Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55 Review

Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery | Beer: Pennant Ale '55
Style: English Pale Ale | ABV: 5.0% | IBUs: ~35
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

Brewed to honor the 1955 championship-winning Brooklyn Dodgers, Pennant Ale '55 is an English-style Pale Ale. Being an traditional English take on the Pale Ale style, it bookends nicely to the company's English-style India Pale Ale, East India Pale Ale. Pennant Ale is one of Brooklyn's core beers, and unlike baseball, it's sold year round.

As for construction, the backbone is built from Scottish Maris Otter, Belgian Aromatic, and British Crystal malt varieties, while the beer is hopped with Hallertauer Perle, Willamette, American Fuggle, and Cascade hops varieties. Put it all together, and Brooklyn describe the result as:

A honey-colored pale ale with a brisk pale malt palate and finely balanced hop character.

The Dodgers are under .500 this year, but hopefully the beer named for them fares a little better.

Appearance: A crystal-clear brownish-copper body capped by two fingers of off-white head holds well, but leaves patchy lacing.

Aroma: Bright, brassy, and herbal hops over a paleish caramel malt base.

Taste: Just what the aroma promised: lightly citrusy and grassy hops over a caramel malt backbone. There's a little bit of soapiness at times, but it's not a major issue. The aftertaste is earthy and biscuity.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with good carbonation and a drying finish.

Drinkability: With the agreeable flavor profile and mild alcohol content, this makes a great session choice.

Verdict: In Pennant Ale '55, dem bums from Brooklyn have brewed up a tasty and highly-drinkable English style Pale Ale that's bang-on for the style. If you're looking for a solid English Pale to session, you won't go wrong here.

Grade: B

Bass Pale Ale Review

Brewery: Bass Brewers Ltd. | Beer: Bass Pale Ale
Style: English Pale Ale | ABV: 5.0% | IBUs: ~30
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

Bass Pale Ale is one of the most recognizable English beers on the planet and the principle product of the Bass & Co. Brewery. Bass was established way back in 1777 by William Bass in the now famed brewing town of Burton upon Trent.

In a world where many beer companies are younger than my bulldog, a brand that has endured for well over 200 years is impressive. Of course, the brewery and beer are now owned by conglomerate brewing concerns, but let's not dwell on that too much.

Just to put the age of the company in proper perspective, consider these facts:

• The distinctive red triangle adorning Bass bottles was Britain's first registered trademark
• The brewery is only one year younger than the Declaration of Independence
• Bottles of Bass are featured in Manet's famous painting A Bar at the Folies-Bergère

As for Bass Pale Ale itself, it is essentially the typical English Pale Ale, serving as one of the best examples of the style for many people. As the beer was originally brewed in Burton upon Trent, the beer has the characteristic minerals of the area's water. It's also well known as one half of the classic Black & Tan beer cocktail.

It's about time I got around to reviewing this English classic, so let's get to it.

Appearance: A crystal-clear, copper-amber body topped by a finger and a half of creamy off-white head that features only passable retention and lacing.

Aroma: Lightly-toasted malt, some mild earthy hops, and a few notes of banana.

Taste: True to the aroma. A base of lightly toasted caramel malt accompanied by mild, earthy hops and some decent fruity notes. It's nicely mineraly, giving it that classic English Pale Ale feel. The aftertaste is lightly grainy and rather short-lived.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light bodied with sharp carbonation. Dries a little in the finish.

Drinkability: It may not come as much of a surprise, but Bass is a highly sessionable beer. Quite refreshing.

Verdict: Bass is simply a straightforward and sessionable British classic, and it's obvious why it has endured for so long. While it may not offer the serious beer enthusiast too much to ponder, it's still a satisfying and refreshing experience that really typifies the English Pale Ale style.

Grade: B

Brooklyn Summer Ale Review

Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery | Beer: Summer Ale
Style: English Pale Ale ABV: 5.0% IBUs: ~25
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

This review is a part of an article on summer seasonals as part of the monthly beer blogging project The Session.

Brooklyn describe their summer seasonal, Summer Ale, as a an modern take on the "English Light Dinner Ale" style that was popular from the 1800's until the 1940's. I've listed it as an English Pale Ale here, as that seems like the closest match (if you think there's a better fit, please let me known in the comments). I love when a brewer chooses something other than a lager for their summer brew, and I love it even more when brewers try to bring a defunct style back to life, so I'm pretty excited about this one

As for ingredients, Summer Ale's body is made up of two-row British malts while bitterness is provided by Perle, Cascade, Fuggle, and Amarillo varieties. Here's how Brooklyn pitch Summer Ale's flavor profile:

A light-bodied golden beer [with] a fresh bready flavor, a light crisp bitterness and a citrus/floral aroma, resulting in a beer with a very sunny disposition.

Sounds like just what I need in this crushing Houston heat, so let's give it a whirl.

Appearance: A crystal-clear golden-amber body with two fingers of off-white head. The head recedes slowly and leaves decent lacing. There's just something about the tone of amber that's very satisfying.

Aroma: Grassy mild hops, biscuity malt, and perhaps the barest hints of alcohol.

Taste: Clean and crisp. Up front there's a wave of earthy, grassy, and slightly citrusy mild hops. Underneath, the mild bready malt backbone is almost wheat-like in it's lightness. The aftertaste is a mix of grains and a little lemon.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with crisp carbonation, almost approaching soda levels (but it works). A dry finish.

Drinkability: Everything is right here to make for a very quaffable brew.

Verdict: Summer Ale is a solid enough mild beer that works as a great warm-weather alternative to all of the Lagers and wheat beers out there. It's not the most complex or interesting beer out there, but it's not meant to be. Certainly worth a try.

