American Darling - Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.43/5  rDev -14%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

a clean light golden yellow pour, minimal amount of white head, nice retention.
smells of citrus (lemon peel), bready yeast, coriander.
the taste is a bit odd - there's an overall harsh taste of alcohol, the citrus and a slight hint of coriander is there from the smell, and there's a funky / tangy bitterness that i can't identify.
medium body, high carbonation, slight cream on lips, warmth from abv

i've liked every beer pretty things made so far. this is my least favorite and so far, the only one i won't pick up again. the alcohol taste is completely rugged.. like nikoff vodka was just mixed in with the wort.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 05:53:07 | More by facundoCNB

ricchezza

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Aroma: Initially a punch of yeast (warm bread) followed by a husky malt backing.

Taste: I’m a bit surprised for the style that my first taste brings a touch of honey and slight clove to the forefront. True to style is a flowery, yet subtle (Noble) hop presence followed by a strong pilsner malt backing. More grain than hop bitterness. Long dry finish that sweetens as it fades.

1/8” white head that never seems to fade for the duration the beer is in the glass.

My overall impression is that this is a delicious beer. Sure to impress “yellow” beer drinkers who have not strayed from big macro brews (may even convert a few).

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 12:42:16 | More by ricchezza

Gatch

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Clear, golden-yellow with a big, fluffy, pillowy, white head. Very little lace and retention.

S: Plenty of pale malt, grass, mineral, and some sugary booze.

T: Much like the nose. Good, fruity malt presence with a hint of hops in the finish. Slight booze in the finish with the high ABV.

M: Highly drinkable. Highly enjoyable. Highly recommended.

O: Another fine beer from Pretty Things! Can they make a bad beer? I don't think so.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 00:44:29 | More by Gatch

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A big step up from the typical lager. Poured a 2" custard head with decent retention time. The body is a slightly hazed golden yellow. It smells mildly of toasted malt. The taste is a little sweet but with stronger than expected toasted malt, a saltiness, and yeastyness. In fact it's kind of like a concentrated lager except for the absence of the grassiness and bitterness so common. Fairly long finish.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 09:13:43 | More by MoreThanWine

pburland23

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz. bomber into my Prima Pils glass.

Appearance: Beer pours a clean, bright golden yellow. Looks like your classic American lager. Three billowing fingers of snow white head leave some moderate lacing. Very, very nice looking pour.

Smell: Light sweet pilsner malts, flowery hops, mildly herbaceous with some lemon notes. Nose is pretty delicate but inviting.

Taste: Very malty with some German hops bitterness. Lemon and mildly spicy. Definitely more complex than your average American lager. Very tasty.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with some sharp prickly carbonation. Very drinkable despite its 7% ABV.

Overall: Why can't every pale lager be this delicious? Because of the high ABV, I'm not sure I'd drink it while mowing the lawn (despite the label) but it's a nice summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 02:38:45 | More by pburland23

CheezyBlaster

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

"But what if we took a Miller High Life, and you know, made it taste good?"

That's this tasty beer. Beauty of a poor -nice head, nice retention, straw/golden yellow, tiny seltzer-like bubbles constantly making their trip. Sweet grassy nose; mainland Europe noble hop presence. It's more of a BIG adjunct in flavor, even though it's all barley, and even though it's a bunch of hallertau. The sweetness of the malt just reminds me of that corn sweetness you get in some adjuncts. Super pale lager, maybe strong lager should be the style? It's fantastic, but there is a bit of a viscous texture combined with that sometimes corn syrupy sweetness that makes it not as refreshing as the style typically can be. 7% is a tall order too. Anyhow, get one of these if you're at all interesting in the "yellow" side of lagers.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 23:19:51 | More by CheezyBlaster

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle poured into a pilsner glass.

A: Dull, pale straw yellow. Mild chill haze. Slow-moving streams of carbonation meander up the glass. Fluffy and rocky white head holds fast at a good two fingers. Clumps of lacing cling to the glass at random intervals.

S: Lemongrass, hay, twist of lemon, and orange peel. Hops are very floral and zesty. Sweet pilsner malt, very subtle hint of caramel. Simple, but very fragrant.

T: Multi-dimensional malt flavors open. Caramel, bread, toasted biscuit, a touch buttery (though NOT from diacetyl). Slight vanilla and pear. Hay and grass. Touch of spicy alcohol. Hops contribute orange peel, lavender and floral tastes, and quick, subtle flashes of citrus fruit. Finishes with shifting malt tastes and hay.

