Dandy Brewing Company Golden Brown Dandy English Pale Ale at 6% ABV ($7.29 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650ml, no bottle date or best before)
Pours hazy medium amber with a shot-lived finger of loose off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skin, minimal lacing. (3/5) Nose is muted, cereal malt, nutty, fruity and herbal hops. (6/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate lingering bitter. (6/10) Medium body, low sustained carbonation, mildly bitter finish. (3/5)
Well, right off the hop (no pun intended), this doesn’t look, smell, or taste like a Pale, English or otherwise – It’s a lot more like an ESB or an English Brown. As Pale, it’s bland and underwhelming. As an ESB or a brown ale, it’s… well, bland and underwhelming. But a bit less so. Not a bad first try for a local nano brewery, and I’ll keep giving their products a try, but it’s not exactly an unqualified success either. At the very least, I’d like to see a little more carbonation to kick things up a notch and sharpen the flavour and finish. Speaking of the finish, it’s not entirely boring – there are herbal/floral notes that gradually become apparent, but it’s a case of too little, too late. (12/20)
6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