Grade: B

Old Speckled Hen Review (Nitro-Can)

Brewery: Greene King/Morland Brewery| Beer: Old Speckled Hen
Style: English Pale Ale | ABV: 5.2%
Serving Method: 14.9 oz. nitro-can poured into pint glass

Old Speckled Hen was first brewed in 1979 to commemorate the anniversary of Greene King's fellow Abingdon townsmen, the MG company. As it was the 50th, the brewery designed the beer to have an original gravity of 1.050. Everything else about the beer was designed around that gravity figure.

While MG has since moved on from Abingdon, Greene King still brews Old Speckled Hen. The name refers to a beloved MG company runabout, know as "the old speckled one." Really, any beer brewed to honor a British sports car legend gets bonus points in my book.

In the American market, Old Speckled Hen is available in both clear twelve-ounce bottles and 14.9 ounce nitro-cans. Pitched as "a great choice for those who enjoy a rich, strong beer to drink," it's an English Pale Ale. Here's how the brewery describes the beer:

Old Speckled Hen has a superb rich malty and fruity aroma. When tasting it you will experience a wonderful warming flavor that is bursting with body. Malty (malt loaf) toffee flavors from the pale and crystal malts combine with bitterness on the back of the tongue to give balanced sweetness which is not cloying. This is followed by a dry finish, surprising for ale of this strength.

If it measures up to that lofty description, Old Speckled Hen would be one of the most complex English Pale Ales I've ever tried. Here's hoping.

Appearance: Rich orange-amber body with the tightly packed, creamy head one would expect from a beer equipped with a nitro-widget. The head is a finger high and features brilliant retention and lacing.

Aroma: Rather weak, with lots of banana and some caramel malt notes.

Taste: Nice earthy, mildly bitter tones from the hop department with a somewhat solid toasted brown sugar malt base. Still getting a lot of the banana here, but it's not totally unwelcome. It's just a little bit thin in the flavor department, and there are definite metallic tones every now and then. The moderate booze occasionally rises up to the surface.

Mouthfeel: Standard nitro-can creaminess and low carbonation levels, but with a somewhat watery body. The finish is slightly dry.

Drinkability: Goes down smooth and easy with just over five percent alcohol by volume, making it a good session beer.

Verdict: Old Speckled Hen is a solid, but generally unexciting beer. Nice enough flavor profile, very sessionable, and has the brilliant creaminess that you get with a nitro-can. If you're looking for something in a nitro-can besides Guinness and Boddingtons, you won't go wrong here.

Grade: B-

Boddingtons Pub Ale Review

Brewery: Boddingtons | Beer: Boddingtons Pub Ale
Style: English Pale Ale | ABV: 4.7%
Serving Method: 16 oz. nitro-can poured into pint glass

Boddingtons is one of the most ubiquitous time-honored of the British imports, reviewed here in the sixteen ounce nitro-widget can that Guinness Draught made famous (although in the US Guinness Draught comes in 14.9 oz. cans). This beer was brewed for over 200 years at the Strangeways Brewery in Manchester. The company, also named Boddingtons, managed to keep its independence until 1989, when it was sold to Whitbread. Whitbread, mainly a hospitality company, decided to sell their portfolio of brewers to Beligian megabrewer Interbrew in 2000. Who, of course, became InBev when they merged with Brazilian brewing giant AmBev. You might recognize the name InBev, as they recently bought American brewing titan, Anheuser-Busch. Bud Light and Boddingtons step-cousins, who would have thought?

So, Boddingtons is now just another great historic brand rolled up into the faceless InBev corporation. But, all corporate angst aside, what really matters is what's inside the can. Growing up, this beer was always a fixture around the house, becoming one of the main poster children of "good beer" to me. When I started really drinking and appreciating beer, this was one of the first beers I counted as one of my favorites. However, people still curse me for getting them to try a sip of Boddingtons in years past, and I'm not really sure as to why.

By the way, if you have ever wondered why the logo features two bees on a cask, allow me to explain. Manchester's coat of arms features a (modest) swarm of bees as a symbol of efficient industry. The bees became a symbol of the city and are featured on Manchester's Town Hall floor, many public fixtures around the city, and on every can of Boddingtons. Now that you know, and we can proceed with the rest of the review as scheduled.

Appearance: Brilliantly clear honey (how appropriate) colored body. Thanks to the widget, the head is amazingly dense, creamy, and measures a full two fingers. Great fun to pour and watch with interesting little bubbles that cling to the glass. I could watch this all day, not quite as cool as the Guinness cascade, but certainly worth the cost of admission. Even after the head settles, this is an exceptionally pretty beer. The head rides all the way down to the bottom of the glass, leaving sudsy lacing behind.

Aroma: Clean and crisp with roasted malt and hints of a floral, hoppy bitterness. A little thin, to be sure.

Taste: Bitter up front with some dry, roasty malt flavors in the back. At times, you can pick up a juicy, fruity sweetness that reminds me of British wine gums. A nice combination, but nothing that's going to change your world.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy, and soft - when I think of an exceptionally creamy beer, this immediately springs to mind. Mouthfeel is really one of the highlights of canned Boddingtons and just another reason to bow down to the widget. The aftertaste is pleasantly bitter.

Drinkability: While bitter, the alcohol content is relativity low, so if it suits your taste you can drink this all night (much like Guinness).

Verdict: A very different beer, Boddingtons in a can is an experience all beer lovers should try at least once. Perhaps the taste is not the most remarkable in the English Pale Ale category, but the appearance and mouthfeel are so unique that the beer will always stand out to me. A worthy survivor of more than two centuries.

Grade: B+