This Is My Blood: Blaisdell

I'm continuing my trek through every beer style (HERE) as well as my trek through almost every beer Attic Brewing Co. currently has to offer (and were nice enough to bring directly to my door).

American Pale Ale
(#70)
Exemplified by Blaisdell

Longtime readers may remember that I swore off pale ales in early April. Well, it's been over a month. I took a long enough break. Let's get back to the most popular craft beer type in America—as much as I'm learning to appreciate other styles of beer, it would be impossible to go the rest of the year without drinking another pale ale.

If you were me, you might need a refresher as to what makes a pale ale "pale." Easy enough (he says after reading the same paragraph like three times). The paleness comes from the malt, and how long that malt was roasted before being mashed and fermented. Since these malts are pale, they weren't roasted for very long, so no roasty flavors here.

The name of the game, obviously, is HOPS (which are added separately from the malt). Americans are crazy about 'em. They make the beer bitter, as well as giving them a piney, citrus, and/or floral aromas, depending on the specific hops used. Attic Brewing, being the new kid on the block, does not have info yet online about the specific hops used, but their Blaisdell definitely had the citrus down, as well as a little bit of the pine. Whatever specific hop made me want to quit pale ales to begin with was not present here.

(If you're wondering about the name, apparently the original occupant of the building where Attic Brewing operates out of was the Blaisdell Pencil Company. The more you know!)

Here's a question I realized I still didn't know before writing this: What is the difference between a pale ale and an IPA (indian pale ale)? Well, I made sure I had this info down before I started typing, and so I'll fill you in now. It's just another rectangle/square situation. IPAs are pale ales, but they are just a little bit paler, a little bit stronger (4.5-6.2% vs. 5.5-7.5% ABV), and a little bit hoppier (30-50 IBU vs. 40-70 IBU). That's the only difference. When it comes to figuring out beer, it's usually a matter of applying Occam's razor—the simplest answer is usually the correct one.

If you have ever had a craft beer in the United States, then it was probably a pale ale, so we don't need to expound any further at this time.

NOTES

BEER: Blaisdell

STYLE: American Pale Ale

ABV: 5.1%

BREWED BY: Attic Brewing Co.

LOCATION: Philadelphia, PA

PURCHASED AT: Online, delivered

PAIRED WITH: spaghetti squash (Pam is killing it with the veggie meals this week)

GRADE: 4 pukes out of 5 (pale ales are back, baby!!!)

BEER COUNT: 194.5