Sweetwater Brewing 420 Pale Ale – Bottle Conditioned
Early last month, SweetWater Brewing announced a change in their bottling practices. Not only was the company introducing custom branded glass bottles, but they also disclosed the product in these new bottles would be bottle-conditioned. This means that a small measure of yeast and sugar would be added as the beer is packed to create a natural carbonation instead of forcing gas into the brews.
The company started this process with their canned products back in March, but their flagship 420 Pale Ale is the first of the bottled beers to undergo the new process. The result is a brew that is just as tasty as ever and just as refreshing, but with a more natural, slightly softer level of carbonation. The change is minuscule in its effect and certainly doesn’t alter the flavor of the beer — it just feels a little different on the palate. This is a good thing.
Appearance
The brew looks like it has every other time I’ve had it — rich amber in color with a mountain of thick, beige foam that left behind sticky lacing as it dropped.
Aroma
Lightly toasted pine, soft nuttiness, grapefruit, hint of orange and freshly cut grass all combine for an inviting aroma.
Taste
The brew tastes just like it did from a recent growler fill I had last week. Plenty of pine, grapefruit, grass and a light malt sweetness come together cleanly. As stated above, the carbonation is just a hair softer than the previous, forced-carbonation bottles I’ve had. It certainly doesn’t take anything away from the enjoyable and tasty brew.
Overall
I don’t believe that the average fan of SweetWater’s 420 Pale Ale is going to notice much of the change in carbonation, but if they do, it’ll only require a couple of sips of this brew to wipe the notion from their mind. The brew is just as flavorful and refreshing as ever.
Rating: 4/5
This is a review of a promotional sample.
