Well folks, here I am again at Taco Mac, and tonight it’s really packed. It’s Thursday night, pint glass night actually, and although that usually draws a crowd, tonight the place is really bursting at the seams. The reason, you see, is because we got hit with a snow and ice storm this week, and a pretty big one at that, at least for these parts. People have been stuck at home for a whopping two days now (imagine that!) and seem to be very anxious to get out and live a little.

I personally like staying home and not having to go anywhere. That said, I like going to Taco Mac, so I guess I’ll enjoy the night out-any my mug of Cisco Whale's Tale Pale Ale. Cisco Brewers are the brewery of the month, after all, and it’s nice to have a bit of old New England here in Canton, GA. Besides, Cisco beers are always better on draft in my experience. I expect that’s true for most beers, but it seems especially so for Cisco.

Whale’s Tale Pale Ale is described as an English-style pale ale, and after a few sips, I would agree. Cisco does not mention the hops they use, but I would guess they are English varieties, as the beer has more of an herbal/grassy hoppiness than it does a citrusy/piney one that American hops usually impart.

Cisco describes Whale’s Tale Pale as follows on the label:

This carefully crafted ale is brewed and bottled in small batches to ensure the freshest possible taste. Whale’s Tale is an English style pale ale, characterized by an abundance of fruity hops.

Cisco Whale’s Tale Pale Ale has an alcohol content of 5.5% by volume. It is sold in bottles, cans, and on draft. I paid $6.25 for a full mug pour in the latter packaging.

Cisco Whale's Tale Pale Ale pours to a bright orange amber color with a medium sized creamy head formation and plenty of toasted malt and grassy hops in the nose. As I sip, I get more toasted malt and some caramel in the palate, just a touch of subtle pear fruit, and a very grassy hop finish. A decent English style pale ale if not an exceptional one, but bonus points for the very grassy, lingering herbal hop character. How nice to enjoy a pale ale loaded with English style hop aroma and flavor. This is indeed a welcome beer for gentle sipping enjoyment.



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