185. Firestone Walker Pale 31 Cask

Some work responsibilities brought me to Providence, Rhode Island to participate in a conference.  I ended up leaving very early in the morning on a Sunday and had some time to kill.  A stop at Harry's Bar and Burger was in the cards, as I was itching to try some of their sliders and get a drink while I'm at it.  I noticed that they had a cask offering and was immediately drawn to it.  Even better, it was from Firestone Walker (http://www.firestonebeer.com), which I've heard a lot of good things about.

It took a couple minutes to get my beer..it must have been almost empty as it took some serious effort.  I guess I was lucky enough to get one of the last servings.  I was warned that the beer would seem flat and would be closer to room temperature, and I was fine with that.  The beer was served in your standard pint with a healthy two fingers of off-white head that had light retention but left a nice amount of splotchy lacing on the glass.  Aromas of tangerine, apple, flowers, caramel, honey, and grass are detected.  Casks always have this amazing way of making the aromas come out.  Smells wonderful.

The punch in the aroma doesn't translate in the taste, as everything seems a little more muted.  All the tastes are there, the citrus, caramel, pine, grass, and biscuit.  Unfortunately, I found the beer to be a little imbalanced, leaving behind a bitter aftertaste that lacked appeal.  Some might appreciate the funky aftertaste, I thought it to be more skunky than funky.  Maybe it's because I ended up getting the bottom of the barrel.  The brew was medium bodied, with little to no carbonation.  I'm glad I tried it, but it was a pretty hefty cost for a pint, and I probably could have done better.  That said, the draft selection was a little lacking and my curiosity got the best of me this round.  I'd love to try the Pale 31 in a bottle, see how it stands compared to the cask version.  Anybody else get a chance to try a Pale 31 cask?  What did you think?  Let me know!

Grade: C

Price Paid: $7.75 (16 oz draught)

30. Foothills Brewing Hoppyum CASK

Okay, so I gave up on the whole "trying to list my beers in chronological order" thing.  First, there's too many on the front end that I sampled but won't bother to put on this list.  Second, it would be a chore to try and remember some of the most recent beers that I've sampled, when I could draw on my direct memories and be able to provide a decent review right here and now.  If I waited to catch up, I wouldn't be as detailed, and for those of you that may have read my previous stuff, you'd see that it does matter.

Anyway, I was in Asheville for work this week and in my 11/26 haul at the Appalachian Vintner, I decided to try some of the beers they had on tap.  They tend to have ten beers to sample from, plus one special casked tap.  I decided to try the cask and one of the draughts (review coming next..!).  So their cask offering was the Foothills Brewing (http://www.foothillsbrewing.com) Hoppyum IPA with pineapple and papaya nectar added, maybe even a touch of local honey.

So, first things first, they were practically out.  I ordered a glass, but got about a shot or two worth.  That said, the owner/worker at the store offered it to me for free, of which I was most appreciative.  Cask beers are typically unfiltered, so the appearance had a strawlike hazy color to it.  What really blew me away though was the nose.  You take a whiff and the pineapple aroma smacks you right in the face.  In an absolutely good way.  I wasn't sure if I was about to drink pineapple juice, it was so strong.  Even though the beer was sweet smelling, it was not sweet tasting.  You could certainly pick up on the citrusy flavors.  With no carbonation, the hops didn't stand out as much, but I thought it brought a certain amount of balance to the beer, even without the carbonation.  By now, I'm starting to get adjusted to hoppy beers, so I had no problems with this one.  It went down light and easy, and was truly a very delicious beer.  Only makes me wish that I was able to get a full glass instead of the tiny sample.  I really, really hope that something like this comes along in Raleigh.  I want another go-round with this.

Grade: A

Price Paid: Free (2 shot sample)