Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale

Brewed by Sweetwater Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Atlanta, Georgia USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tulip

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Like many in Atlanta, I have a sentimental attachment to 420, the shorthand by which it is commonly referred to in these parts. It is one of the first craft beers I ever drank regularly, and my friends and I drank the hell out of it. Hell, our wedding was the first anyone had been to that didn’t solely feature your typical banquet beer. My tastes have evolved, and this beer no longer does it for me. It smells grassy and has the color of a stream in which the bed has been kicked up a bit. Flavor is a bit on thin side with a slightly hopped yet sweet taste. I am sure I will continue to drink 420 with regularity, as it is frequently the only free craft beer at events I attend, but I just won’t be able to savor it in the same way I did 10 years ago. Draft - Everywhere - Atlanta, GA

Decent straight forward pale ale. Much more malty than most pale ale’s with a little on the back end. Much prefer the IPA from Sweetwater.

Lots of gummy yeast in the aroma that touches the ’too sweet’ side of things. Quickly dissipating head on a honey colored golden brew. Very, very barnyard - indeed, barn loft flavor that’s dominated by wheat-kissed hay. Mellow, but underhanded. Mouthfeel is lacking, though very smooth, maintaining somewhat bothersome residual sweetness. Overall, a decent brew, but far from something I personally would get excited about.

On tap at Brixx in Greenville, SC. Orange colored pour with a frothy off-white head. Aroma mostly of tangerine and pine. Good hop flavor of pine, tangerine, and wet grass blended with light toffee malts. A good pale ale.

Mild aroma... a hazy amber appearance.... a mild hop and herb flavoring... not a bad pa for a style I don’t always love

Very amber but light in features, nice herb aromas and quite good taste too. Good smooth one.

Very still clear copper with a fast disappearing head and rings of lace. The taste isn’t much, but it is clean and refreshing - sweet malt with carbonation and mild hop bittering. The hops, though lightweight, linger in the finish. Quite drinkable; probably great on a Georgia summer night.

Aroma for this beer is light and hart to pick up. Cooper color with plenty of carbonation. It’s head is light, but does stick to the sides moderately. The taste is decent, nothing spectacular.

On tap a Cosmo’s on Cookeville, TN. Aroma seems to be missing for this one. What little I could get was cereal, maybe a little hay? It have a thin lingering head and the color was clear and slightly darker than golden. Taste is medium to heavy sweet with medium to light bitterness. Seem a little flat with a bitter finish. Overall not bad, but not the best by any means.

On tap at the hotel bar. I’ve learned one thing about buisness travel: different hotel bar, same set of assholes. Pours clear amber, silk head. Nose of some cereals, slight flowers. Taste follows in a chewy body. All in all a bland beer.