Day 73 (10/5/2011): Zombie Dust by Three Floyds Brewing Company

Ever since Three Floyds decided to bottle its super-popular citra hops-based pale ale, the crowd has been going wild. As you can see from the ratings on the two sites (an A on BA and it being in the 99.947th percentile of all pale ales on RB), people seem to think its a great beer. Since it's not widely distributed, I didn't think I would be able to get any of its any time soon, but a local Beer Advocate made my dreams come true. He did note that he thought it has fallen off a bit since he had purchased it a month ago, but I didn't think it would be so old that the quality would be significantly decreased.

The smell is great, even after a month of fading. The citra hops are the most distinct feature, bringing (duh) citrus fruits: grapefruit and citrus peel. You can tell it is not a hop bomb, though, as the malts shine through with a slight sweetness and some caramel. The taste is much like the smell, but a tad bit more balanced. The citrus mixes with the malt sweetness to make an almost candy-tasting flavor that fades into a dry-er hop bitterness in the finish. It's a hop forward beer, but not overwhelmingly so. The body and carbonation are both on the dot perfect for the style. Maybe a tad lighter than medium on the body and a tad higher than medium for the carbonation.

I would put this in my top 2 of American pale ales that I've ever drank before, tied with Alpha King (also Three Floyds). These guys definitely know how to make a pale ale. Amazing balance without being boring, the use of citra hops puts this thing over the top. Here's to hoping that, with Three Floyds now in Ohio, I can get my hands on a fresher six pack of it. I don't think it's being distributed out of the brewery currently, but here's to hoping, right? Even with it being a month old, I give Zombie Dust by Three Floyds Brewing Company an A.

Style: American pale ale
Beer Advocate: A
Ratebeer: 99/100

Day 64 (9/26/2011): Dale's Pale Ale by Oskar Blues Grill & Brewery

Old beer strikes again! In my haste to grab stuff to sip on during my week on the beach, I missed the date printed on these Dale's Pale Ales and grabbed a three month old six pack. Oh well, chalk it up to inattention and a store not moving product quickly. I'm not going to give it a grade since it's no fault of the brewery that this probably doesn't taste as good aged as fresh. As for the smell and taste, it was a typical American pale ale, but without most of the hops. Not terrible, but certainly not very good. I've heard good things about this beer, though, so I'll have to keep my eyes open for it in the future and try to grab some fresh cans.

P.S. Even old beer serves a purpose, though: it worked just fine in a shrimp boil we made last night!

Style: American pale ale
Beer Advocate: B+/B
Ratebeer: 98/100

Day 23 (8/16/2011): Radiant Summer Ale by Ninkasi Brewing Company

After the previous day's hop bomb, I definitely needed something a little sweeter and maltier. I decided to go with Ninkasi's summer seasonal, Radiant Ale.

Radiant pours a clear amber with a large, effervescent ivory head. The retention is great considering it was a minute or two before it even considered dying down. The smell is fruity and yeasty, almost like a wheat beer. It smells pretty malty with only a slight grassy hop scent.

The taste is pretty mild, which seems to be typical of summer seasonals that I have tried. It is only slightly sweet, with a bigger hop present than was evident in the scent. A lot of these hops seem to be the bittering variety, which shows up in the dry, bitter finish. It's not overwhelming, but I could have done with it dialed back a bit.

A solid medium carbonation delivers the thin body effectively, while the bitterness slightly puckers the mouth on the finish.

This was a strange beer. It is categorized as an American Pale Ale, but it drinks and smells almost like a hoppy wheat beer. It is very drinkable and would be even more so if it wasn't for the out of nowhere bitter finish. I'd rather drink this than Oberon, regardless, but I don't much care for Oberon. I give Ninkasi Brewing Company's Radiant Summer Ale a B.

Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 6%
IBU: 40
Beer Advocate: B
Ratebeer: 86/87

Acquired via a generous Beer Advocate in Oregon. Not distributed out this way.