All About Beer Magazine

Beer Talk

Firestone Pale Ale

Published March 2008, Volume 29, Number 1

• Charlie Papazian

  Wisp of head. Clear, concise golden color. Remarkable hop aroma seems to emerge as the best of a hybrid American-English combo. Delicious aroma. Flavor of hops perform a groovy break dance on the palate. Malt background lends support and satisfaction, but it’s the dancing with hops that perform beer drinking miracles with this world class brew. Worth seeking and as good as it gets, in its own unique way. Love and leave some for me. I’m in a beer drinking mood, so I’ll pass on the food.

• Jeff Evans

  Hops steal the show right from the moment you flip the cap off this shiny blonde, exploding with pithy grapefruit and juicy melon. The same hops then skip and jump all over the tongue, leaving oily, bitter footprints. The juicy fruit is not so full in the mouth—there’s more of an earthy resin note—but it’ll still delight hop lovers. It’s when we get to the aftertaste that the not-so-secret ingredient plays its hand. This beer is fermented in American oak and there’s certainly a tangy, woody dryness to the dry-hopped, bitter finish. A big, tasty, satisfying beer.