Pale 31 (4.9%) - Firestone Walker Brewing Co, California, USA

A beer blogger sipping beer without a notepad can be compared to an off-duty police officer - in both of these noble roles, your sense of duty never leaves you. 

I had an acute sense of this when I picked out Pale 31 from my beer shelf with the sole intention of enjoying it for myself, only to find that after popping off the cap and being smacked in the nose by a bunch of blossoming flowers, I was utterly helpless in the face of such a seductive aroma. I had to share it with the beer-o-sphere.

From the Golden State itself (the 31st state to join the union, if you were wondering about the name) it pours a perfect golden colour with a creamy-coloured head. 

On the nose I got a waft of fresh and fragrant floral New World hop aromas along with juicy satsuma segments, complimented by the faintest hint of a herbal and earthy quality. 

A flurry of fruity flavours washed over my tongue, juicy pine perfectly balancing a grapefruit bitterness, ending with a clean, semi-dry and toasted biscuit finish. 

California within the USA

With this self-styled "bold but approachable" Californian pale ale, Firestone have produced something that represents everything a pale ale should be; easy to sip with bags of character. 

Very Californian it may be, but the five awards its won in the last eight years on both sides of the pond confirms one thing: this is a quality crowd-pleaser. 

Appearance 5/5

Aroma 5/5

Flavour 4/5

Mouthfeel 4/5

Overall 9/10 

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The brewery:
Website here

Facebook page here

Where to buy:
£2.99 on The Beer Hawk

Torpedo Extra IPA (7.2%) - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, California, USA

Another week, another brew to hail from the Golden State picked from my very own beery treasure trove; the top shelf of my fridge. 

Torpedo Extra IPA pours a deep, rich amber colour with a frothing off-white head that produces some gorgeous lacing clinging to the glass on its way down.

California within the USA

Sticking the schnoz past the rim is like sticking it into a basket of fruit: A pungent sweet floral and tropical aroma of mangoes and lychees with some sticky pine comes through, and the faintest hint of a lime note that suggests a bitter twist is lurking within. Had the aroma not got me salivating so heavily I might've let my nose linger in there a while longer, but I could barely go another minute without getting my chops around it anyway.

A mighty bitter citrus kick blasts its way through on the first swig, with zesty and tart notes of limes and grapefruits riding the juicy tropical wave and pummelling your tongue, and what it leaves behind is a dry and delicately toasted finish. In amongst all the commotion you barely notice the strength of the 7.2% ABV, although once everything's calmed down there's a definite spirity hit still lingering around. 

While the effects of the huge American hop flavours are a tad extreme for my palate, Sierra Nevada have succeeded in creating something full-flavoured, crisp and refreshing that any IPA lover will gladly sip down, and at 7.2%, hopefully slower than I did. 

Appearance 5/5

Aroma 4/5

Flavour 3/5

Mouthfeel 2.5/5
Overall rating 7.5/10

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The brewery:
Sierra Nevada's website

Sierra Nevada on Facebook

Where to buy:
£3.19 on The Beer Hawk