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.
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| 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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