Dunedin Pipers Pale Ale

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

This isn't bad at all but kind of boring. Golden-amber color, thin head, a spot of lacing here and there. Sweet caramel malts and light floral and fruity hops consist of the flavor. The beer finishes rather bland and empty. Not a whole lot going on with this but it is drinkable. Drank one while watching the first half of the Eagles/Giants game and it was fine for that purpose.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Dunedin Brewery. A place that I've had in the back of my mind for years, for no other reason than many of my older Brew Your Own magazines (7-8 years ago?) had a serialized article on the birth of this brewery..., along the lines of a homebrewer fullfilling his dream of building and owning his own professional brewery. Much like the Seven Barrel Brewery in NH, this place is one of the very few "home-grown, former-homebrewer going Pro" places still around >5 years or so. And though I didn't get a chance to the brewery/beer-bar while on a business trip to the Tampa/StPete area, I did at least get to try what I take to be one of their flagship beers, their Pipers Pale Ale; 16oz bottle.

Starts off decent enough -- good appearence, nice head retention, fairly appealing hop&malt aroma, etc.

But flavor-wise? Not bad, but seems to be a bit crippled by the overally soft and mushy mouthfeel. There's a real difference between having a thick and chewy mouthfeel (i.e. in keeping with the Scottish elements in this beer, no doubt)..., and a whole other thing to have the malt get too out-of-line, and come across clunky and cloying. The perceived sweetness in this beer really got a bit distracting, esp. in the last half of the bottle.

Not a flawed beer per se, but one that is a cross-purposes to what I like to find, to what I prefer to taste, when it comes to an American Pale Ale. But I think even if this was classified as an English or Scottish Pale Ale, I wouldn't find it much more appealing, either.

A worthy effort, but to quote Austin Powers, Int'l Man Of Mystery, "This ain't my bag, baby".

Music: Various tunes from Dozer.
//TB

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

01.08.06 "1pint" bottle via trade with matta. Looks like an APA alright: bright amber and with some lacing as the white head fades slowly. Aromas are bready and citrus with some pear and perfume in the background - reminds of some hand lotion I’ve used. Palate is silky smooth at first and across the middle, finishing sweet with mild c-hop sharpness lingering. Quite floral throughout. A raw graininess pervades as well. This stuff seems a bit like they’re trying to copy SNPA’s flavor but shy from the excessive overhopping. Nicely done, a good find from Florida. Thanks Matt!

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

A middle of the road ale here. The hops were very noticable. Nothing really special though, just an average brew, but there's nothing wrong with that.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 1 | Overall: 6

Amber color with thin tan head. Malty aroma with mild hop bite and mellow malt flavor. Looks like an English Pale, but malthy enough to make the grade in my book. Not too shabby.