Jun 2, 2017

Starr Hill Grateful Pale Ale

Much like they had done with Northern Lights, Starr Hill Brewery has revisited the recipe of their Grateful Pale Ale. The aim of the beer’s remastering was to create a more well-rounded drinking experience instead of one solely focuses on the hop influence. To do so, the company added Caraform and Torrefied Wheat to the malt bill, creating a fuller mouthfeel. The hop bill has also been revamped, featuring Cascade, Mosaic, Centenial and Falconer’s Flight — which replace the mix of Chinook, Topaz and Columbus previously used.

All of those changes amount to a beer that does have more overall balance and a medium body. The flavor certainly focuses more on the citrus flavors and less on the resinous pine and bitterness it did prior. That doesn’t mean that this is a fruit-juicy pale ale — it’s not. Grateful is simply a more balanced brew presenting lemony citrus, grapefruit, light pine and grassy notes to go along with cereal notes and hints of grain. A subtle malt sweetness lingers gently in the drying finish.

Grateful Pale Ale isn’t an assertively flavored or hopped beer. It comes across rather unassuming in nature, but still packs a well-balanced and refreshing flavor. While I personally like a hoppy pale ale, I understand why Starr Hill remastered this warm weather quencher. It’s a tasty little brew whose newly found balance allows it to go down with dangerous ease. At 4.7% ABV, the beer is still quite quaffable and ideal for sitting out on the back deck with your favorite grilled Summertime foods.

This is a review of a promotional sample.