Santa Fe Brewing Pale Ale

Beer Name: Pale Ale
Brewery: Santa Fe Brewing Co. (Santa Fe, NM)
ABV: 5.4%
How sold: 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles; kegs
Where bought: Belmont Station (Portland, OR)****

****Note: Santa Fe Brewing sent a special shipment of their Pale Ale to Portland for the 2015 Craft Beer Conference. Santa Fe Brewing otherwise does NOT ship to Oregon or Washington.

Price: $1.97 for a 12 oz. single
Date Opened: April 13, 2015
When brewed? Available year-round.

What's on the Website: "Anything but a typical American Pale, Santa Fe Pale Ale is as full bodied as its most robust English counterparts, while asserting its American origin with a healthy nose resplendent with Cascade and Willamette hops. It finishes with a well-balanced combination of the subtle, almost Pilsner-like maltiness accentuated by the German yeast used to brew this Santa Fe classic, and a hop bite sufficient to leave a lingering smile on the face of any fan of American Pale Ales."

Awards: 2013 Best of the Rockies U.S. Beer Tasting Championship (SW Region, Pale Ale Category); 2011 Best of the Rockies U.S. Beer Tasting Championship (SW Region, Pale Ale Category); 2010 NM State Fair (Silver Medal); 2009 NM State Fair (Gold Medal); 2008 NM State Fair (Bronze Medal); 2008 Best of the Rockies U.S. Beer Tasting Championship (SW Region); 2004 NM State Fair (Bronze Medal); 2000 NM State Fair (Best of Show).

Where distributed: Santa Fe Brewing ships to mostly the SW United States. Found in NM, AZ, NV, and TX. See if Santa Fe Brewing ships to your area!

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured a clear orange-copper color into a pint glass. Good carbonation with a few millimeters of head. Some lacing remained on the glass. 4.25/5

Smell (25%): Immediate citrus-floral aroma from the Cascade hops. Lemon scent came to mind. Some sweet malt and bitterness on the smell, yet refreshing. 4/5

Taste (40%): Starts out very citrus-floral with a bit of bitterness. Sweet malts linger for a bit on the aftertaste. Any bitterness quickly dissipates. Average on the tasting experience; not much more to write home about. 3/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Light to medium-malty body. Carbonation hits the tongue and roof of the mouth (because I take good sized "sips"). Quickly leaves a dry feeling in the mouth that for some reason makes me want to reach for some chips or pretzels. 3/5

Overall (20%): Average American Pale Ale. I admittedly got this because the Pacific NW generally never sees beers from Santa Fe Brewing. Perhaps I have a clear general preference towards IPAs, but this one made me shrug my shoulders and say "Next!" pretty fast. I'm glad Belmont Station allowed customers to just buy a single of this. Other than an above-average aroma, there really was not much home to write about. 3/5

Final Weighted Rating: 3.313/5