Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale

Someone once said that too much of a good thing......is a good thing. And I have to say that I agree with that person in the case of the Sweetwater folks here in Atlanta. I really enjoyed the IPA so I figured, "What the heck? If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" What I mean by that is I have some of the Trappist beers in my "beer cellar" in my garage, thanks to David with his article, Aargh! Promoting Iced Beer (check it out), but I was really impressed with the IPA so I wanted to delve a little bit further into the Sweetwater repertoire with the 420 Extra Pale Ale. And I am happy to report that the Sweetwater folks are rather consistent.

Here we go with the aroma! It has a beautiful hop and floral aroma, not as prominent as the IPA, but kind of a toned down version of it. I also noticed a bit of a malty undertone, which went nicely with this beer.

420's color was a nice pale gold, which I thought held up to its name. It seems that some of the pale ales that I have had the pleasure of sampling did not come off as looking too pale at all.

The taste is what got me, though. It has a great hop flavor to it. But it is not as prominent as the IPA, which does make sense. What I loved about this beer was the malty taste of it, it seemed to balance out the hops just right. It had a toasty afterthought as well.

Would I recommend this beer? Only if you like good beer, so....duh! I am little disappointed to see the prices of some of my favorite beers starting to inch upward, and Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale is no exception. Most of you know that it was a bad year for hops, and that is definitely going to affect the price of your favorite beers. Oh well, it won't stop me. I actually drank this with a Boston butt pork steak (don't judge me) and some canned peas. Not your greatest meal, but it flowed!

Beer-O-Meter: Solid 18 pack

Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale

Okay, so the name jumps out at you a little bit. It should. The founders of the brewery, George Stranahan and Richard McIntyre, were acquaintances of the late, great Hunter S. Thompson, whom we all know as Raul Duke from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. With an associate like that, Flying Dog is not a very strange name at all. In fact, legend has it, that George and Richard were backpacking through the mountains when they swear they saw a “flying dog” heading towards their campsite (flyingdogales.com). I am not sure what exactly it was that they were drinking, but I would like to sample it!

So I would like to share with you what I believe to be the all around beer: Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale. I first stumbled upon this beauty on my way home from work one day. I stopped at a brand new store of liquor in Conyers Ga, Brown’s liquor store, and found this jewel from Denver. I thought to myself, “Hmmm…..could be fun??!?” So I purchased my first ‘sixer and haven’t looked back since.

Let’s start off with the smell. The first thing that I do when I pop the top of a FDCPA, is inhale that fine mist that circles up from the tip of the bottle. It has a very fruity aroma, the kind of aroma that many college kids think would make a fine cologne, and I must say that they would probably be right. However, it might be a little difficult ‘splainin to the cops that you ain’t been drinkin!

The next thing you will notice, after pouring your FDCPA into a tall, frosty mug right out of the freezer, is the color. It has a very pleasing amber-copper color to it. This might surprise a few of you because you’d think the name says it all, with pale being in the name, but it actually looks a little bit like a Killian’s. I apologize if I have blasphemed in some of your eyes!

But what makes this beer stand out from the rest, in my eyes of course, is the exceptional taste. Like I said, it has a fruity aroma, which can be tasted mildly, but the bitter hops will blow you away. It also has a sort of toffee taste, if you will, reminding me of a good brown ale like a Newcastle. And I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t enjoy a Newcastle (except for weenies, jk, but not really)!

Would I recommend this beer? Abso-frickin-lutely! It is a wonderfully tasting beer and if you have a taste for hops, it would definitely be right up your alley. It goes great with a N.Y. Strip, some asparagus, and a baked potato with ranch dressing instead of butter!

Beer-O-Meter: 24 pack