Full Sail Brewing Company English Style Pale Ale
What the brewers say
“Our English Pale Ale is not a West-Coast hoppy pale ale, but more malt forward. There is a toasty caramel from the malts, and it finishes with a touch of earthy hops.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Fruity and bready, well-blended and slightly sweet. Hops are mostly absent, adding just a touch of spicy background. Esters are moderately assertive, with notes of plums or sweet cherry. Sweet, orangey hops.”
Flavor: “Big malty caramel burnt sugar up front, balanced with a blunt bitter and nice grassy hops flavor. Very British in character and effect. Rich melanoidin finish—overly complex for the style but tasty. Hops bitterness has a hard time contending with the malt. Malt is bready with caramel and strong crystal notes. Lightly bitter finish.”
Overall: “Enough malt throughout to slightly cover up the hops, especially in the aroma. A touch sweet throughout but the finish is bitter enough to clear most of the sweetness off. Woody hops flavors in background. It’s definitely a British Pale with the volume of malt sweet and caramel. But good regardless—nice ‘yum factor.’”
