Monday, July 18, 2011

Half Pints St. James Pale Ale

My third beer from Half Pints looks like a good one. It comes in a 341mL industry standard brown bottle, and has 4.8% alcohol/vol. The label also gives it 11 IBUs. There is a picture of a sun on the bright yellow label, so I'm hoping it's a "summer" beer. Right now, we're having a ridiculous heat wave in Winnipeg, so I can use all the refreshment I can get.

When opened, I detected a very faint aroma of malt and hops. Not very much, mind you. The beer poured a pale straw colour. There was a small head that didn't linger for very long. There also must have been some sediment in the bottle that began to float around in the glass after being poured. This leads me to suspect the beer is unpreserved, unfiltered, and naturally carbonated in the bottle. The (few) small bubbles that formed also led to that assumption. There was still a faint smell of hops and malt, but nothing significant.

The first sip was so-so. The beer is definitely very refreshing. There was a slight citrusy flavour to is, and no aftertaste at all. Overall, a very mild flavour. The beer had a prickly feeling in the mouth. As I drank, the beer left a lace on the glass. The beer began to resemble water by the time I finished the glass. I'm not sure if I can recommend this beer. It's definitely a step above most mass-produced domestics, but doesn't have a lot of character like most other craft beers.

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