Mad River Brewing Company Steelhead Extra Pale Ale

**Aroma:** “Earthy, with underlying raisin and coffee notes. Nice roasty malt character. Complex chocolate, coffee, roast amalgam has a s’more-like character with some sweet maltiness emerging as it warms.” **Flavor:** “Initial sweetness, followed quickly by sharp roast and chocolate flavors that emerge nicely as it warms. Moderate hops bitterness and moderate astringency in the finish. Hops bitterness is mild with hints of citrus but carries through in the finish with a slight sweetness. Some subtle esters and spice as it warms, which works well with the underlying complex roasted malt character.” **Overall:** “The bitterness from the roast and coffee goes nicely with the sweetness in the beer, and hops offer nice complexity. A very round and balanced stout that deserves a place by the fire.”

**Aroma:** “Resiny, juicy hops notes with pine and lemon/grapefruit/orange citrus at the forefront and mild biscuit toasty notes from the malt.” **Flavor:** “Citrus and pine hops flavors dominate with nearly no malt or yeast character. It leans more towards bitter, both in flavor and finish, than some of the others we’ve tasted. The hops grapefruit sweetness is evened out with a touch of grapefruit bitterness and lemon notes that add depth. The finish is refreshing and dry.” **Overall:** “A classic version of an APA with entertaining hops complexity. Leans toward the bitter side, but still drinkable—very tasty and worth seeking out. This beer was very refreshing, juicy, and sweet. Nice showcase of the hops and a great example of the style. A solid beer.

__Aroma:__ “Getting more oak character than actual vanilla on the nose, which is good because vanilla can be overwhelming. Warming, it settles with a touch of malt sweetness, biscuit malt, brown sugar, and light floral hop.” __Flavor:__ “Simple: beer, vanilla. They’re both there, but they don’t play together much at all. Light earthy hops, mild bitterness, some clean malt. There’s oxidation, too, but might be an extra dose of the vanilla character. Fairly big bitterness in the tail end.” __Overall:__ “The base recipe for this beer is not necessarily up to the challenge of supporting the strong flavors they’ve added, and the addition of vanilla makes the beer muddled and a bit disjointed.”