Craft Beer Monday Review: US Pale Ale

Another offering from Capital Brewing, in Middleton. I will be going there this summer, when I take the family to the Wisconsin Dells. Last time in the Dells I only went to Moosejaw but I will take a road trip to Capital and take a tour. There are too many good ones they offer that I don't want to miss. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be going too far out of my way for this particular Capital.

Some background, from the Daily Page: U.S. Pale Ale has been in the Capital Brewery portfolio for only a couple of years. Kirby Nelson initially brewed this beer as a special treat for a retailer appreciation party. It was so well accepted he decided to offer it in bottles.
Since that first edition, Nelson's approach to making the beer has been "evolving," especially in how and when he adds hops. It's made with all-Cascade hops, which are added into the post-boil of the wort, with a light amount of dry hopping to give it enough bitterness for the style, but not an extreme hoppiness. "What I want to achieve with this beer is a nice example of the style," says Nelson. He's looking for "excellent drinkability."
U.S. Pale Ale is a year-round beer for Capital and sells for about $7/six pack. It is also available in cans.
 
As far as Pale Ales go, it is rather a bit too shallow for me. In a quality pale ale I expect that the amber color hints at the potential for deeper, bolder flavor, some sweetness and some mild fruitiness, followed by the unmistakeable hop bitterness that rounds out the flavor. I did detect the fruitiness in the smell but not the taste, it just never developed. The hops were definitely there, quite boldly so, which makes it somewhat better than it could have been. But maybe it was the lower alcohol content that did not bring out the flavors that should have been there.


CBC Rating: 3. Poured into a short glass from a Mariano's MYO six-pack, enjoyed with Steve-O.
ABV: 5.0%