Brews From the Six: Pale Ale

During my first visit to The Six Brewing Co., the beer that was recommended the most effusively was their pale ale, so that’s where I decided to start my reviews. So new it lacked a name and a label, the pale ale came in an unadorned 500mL (?) bottle with a tag that indicated an alcohol percentage of just 4.7, putting it in the session category for me. Given the light percentage, the beer was darker than I’d have expected, with a slightly hazy amber-gold hue and a standard off-white head.

To my sniffer, this li’l pale ale had a light, tropical fruit nose, backed with some slightly resinous hops. The flavour echoed those elements, though the murky, resinous quality was amplified and the tropical notes took more of a back seat. The mouthfeel was agreeably crisp, but it should be noted that it was a bit brittle—I was hoping for a fuller texture, particularly in the front end, which I found to be thin.

Folks, my first brush with a brew from The Six was a big net win. Given their somewhat unambitious early roster of standard brews, I was worried that the beer would be equally plain, but I must say, I found their pale ale to be a fairly assertive and enjoyable number. Given the proximity of this brewery to my home, I imagine that I’ll be downing a lot of this as-yet-unnamed pale ale in the months/years to come.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.