Jack Russell Whitewater Pale Ale

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

a clean but slightly below average pale ale. left me wanting more malt and hops as the flavor was decent enough, but very underwhelming. good balance for what was there...

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

I had brewed a HB Pale Ale about 2-3 months ago. One of the things that I disliked about it was the eruptive head that was produced upon pouring. I'm talking in a glass 10" tall, 1" of beer and 9" of foam. This was exactly the same thing. HUGE head and it wasn't pretty. The beer (once the head went down) was a dark copper color. Aroma was malty, slightly metallic and fruity but it was ALL so...blah and bland. Mouthfeel was watery, thin and unpleasant. Flavor was bland and boring. Unfortunately, another beer from Jack Russell that is just below average.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

Having been generally underwelmed with the handful of becalmed "American take on Belgian-styled beers" that I've been sipping on throughout the weekend, figured I'd change course mid-stream and head back to surer waters -- enter American Pale Ale. And, in keeping with the white-water theme here, what better beer to hit than this offering from Jack Russell, eh? ;) I've been generally impressed with the hybrid American/British ales from this tiny microbrewery, and this is certianly no exception.

While most of the Jack Russell beers tend to stray onto the English side of the American/English-style fence, this one seems to stradle both quite adeptly. Solid on all fronts, IMO. Standard reddish/amber in body, with a neat and well-behaved ring of foam huging the insides of the glass.

While the aroma of this one is definately in the English school of thinking, not picking up on any of the typical East Kent Golding lemony-grassiness. A nice change of pace, there, even if I'm a huge EKG fan.

Meanwhile, seems to me the malt bill of this one is more along how a typical American (West Coast) brewer would approach the issue. Enough to provide a firm background, but making sure that the hop profile got the spotlight from start to finish. Very clean in the finish.

The interplay between these two normally divergent schools of thought makes this an interesting beer -- and one that disappeared out of DuClaw pint glass way too quickly...!

Another winner here. Recommended. :)

Music: Mortification's "Break The Curse"
//TB

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

Medium amber/copper color. Small head. Aroma is malty and a touch fruity. A medium bodied pale ale. Malts are nutty and slightly sweet. Hops are citrusy and slightly bitter. It’s slightly unbalanced toward the hops, and a fairly standard Pale Ale. It’s very drinkable, but there is nothing to distinguish it from ant other American Pale Ale. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it leave this beer lost in the legions of similar APAs. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is crisp and clean. Aftertaste is bitter.