M: Medium bodied. Rich, smooth, and well-rounded body. Carbonation is mild but a little prickly. Some definite warmth in the swallow from the alcohol.

O: The nose and the taste are nearly opposites in terms of balance. The nose is a bit more hop-forward, while the malt is more dominant in the taste. Malt tastes are complex and shifty, thanks to the decoction mashing and the resulting melanoidin action. Tastes a little hot this year though, I don't remember the alcohol being quite as prominent when I had this in the past. Worth a try if you're into German-style lagers.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 03:31:14 | More by ryan1788a5

Hopdaemon39

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a pilsener- pours a clear golden straw color with 2.5 fingers of creamy white head, a few splashes of lacing, visibly effervescent.

Smells pretty enticing- pale malt sweetness balanced pretty equally with earthy yeast tones and a little dry hops.

Taste is not quite as well balanced- pretty heavy on the malt sweetness, much less of the yeast, and only a trace of the noble hops.

Mouthfeel is a little too sticky for me- medium light body with light carbonation; a little chewy. Not quite my idea of a summer refresher but decent. I won't get it again.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 02:45:59 | More by Hopdaemon39

BostonHops

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle served in a pilsner glass.

pours a mostly clear (some chill haze) golden yellow while yielding a little more than a finger and a half of a creamy/foamy head. very respectable retention, though not a great deal of lacing. nose is not especially bold, offering faint grainy/bready/malt notes, maybe a little hoppiness in the background.

for a lager the flavor is very good. grainy with light malts and some floral hops. medium bodied mouthfeel, lively on the palate. crisp and refreshing.

overall i typically do not gun for lagers but am enjoying this, especially on this 90+ degree day. another above-average offering from pretty things. definitely worth a try.

(originally reviewed: 07-12-2011)

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 04:14:37 | More by BostonHops

mactrail

California

3.03/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Smells like malt liquor with a Little Tree deodorizer around somewhere. Golden amber in the glass, plenty of head.

Very bitter aftertaste without much hop flavor. Thin but highly flavored with pale malt. On the woody and slightly astringent side. Flavor washes out, leaving this bitter and tart watery feeling. My least favorite Pretty Things beer, but maybe it's better than the run of this category.

From the 22 oz bottle dated June 2010, Batch 2. Probably over the hill. Bought at the Old Philly Ale House, not noticing the bottle date, so beware if you shop there.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 04:25:36 | More by mactrail

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a brown 22 oz. bottle. Has a deep golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of grains, some malts. Taste is alcohol up front, some grains, a touch of malts, makes me wonder if something is wrong with my bottle as more alcohol flavors are coming through. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a decent beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 21:43:19 | More by tone77

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.58/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Got this one from Riggsy, the last of my fantasy football winnngs, sigh...Bottled June ll

Pours a hazed & effervescent straw/apricot color with a pinky of cream colored head. Good head retention & lacing

S: Grassy & grainy notes

T: Crackery notes, white grape juice & a touch of lemongrass & orange peel up front. I get a bit of juicy fruit fruit up front & sweet cereal as this warms with slight astrgent grain bitterness lurking in the background, but mostly juicy-fruit & a whisper of coriander & white pepper. Finshes with peppery spiceyness, grainyness & sweet cereal

MF: Medium bodied, subtle carbonation, decent balance, a touch too sweet to sesion on

This is drinkable enough, but not anything I am really that excited about. This definetly a proper lawn mower brew

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2012 13:33:19 | More by russpowell

mdfb79

New York

3.58/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From 12/10/11 notes. Picked this up at Schneider's in DC Friday night for $7.99. As I was popping it I noticed it said it was bottled in June 2011 on the sticker...next time I'll have to pay more attention. Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into my Duvel tulip.

a - Pours a hazy bright yellow color with one finger of white head and moderate carbonation evident. Some light spotty lacing left on the glass, and not a lot of head retention.

s - Smells of citrus hops, lemon, earthy malts, pale malts, floral hops, and light herbal notes. Pretty nice, a lot of lemon.

t - Tastes of lemongrass, citrus hops, floral notes, pale malts, light fruit. Tastes a tiny bit adjunct like, and a step down from the nose, though still enough citrus and floral hops to make it enjoyable.

m - Medium body and low to moderate carbonation.

o - Overall a pretty nice pale lager, though I wonder what it was like fresh in July. The lemon was very up front in the nose and taste, and there were some floral and citrus hops still there, but I imagine 5 months ago this was even better. Would like to have fresh and worth checking out, though I probably wouldn't buy a 6 month old bottle again.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 15:38:17 | More by mdfb79

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

golden amber with a crystal clear look to it. A small head of maybe an inch rose up, but immediatly fell back down, leaving a naked top to it.

