Bayhawk CPA (California Pale Ale)

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 5

a restrianed pale ale for this west coast hop lover, but easily the best of the 3 bottles i had from them, as it was the only one that really fit the style and didn't have any off flavors. floral aromatics with decent malt balance, somewhat bittersweet finish. overall, an average pale for a decent price.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

I've been exposed to several different Bayhawk ales throughout the years, going back to `97, when I first saw their Hefeweizen on-tap at seemingly every single bar on Catalina Island. And while I've sampled most of their line-up, this is really the only one I've ever found fairly enjoyable.

22-oz bottle, with a silver foil wrapper over the neck and bottle cap, and the standard bird logo.

Poured this into my Full Sail pint glass, and noticed that this was quite lively. Good head, with a nice array of lacing too.

Aroma a little on the calm-and-colletced side of things, which is kinda of shame in my book. The nose comes around evventually as the beer warms up some, but still...

A bit of shock on the first taste, in that this beer's hops definately don't hide, in any way shape or form. Slightly piney, resiny..., reminds me of an Anderson Valley beer (and that's not a bad thing, mind you). A little rugged in the back-end, but not enough for me to be annoyed or anything.

When I first got a bottle of this, I was well-prepared to come out with a review that bashed it for being a "California Pale Ale", and yet not nearly bitter enough for the "style". But I'm happy to say that I'm wrong in that assumption. For this is an interesting Pale Ale, that tends to improve as it warms and mellows. A little disjointed in the finish, but otherwise a very workable after-work Pale Ale. :)
//TB