Remember American Pale Ale? I do. Way back in the 90s, American Pale Ale came into its own as a variation on classic English pale ale. The style emerged at times a bit stronger and always quite a bit hoppier than English IPAs, yet was not quite so strong and hoppy as American IPA. Thus, a new style was born that I often referred to as “IPA Light” in those days.

Trying to find a tasty example of the style? Look no further than Port Brewing SPA (Summer Pale Ale), my friends, and see if you don’t agree this is an excellent hoppy pale ale perfect for summer sipping. Truth be told, I happened upon this delight in late September myself, when Bullocks Wine & Spirits had it on clearance. $2.99 for a beer that is already reasonably priced at $5.99 was just too good a deal to pass up.

Port calls this their “version of the iconic West Coast style Pale Ale.” On their website, and they further declare it an American Pale Ale by style. I also like their description on the bottle label as follows:

We didn’t design this to be an overly complicated or overly thought out beer. Sometimes it’s the simple things in life we love the most.

There’s a lot to be said for that, and I enjoyed my bottle in just that fashion while watching a Patriots football game.

Port does not mention the malts used in this 6% alcohol by volume brew, but they do list the hops:

Amarillo, Cascade, Chinook, Columbus, and Simcoe

Port Brewing SPA (Summer Pale Ale) pours to a very pale golden color with a thick pillowy head of rocky foam and a soft nose of light toasted malt and tropical citrus fruit. Taking a sip, I get a very delicate biscuit malt up front followed by lots of delightful hops: big citrusy grapefruit peel, piney resin, and a long dry bitter finish.  And that’s about it.

This one is light and refreshing and unpretentious. It offers the fresh robust hoppiness and is light and drinkable in the fashion of today’s so-called session IPAs, but it has malt and is not so one dimensional. Miss it at your own peril.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 



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