The aroma was light. Lots of light grain and bready malts abound here. Small light fruit notes and an overall light profile. Taste was more of the same, light grain, light fruits, small doses of grain. A crisp, clean, and refreshing profile. Very light feel with an almost non existently light feel. Super drinkable

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 03:09:36 | More by mikesgroove

smakawhat

Maryland

4.35/5  rDev +9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass. Bottled June 2011.

Out of the bottle American Darling very much looks like an adjunct lager. A white very foamy and not much retention head but falls slowly, however a pleasant clear light gold and slow rising carbonation creeps and crawls up the glass. No lacing it seems.

The nose is pretty solid. Light malts, some floral sense and spices. Sort of crisp with hints of lemon and zest.

Taste is a great spice and sweet malt blast, mixing in some light hop like phenol sense. Crispness sense is replaced by a full body texture and a lemon zest spritz. Alcohol sugars become more obvious while drinking, but add to the dense malt feeling nicely, that shows up in the palate. What is left is a big juicy gushing lemon feeling and deliciousness!

Overall a very impressive full tasting bodied beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2011 00:41:40 | More by smakawhat

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled in June 2011. Poured into my Duvel tulip.

A - Pours a crystal clear straw colour with a nice white two finger head that fades slowly to leave nice clouding and a good halo.

S - Yep, an amped up lawnmower beer alright. Almost like a slightly amped up pils.

T - Sweet grains, light floral hops. Gentle bread notes too. Quite nice.

M - Solid mouthfeel. Nice carbonation here results in something incredible sessionable.

O - Overall really liked this Pretty Things offering. Definately a sessionable summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 03:36:11 | More by rudzud

mynie

Indiana

3.6/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

An amped up lawnmower beer? Okay.

Pours and smells like a german pils. Lightly weedy cereal malt, just a small bit of hops, no nodes of adjunct or anything.

Tastes mad adjuncty, but not in a bad way. Bitter cereal malt starts things off, getting sweet and grassy in the middle and then ending on middle strength bitterdry hops. Nothing relays the fairly large ABV, though there's still a bit too much going on here for this to be a considered a lanwmower beer. But since it'd be nuts to fault a beer for being too flavorful, I think I'll let that one slide.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2011 02:43:32 | More by mynie

kscaldef

Oregon

2.9/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Poured into a tumbler with a 2 finger creamy head. Great clear golden color and lots of carbonation activity.

S: Nice "beery" aroma

T: surprisingly heavy body for the style and slightly sweet. Finish is a mix of moderately aggressive bitterness and some lingering sweetness

M: Not much, but just enough stickiness in the finish to notice and seem out of place. Other than that, the finish is fairly clean and cleansing.

O: I don't particularly dislike this beer, but I also don't feel like it's to style or what I expected. For a "lawnmower beer" (even going so far as to make that image the focus of the label) it's just not all that refreshing. And 7% ABV is a bit much.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 23:40:17 | More by kscaldef

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.75/5  rDev -6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Sampled July 2011; June 2011 bottle date
A solid pour into my glass produces a two finger thick, pale, off-white colored head. The beer is a bright gold color that shows a brilliantly clear, pale gold color when held up to the light (it is not as pale as your typical macro lager though). The aroma smells of hay like malt and cracker like grain up front, but is backed by a touch of honey malt sweetness and some spicy, herbal hop notes. It certainly smells like a good times American lager, but it has quite a bit more character than a macro (which this likely shouldn’t be compared to); there is a really nice grain / malt character to this beer that can be quite expressive and there is a backing hop character that suggests at lemon zest with an herbal bent to it.

The beer has a honey grain sweetness to it up front, but as it rolls across the palate it picks up an herbaceous, more clean bitter hop character. The beer has a bitter bite through to the finish, but the grain sweetness never totally disappears either. The hop character is lightish, but certainly present with flavors that suggest at mint, something green like basil (but not quite), and a definite sweet lemon like note that is boosted by the soft malt sweetness that is in this beer. The combination of malt and hop character here really seems quite distinct and interesting, and I can’t quite pinpoint why exactly; it has a sort of sweet lemon, or sweet mint (without really being sweet) sort of thing going on (it could suggest at toothpaste, but I don’t like that and this really doesn’t), it also has a nice herbal influence that couples very well with the bright malt character. The malt character is bright with its honey’ish sweetness (more pale grain sweetness than anything) and its toothsome fresh crushed grain, almost cracker like character; but it is balanced. This hides the alcohol fairly well, though not perfectly and the body certainly has a bit more heft to it than I was initially expecting; but this is also quite a bit bigger of a beer than the lawnmower images on the label might suggest.

