Spanish Peaks Monterey Pale Ale

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

I had consumed a fair amount of this Pale Ale a few years ago, and happened to see a new shipment at my local BevMo. Suprised that I haven't rated this one yet, so I cracked it open and watched Dirty Jobs.

The beer pours out a light brown/medium amber color with a nice creamy 2-finger thick head with some nice staying power. Tons of carbonation rising up from the bottom of my Maudite glass. Aroma was decidedly sweet, with no real hop aroma detectable. A bit of old malts, a touch vegetative but mostly sweet. A smooth mouthfeel with just a bit of prickly carbonation. Flavors were overwhelmingly sweet for a Pale Ale. No real bitterness detected, but a slight herbal background fumbles along with the caramel sweetness though. For some reason, I was enjoying the beer, even in all it's underattenuated glory. Probably just my raging sweet tooth. The beer is not a true pale ale, but I found it tasty.

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

Sampled in 9/2001 -newly discovered notes- Pretty average pale ale, quite floral and not too sweet. NIce hoppy finish is dry and refreshing. This beer does not offend, but there are a thousand better. Typical SPks spiced soap aftertaste.

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

Ha, here I am thinking this was something new and different from the wishy-washy Spanish Peaks Brewing Company (well, that was the way it was presented in the liquor store last night), when in fact it seems that this beer has been boring people for quite a while....!

No, but seriously, I think this would make a good "training-wheel" beer. In other words, a beer that BA's can give to their friends that are still addicted to BudMillerCoors, to ween them off swill beer, and still have them appreciate it. Low malt, minimal hoppiness (barely registers on my IPA-attuned palate radar), with an even and comfortable body and finish. So, while a bit dull and predictable for die-hard Pale Ale fans (and way too tame for hop-heads), this would make a good starter beer, before moving onto more traditional mainstream Pale Ales (U.S. and U.K.).

(Sidenote: if this was a homebrew, or brewed commercially in the U.K., it would definately fit in more as a Bitter, either Ordinary, or Special. Would not be able to hold a candle next to much "harder" Pale Ales from the U.K., espcially the likes of Bass, et al).
//TB

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

Medium orange color. Medium head. Aroma is malty, slightly sweet and grassy. Medium bodied pale ale. Malts are slightly nutty and touch too sweet. Hops are fairly mild and citrusy. Kind of sweet and not very hoppy for a pale ale. There is a touch of fruitiness. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is a touch dry. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

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

A strong representative of the style. Deep ruby tones, nice floral aroma. Spicy and sweet. I drank a ton of this while fishing for brown trout along the Conejos River in Southern Colorado. Delicious.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 6

Light amber and orange color. A thin white head on top. The aroma is Oranges with some vanilla and oaky vanilla. The taste is smooth and smoky grapefruit juice with some pine in the finish. An interesting APA.

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

Pours a shade of red that would best be described as dracula's wedding dress. No head, decent aroma definately lots of good stuff in this one. Taste is little flat, has hints of hops, but not enough to make it great. kind of a weird finish, sticks around a while, leads to sticky mouth.