Central 28 Beer Company Up River American Pale Ale at 6% ABV | 50 IBU (US$2.29 at Knightly Spirits Orange Blossom Trail, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-May-2017, reviewed 15-Jun-2017)
Appearance: hazy pale amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head diminishing gradually to a persistent cap, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, grapefruit, caramel malt, floral, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)
This brewery continues to underwhelm. I was really hopeful that an American style would be more up their alley than their Belg-ish efforts. Despite their label claims of aggressive hopping and barely-sufficient malt, this is relatively mild in its hop profile, with a significant (though admittedly not dominant) caramel malt presence. Yeah, it might be an older can (because they don’t date them) but I doubt it, given the retention and lacing. Again, not bad, and perfectly serviceable, but not memorable in the least. (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
