronounced hop aroma. Mild bitterness and maltiness up front, but the flavor promise disappears amazingly quick and then there’s nothing there. Years ago, Harris Teeter sold a Governor’s Ale that was a vastly superior grocery store beer. Oh, and by the way, ALL beer has carbon in it and is therefore ORGANIC.

Pours golden with a foamy white head. Aroma is floral, citrus hops. Taste is primarily grassy hops, with a rounded, slightly malty finish. Light bodied with medium carbonation. Easy to drink, pretty standard APA. This beer gets a few extra quality points. Because life is organic, beer included. Ital is vital.

I haven’t had Wolaver’s Pale yet so I am not sure how this stacks up in the organic Pale genre. It’s alright as an APA though. Dark golden color with a thin off-white head and minimal lacing. Hoppy and woody aroma. Medium body and dry with spicy hops malt and fruit flavor. The finish is mildly bitter floral hops. Straightforward and exceedingly average overall.