Atwater Block Brewery- Atwater Pale Ale: Why Beat A Dead Horse?
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 5:56PM | by Jason 
Here is another brew that I picked up a few weeks ago while up in Michigan. While parusing the isles of the Liquor Cabinet in St. Joseph I had a hard time trying to figure out what exactly I wanted to bring home with me. It’s like staring at a menu at a great restaurant, it all looks so good it’s hard to know what to pick. Lucky for me I noticed that they had a section where you could pick up some singles and mix a six pack, which in my opinion, it one of the greatest option you can find in a liquor store. I circled the shelf/table a couple of times waiting for something to jump out at me or something that seemed familiar. I noticed that there were a couple of brews from Atwater Block Brewery out of Detroit, MI. I have had their VooDoo Vator previously and it was good so I figured I’d see what else they had to offer. I reached for a couple of Atwater Block brews but for this review I grabbed a bottle of Atwater Ale and dropped it into the six pack holder. Atwater Pale Ale is a Pale Ale and I am super picky when it comes to my pale ales as it is one of my favorite styles. So here goes, Atwater Pale Ale is poured and ready.
Atwater Block Brewery classifies this brew as a Pale Ale and their website describes Atwater Ale as, “This well-balanced Pale Ale is a combination of both European and Northwest American Hops. But, a word of warning: this beer is not to be taken lightly. Through its golden color and floral bite are a result of its beautifully balanced hops, this beer also has a lot of body.”
Atwater Ale pours a light sunset gold with a big bubbled 2” egg shell colored head. The aroma is a combination of pale malts with a pungent, earthy hop smell.
It is very rare that I do this but this beer is flat out awful. The pungent aroma comes through in the flavor and unlike the description; there is no body to this beer at all. In fact, it is downright watery. The flavor tastes like someone soaked some hops in water and decided to skip adding malt sweetness to balance the flavor. I get no hint of pale malts or anything that resembles a pale ale that I’ve ever had before this. I see no need in ranting on and on or beating a dead horse, you can skip this one completely.
ABV: 5.5%
Consumed: Mother Earth Globe Glass
Verdict: Skip It!
