Round One on the new stuff – December 24, 2020

Whats that you say.. you want a drinkable Pale Ale? Ok… ok… ok… we got you!
First let me start with some group goals for our first official Brew on the pricey but brand spanking new 1 bbl Blichmann 2 vessel system.
Goal # 1 – Make the beer
Goal # 2 – Keg the beer
Goal # 3 – Drink the beer
Goal # 4 – Hang out and have fun with the beer
Another soft goal for me was to sound beer snobby and beer intelligent enough to rate the beer (Goal # 5) using some sort of structured tasting guide. Just because it’s that time of year when we all don’t have a ton of time, I took the quickest Google search and came up with the following categories. Think of this as the quick guide of how I broke down Fairgate Brewing’s (to be named) Pale Ale.
- Bouquet (how it smells)
- Appearance (how it looks)
- Flavor (how it tastes)
- Body (how it feels in your mouth)
- ABV (how it hits you)
- Overall impression (how it leaves you feeling)
Bouquet: Smells like beer.. no really! Oddly enough, the thing that came to mind when I attempted to capture the aroma of this beer into words took me way back to the old days of the Bellerose Bar on Hillside Ave, Queens NY in the early ’80s. The first thing that I would smell when I waked into that bar on a Sunday morning (don’t ask) was the sweet smell of.. beer! This distinct smell is somewhat unlike the modern day hop forward IPAs or rich chocolate Porters which can at times have Bouquets comparable to elaborate five star meals. This is not a complex, five star meal but rather an old school, local bar lunch box style Pale Ale that smells like a beer. To add just a tiny bit of beer speak, I would go with malty, sweet and a hint of fruitiness.
Appearance: Looks like a beer to me, check out the pic! Definitely richer in color when comparing it to most light, drinkable beers but it is a home-brew Pale Ale and it looks like a home-brew Pale Ale.
Flavor: Ok – quick story, I had a small gathering at my house a day after we kegged this sweet and malty Pale Ale. I had about 4-5 takers who between the few of them consumed about 1/2 the keg. Beer connoisseurs may tell you that this beer lacks the aromatic terpenes and hoppy bitterness that you normally expect in a Pale Ale, however the laymen / everyday drinker will tell you that they enjoy the taste and would consume it in mass quantities. Think of this as a sweeter, maltier, Pale Ale than you would normally expect but again people like it so hey.. who am I to argue? By the way, I enjoyed the beer just as much as everyone else.
Body: So this is where I go, not as usually positive as I am about the Fairgate Brewing beer than I’ve been before. This beer is drinkable, tastes good and is enjoyable to drink but it lacks head retention and because it’s a session style pale ale, leaves your mouth quickly. In other words, if you let it sit in your glass for too long, it doesn’t stay fizzy so drink up!
ABV: I believe this ABV was measured in the low end of the 4 range.. maybe a 4.2 or something.. maybe a bit higher…? You can get drunk on this beer as evidenced by my holiday company but you need to drink a few which is ok.. because this beer is drinkable!
Overall Impression: A Pale Ale that was made by Fairgate Brewing which we poured into kegs, drank and are currently having fun with! It’s drinkable, tastes good, is simple on your palette and will get you buzzed if you drink enough. Basic but a very good Pale Ale!
A few important kudos before wrapping up:
- Ron for having the vision, knowledge and driving persistence which ultimately led our crew to purchasing our first 1 bbl system
- Brian, for being the daring man of leisure and lead Brewer extraordinaire of the first Brew on our 1 bbl system
- Everyone else in the Fairgate Brew Crew for showing up and being part of the process
Which leaves me to my final thought on the to be named part.. a few of us had a text chat going on the beer’s name and were leaning towards including in the name, the namesake of the lead brewer. My personal favorite is BBB Pale Ale without elaborating on the BBB which in itself embodies the beer.… what say you Fairgate?