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Friday, March 1, 2013

92. Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale


I was with my buddy and we wanted to go out and watch the Carolina Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals game at a bar.  We were down to Tyler's Taproom vs. Sparks.  Beer selection vs. 50 cent wings.  50 cent wings won out.  That said, the beer selection was limited and they didn't have much for microbrews.  One of the few they had was Sweetwater 420 and I decided to order it.

The beer came to me in your standard pint glass.  Less than a finger of head, but there was solid retention and was able to get a nice sheet of lacing at the edge of the glass.  I may have picked up an aroma of some light hop presence, but that was it.  This beer had little to no aroma, and I wasn't sure what to expect.

While the aroma was underwhelming, the taste was not.  First word that comes to mind is smooth.  Well balanced.  You get the malt sweetness on the front end, then the light hop kick at the end.  Not overwhelming like an IPA.  I picked up a yeast or wheat-like character in the beer as well.  Light bodied with a slightly dry finish, this is a very sessionable beer.  I can see why it's part of Sweetwater's year-round collection.  Between this and the IPA, Sweetwater is really starting to get on my good side.  Oh, and the Canes lost.  I left disappointed.

Grade: B+
Price Paid: $4.50 (16 oz draught pint)

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