Natty Green’s Southern Pale Ale
I think I noted last month that I have a neighbor that likes to thank me for watching their house while they are out of town with beer from wherever they may have travelled. Well, their latest trip took them to North Carolina and upon their return they brought me a six pack of mixed goodies. The first beer from that pack I opened was this Natty Green’s Southern Pale Ale.
Southern Pale Ale is a 5.2% ABV (32 IBU) American Pale Ale that carries a decent hop profile and subdued malt character. I’d like to say I enjoyed this beer thoroughly – and I may have – but I can’t. The brew was just too sharply carbonated. The overactive bubble activity not only created quite a display on the pour, but unfortunately also distracted far too much from the flavor. I’m hoping that this was just a single bottle incident and not how the beer is supposed to behave.
Appearance
A moderate pour results in a massive stack of off-white foam atop the pale amber brew.
Aroma
Light tangerine, grapefruit, grass and pine mingle with a subtle toasted malt background.
Taste
Natty Green’s Southern Pale Ale has got a pretty enticing nose, but the mouthfeel on this beer is simply way too much. The massively sharp carbonation overpowers a grapefruit driven flavor profile that rests above biscuity malt backbone. Hints of orange and grain persist throughout as a moderate hop bitterness lingers for a bit in the finish.
Overall
Like I said, I’m hoping this was just a bad bottle. The beer has a great aroma and solid flavor, but it’s hard to get past a level of carbonation this high. I know I shouldn’t complain as this was a gift and I didn’t shell out any hard earned bucks for it, but it’s also a trend that I’ve been seeing more and more over the past couple of years. As I’ve said before on this site, I don’t know whether it’s a quality control problem or a rush to market issue, but I’ve been encountering more and more products that have issues recently than I have in my combined drinking years (and that’s a decent length of time).
Rating: 2.75/5
