Spring Break
Horse and buggy brew lacks pizzaz, nothing special
Evan Finkelstein
Issue date: 10/31/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Here's to the official beer review of The Triangle! Each week I'll be ranking different beers from my own personal scale: The Suds-o-Meter. Rankings will take into account looks, tastes, smells, inebriation levels, and all that other stuff that makes beer so good (or so bad). But enough of this formality crap: Let's talk brewski.
This week's review features a local beer from the land of butter churning, bonnets and no electricity. That's right: Amish country. Although our specific brew is labeled as an American pale ale, it's my opinion that it would be better classified as an American amber. I'll respect the maker's tag-Suds-for-Thought is doing an American pale ale.
American pale ales (APA) originated from Britain but have strayed far from their derivation. Now a staple worldwide, APAs differ from each other drastically due to the common practice of using local ingredients in combination with imported ones. Every area has its own style, and regional traditions play a part in the composition of the brew. Generally speaking, American versions of this style are hoppy, while British versions are more malty and buttery. With this in mind, let's jump into Lancaster Brewing Company's brand.
Amish Four Grain pale ale comes in a bottle that's stereotypical for Lancaster. The horse and buggy makes its source blatant, but it's really just marketing. "Real" Amish breweries would not have a phone number to call or a web site to visit. It pours to be an amber orange color with two fingers width of head. Spinning the brew in the glass, lace appears on the edges of the glass and creates a nice appearance. No problems here-this beer looks great.
At the start, this beer really had a boring nose. Nothing exciting seemed to be happening, nor were there any real identifiable flavors or aromas. However, as it warmed up to the room temperature, some sweeter flavors emerged, but still nothing spectacular. With the ingredients listed in the bottle-oats, rye, wheat, barley, and three different types of hops-I was slightly disappointed that there was such a uniform and plain smell.
This week's review features a local beer from the land of butter churning, bonnets and no electricity. That's right: Amish country. Although our specific brew is labeled as an American pale ale, it's my opinion that it would be better classified as an American amber. I'll respect the maker's tag-Suds-for-Thought is doing an American pale ale.
American pale ales (APA) originated from Britain but have strayed far from their derivation. Now a staple worldwide, APAs differ from each other drastically due to the common practice of using local ingredients in combination with imported ones. Every area has its own style, and regional traditions play a part in the composition of the brew. Generally speaking, American versions of this style are hoppy, while British versions are more malty and buttery. With this in mind, let's jump into Lancaster Brewing Company's brand.
Amish Four Grain pale ale comes in a bottle that's stereotypical for Lancaster. The horse and buggy makes its source blatant, but it's really just marketing. "Real" Amish breweries would not have a phone number to call or a web site to visit. It pours to be an amber orange color with two fingers width of head. Spinning the brew in the glass, lace appears on the edges of the glass and creates a nice appearance. No problems here-this beer looks great.
At the start, this beer really had a boring nose. Nothing exciting seemed to be happening, nor were there any real identifiable flavors or aromas. However, as it warmed up to the room temperature, some sweeter flavors emerged, but still nothing spectacular. With the ingredients listed in the bottle-oats, rye, wheat, barley, and three different types of hops-I was slightly disappointed that there was such a uniform and plain smell.
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