25 January 2010

Widmer Drifter Pale Ale

Widmer Drifter Pale Ale
Portland, OR
5.7% ABV

(Full disclosure: This bottle was provided as a free sample from one of our distributors.)

Pours deep orange-red with a thin white head that dissipates quickly. Hazy, with some effervescence. Smells sweet with apples and some vague citrus with a nice hoppiness underneath. Very fruity, very inviting.

Flavor is sweet, fruity, and quite yeasty, with a bit of a hop bite on the back-end. Yeastiness is something of an unappreciated quality in a pale ale -- usually with an APA you want something clean and clear, but occasionally you find a beer that makes a thicker profile really work in conjunction with the other elements. Drifter Pale Ale is one of those cases. It's not an amazing, life-changing beer, but it's definitely worth a try if you like a good pale.

My overall BA rating: 3.85/5

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