Really the balance is what I am liking so much about this beer, the balance is just so spot on. This is far more enjoyable than I was expecting, though to be honest I was expecting something interesting from this no matter what.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 14:15:07 | More by Gueuzedude

DrinkingDrake

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Biltmore.
Yellow and slightly hazy served in a goblet. Small amount of head but it dissipated almost completely. Nose is grainy pils malt and some peppery hop zest. Yeast character is strong for a pale lager. The spicy yeast and peppery hops are a great combination over the malt. Flavor is just like the nose a light body with a strong pale malt character. On top is a lot of the peppery hop and yeast combo. Crisp bite up front with the middle being all malt and yeast. Finishes light and dry with a large amount of carbonation and the spicy hops.

Serving type: on-tap

08-06-2011 14:57:50 | More by DrinkingDrake

CHickman

New York

4.38/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours clear golden yellow color with a creamy 1 finger head that faded slowly and left excellent foamy lacing with rings as it went down; a good looking beer.

Smells of sweet malt, toasted grains, herbs, light lemon and citrus hops; almost smells like a jacked up macro, but the floral notes separate the nose from the mass production odor.

Tastes of sweet malt, grains, biscuit or a dry cracker, caramel, floral hops, lemon, light brown sugar, grass, herbs, faint yeast and a little honey; most certainly not a macro flavor, this is tasty and easy to drink - plus you can't detect the alcohol at all!

Mouthfeel is very light and crisp, with a light body, high carbonation and a dry zesty finish. A definite session beer, this was a fantastic lager with a lot of flavor to go along with the light feel. This is what is session beer should be like, and again I will mention that this great taste completely hides the ABV. Go get one!

Serving type: on-tap

08-04-2011 03:41:33 | More by CHickman

smokeypeat

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a traditional pilsner glass. Nice golden yellow hue with a frothy 2 finger head. Aroma has some pale malt mixed with light floral hops with a spritz of lemon. All of this is subdued however. Taste is much much more prominent than the smell. Nice light malt background with some great lager hops. Some nice grass/dry hay notes mixed in with a floral bouquet. Small bit of white pepper lingering in the background. Mouthfeel is on the thinner side of medium but it has a good carbonation level and a great crisp bite on a hot day where again it was pushing 100 degrees around here. Would definitely seek this out again. The more Pretty Things I get to try the more I like them.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2011 23:36:02 | More by smokeypeat

oline73

Maryland

4.2/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a clear golden color with a finger and a half of off white head. The head retention is good and a layer remains on top of the pour.

Smell: A mild smell. Sweet and malty with a hint of hops as well.

Taste: Mildly sweet malt. Very light and crisp with a hop bitterness in the finish. Super drinkable given the abv.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with very smooth carbonation and a slightly dry finish.

Overall: This is a great summer beer. I love the fact that they actually hopped this beer. The bitterness in the finish is quite good. I would definitely have another.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 21:18:50 | More by oline73

THECPJ

Delaware

4.22/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes:

appearance: golden yellow with a 1 finger white head

smell: citrus, lager yeast, malts,

taste: citrus, malts,

mouthfeel: mild carbonation, thin to medium body,

overall: very refreshing beer. probably one of if not the best beer in the style. would definitely drink again.

cheers,l
The CPJ

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 18:44:08 | More by THECPJ

lnashsig

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Many thanks to Nuggethops for the chance to taste this. A very generous extra included in our recent trade. Poured into my dfh snifter, pours a gorgeous bright yellow color, visible bubbles from the bottom. awesome fluffy cloudlike white head fills the glass and then recedes, nice retention. Smell- fresh cut grass, lemon peel, cracked pepper. Why does this remind me of a Saison? Taste- just a really crisp, smooth, yet hoppy lager. wonderful. Mouthfeel- tight carbonation makes for a really nice dry finish. Drinkability. 6.5% wow- could have fooled me. This is just a solid, well made brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 21:39:00 | More by lnashsig