All About Beer Magazine

Beer Talk

Old Faithful Ale

Published November 2002, Volume 23, Number 5

• Charles Finkel

  Nice bright golden color and contrasting bright white head of tiny lingering bubbles. Faint, hoppy aroma in a beer that would clearly be overpowered by too many hops. Delicate is the word here. It is a light beer, but one with finesse and a clean, malty undertone on the palate. The fresh after-taste lingers. Serve with tuna salad, a BLT, a hamburger or fresh berries, or—even better—with pretzels, to replace that brand sponsoring the ball game.

• Charlie Papazian

  Wonderfully refreshing aroma, with hints of floral hop character and sweet malt. Golden ale refreshes the palate with a complex, sweet and toasted malt character, with a hop character that doesn’t assault the palate. Very well balanced and would go well by itself in any social session and a great complement to food. Great job in balancing flavors. This beer is one of my winners.

• Roger Protz

  “Pale golden” the label promises, but this is more like a freshly-minted British penny. A big malty, cookie-like aroma with a hint of toffee and freshly-mown grass, while juicy malt dominates the palate with a gentle hint of hops. The finish is rich, malty with a strong underpinning of dried grapes. It finally becomes dry but the driver hasn’t put his foot down on the hop pedal. I never thought I’d accuse an American craft-brewed beer of lacking hop character, but there’s always a first.