Happy Friday! Tonight I'll be drinking a beer from North Coast Brewing (the same brewery that gifted us with Old Rasputin RIS) called Acme California Pale Ale. This concoction is brewed with Yakima Valley hops, American 2-row and British specialty malts. It registers at 5%ABV, with a mild 21 IBU's. If I'm reading their website correctly, it looks like this beer won Silver in the World Beer Championship for 7 straight years ('00-'06)....but no Golds. It would be terrible to come that close for that many years, and not have a Gold to show for it.
The label on this bottle is simple but well-done. It depicts a red-headed dame swinging on a rope with a beer in her hand - they seem to be going for a Cirque-type style. Pouring into my ale glass, this pours a glowing, hazy orange color with a frothy pure white head that sticks firmly to the glass. The nose is subtle, with crisp grapefruit and sweet banana bread maltiness. Nothing overwhelming, but it smells great. This ale hits the tongue immediately with bubbly bitterness. It quickly gives way to some distinguishable flavors; a touch of orange zest, and a boat-load of sweet bready malts. The finish brings some peppers and spice, which morphs into a tin-can flavor that's a bit unpleasant, but doesn't ruin the beer. Carbonation is fairly heavy, which gives the beer a light, crisp texture.
Overall Rating: (3.9 out of 6.0) This isn't a bad Pale Ale. It's full of flavor and well balanced between the citrus tang and the sweet malts. After drinking the remainder of the beer, that tin-can metallic flavor does hang around, but again, not a deal-breaker. I would drink this beer again, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.
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