Left Hand Jackmans Pale Ale

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

It pours a solid golden with a thin white head and some good lacing coverage. An aroma of caramel malts, hops, light pine, citrus/grapefruit, and some spice. The mouthfeel is smooth and quite rich. Flavors of caramel malts, hops, some tea leaves, citrus, yeast, and light spice. Good!

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

A hazy orange-amber colored ale. Big foamy white head rises above. A moderate amount of hang time settling into in impressive lacing. The nose would prove to be richer than the tasting. The nose is citrus hops and sweet malt. The flavors mirror that but more lay back/subtle. The body is moderately robust and a light smoothness. Carbonation is within that same moderate range. Overall, Left Hand delivers another winner.

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

Sampled June 2009
A vigorous pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a four-finger thick, pale tan colored head. The head falls pretty quickly, though never completely disappears, and doesn't leave much in the way of lacing on the sides of my glass. The beer is a bright, rich copper hue that shows a brilliantly clear red tinged copper hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells of American hops and crystal malt; ruby-red grapefruit notes, tangerine, lychee and amped up oranges zest mix with a backdrop of toasty pale malt, and underlying caramelized crystal malt character, and perhaps a hint of nutty malt character. The aroma is exactly what I would expect from a hop focused Pale Ale.

This has a solid prickly carbonation that offsets a malty fullness of body pretty well. It is perhaps a touch too carbonated for my tastes (even after the vigorous pour), but some swirling of my glass releases the excess effervescence. The beer now has a nice medium light body that keeps this from being too light or watery, but still remains quite quaffable. Up front citrus hop notes lead toward a finish that gets a little herbal with some pine notes thrown in and a nice biting bitterness. Tangerine, a bit of lychee, some orange oil notes define the hop character up front. The malt plays a clearly supporting role in the flavor, it is even a bit less pronounced than it was in the nose; the malt contributes a pale caramelized malt character that provides just enough sweetness to carry the hops but leaves this with a drying effect overall. A touch of toasty cracker-like malt lingers a bit on the palate in the long finish.

This is quite a good example of a Pale Ale; simplistic perhaps, but it has the fresh hoppiness and nicely supporting, clean malt & fermentation character that is requisite of the style. In my never ending search for super fresh, hopped-up IPAs I sometimes forget how nice a hop-focused Pale Ale can be. The last couple fresh ones I have had definitely make me want to revisit this oft overlooked (at least by me) style.

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

This beer was not one of my favorites from Left Hand. I don't think it was in the league with some of the other pale ales out there. Maybe I just prefer my American Pale Ales to be supersmooth, so this seemed a little hoppier than it should, slightly on the bitter end but nothing like an IPA or anything. Just had a lingering aftertaste that wasn't all sweet, a little bit piney. Pours a copper-amber color with medium density. Slightly better than average.

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

What a forgettable beer! Pours an orange-amber color with small white head. Aroma is malty with just a hint of hops. Taste is more sweet than bitter--caramel, malt, and floral hops. Would be better if it had more bitterness.

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

Jackman APA poured a hazy amber body with very little carbonation, or head to speak of. Slight floral hop aroma, and some malts in there. Initial sip reminded me of fruit loops cereal, malty cereal with a little fruitiness, that quickly faded into a slightly bitter finish. Overall its a decent beer.

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

Pours a clear light amber with a thin white head leaving ample lacing. Good carbonation. Aromas of sweet malts and light hops. Taste is balanced with hops and malts, slightly sweet - easy drinking.

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

12 fl. oz. / 355 ml bottle, bought at the GBBF 2008 for takeaway. ABV is 5.2%. Amber colour, moderate head. Interesting aroma, notes of ripe berries, flowers, caramel and some wood. The flavour has first a noticeable malty presence, then slightly subdued fruity American hops take over (a little more hops would not hurt!), leading to a moderately bitter and piney finish and aftertaste.

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

Pours an orange color with a very thin head. Aroma is malty and bready with a floral character to it. The taste is caramel malts, sweet and fruity, and light traces of floral hops. The flavor definitely tilts towards malts. Everything about this beer seems mediocre. A decent session brew.

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

Single bottle, seems relatively fresh. Murky copper pour with a thin off white head and tiny spots of lacing. Aroma of buttered bread, molasses, and perfume-like floral hops. Lighter bodied with a faint bitterness and quirky aftertaste. Caramel and biscuit flavors, sharp floral hops, and a touch of grass. Not overly impressed, still a pleasant drinkable ale.