Dungarvan Brewing Company Mine Head American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV (C$5.13 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 500 ml, best before 1-May-2016, reviewed 17-Mar-2016)
Appearance: cloudy pale amber with a massive fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone fruit, tropical fruit, bready caramel malt, citrus, grassy. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body tending to watery, moderate-low carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)
Difficult pour with a completely unmanageable head – fair enough, it’s bottle conditioned, but this is beyond the norm even considering that. While we’re on the topic, lots of cloudiness from the bottle conditioning as well, to the point of murkiness. Despite the huge head, the carbonation falls off fairly rapidly, leaving behind a thin, watery body. All-Cascade hopping, but the dominant flavours I’m getting are not citrus, but rather stone or tropical fruits, followed by a bready caramel malt. Not unpleasant, as such, but reminiscent of a not very sophisticated home brew. (12/20)
6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
