Glassware: Beers that come in cans always seem more fun to drink straight from the can. Maybe its just novelty or maybe its the college kid in us that never fully went away. However, to truly experience a beer’s full aromatics and flavor, a glass is always preferred. The Spiegelau IPA glass is a wonderful choice but is not always available. A snifter, nonic pint, or willi becher pub glass are also suitable vessels.
Description: Dale’s Pale Ale pours a deep amber orange hue with a thick, rocky, off-white head that leaves a thick layer of lacing on the glass. The aroma is a balance of hops and malts with bright notes of citrus, pine and floral hops being the most dominant with backing hints of sweet caramel malts. The taste also walks the line between a balance of hops and malts without an overpowering hop character that many pale ales seem to posses.
Hop notes cascade over the palate first with floral and citrus notes leading the way without imparting a strong bitter quality. The lightly sweet caramel malts follow and also provide the perfect backbone for the hops allowing them to shine without being overpowering. The medium body and moderate carbonation are perfect and give the beer a crisp mouthfeel that is refreshingly smooth. Dale’s Pale Ale is a beer that has long been stocked in many craft beer bars and stores, but it is still an American classic that is a must for all beer lovers and belongs in any well-stocked beer fridge.
Food pairing: This is a perfect pale ale with any summer cookout food and goes perfectly with a lot of American fare. Keep your cooler stocked with Dale’s Pale Ale for your next backyard barbecue. It is the perfect beer to pair with hamburgers, hot dogs, barbecue chicken, spare ribs, and even goes well with fish. The floral and citrus notes are the perfect counterpoint for any spicy barbecue sauce.
Dale’s Pale Ale is also the perfect beer for a Friday at home with friends enjoying pizza and movies. The subtle yet sweet malts will melt into the crust. Pile the toppings high, because this beer can handle them all no matter how spicy it gets.
While fried foods aren’t necessarily the healthiest to consume, we all do what we know is bad for us from time to time and when you go over that line be sure to have Dale’s Pale Ale on hand. It is perfect with french fries, fried chicken, fried veggies with ranch dipping sauce, and a litany of other good yet bad food choices.
The Final Word: Oskar Blues is the brewery that paved the way for the craft can movement. They brought forth great packaging into craft beer and also brew some world class beers. Dale’s Pale Ale is a modern American classic, and for many, it has acted as both a gateway into craft beer and an introduction to the pale ale style. Despite its legend status, it is still a phenomenal beer that has stayed in the race with many rivals that have since come to market.
Many macro beer drinkers complain about the strong bittering quality that IPAs offer but still long to enjoy hoppier beers, and Dale’s Pale Ale offers them a perfect choice. The high drinkability factor this beer possesses along with its perfect balance make it a beer that is great year round and offers something for everyone.
