by Browar Pinta
We don’t bring a lot of pale ales and IPA’s in on our shipments as the Australian breweries generally do a good job of these styles of beer. But when we have a new brewery added to the portfolio it is often hard to resist trying their range.
This month we’ve broken one of our self-imposed rules of having six different breweries in each 6-pack, but I thought it might be interesting to compare the two American Pale Ales (see Bling Bling December below) in the same pack.
A Ja translates as ‘And I’ (or ‘Me’ depending on context), so we get the impression that this beer isn’t a headliner for the brewery but it is a workhorse that is constantly on the brew rotation.
It pours an attractive orange gold colour with a fluffy white foam. As you pour you do get the whiff of some tropical fruits though it isn’t until you stick your nose in the glass that you get the full effect.
Those tropical fruits also present early in the flavour. I’m thinking stone fruits like apricot and peach, along with a lemon citrus note thanks to the Columbus, Centennial, Cascade, Simcoe and Citra hops used. There is also a hint of hay to the hops, and a little prickly spice. A noticeable but not necessarily long lasting bitterness rounds things out and has you reaching for another sip. Just as it should for a very sessionable pale ale.