X Ale, 22nd November 1838 - Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project

Dope

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: A cloudy pale golden-orange pour. Big fizzy white head on top. Head retention is quite good, it lingers for a while. Nice lines of lacing as you drink.

S: Toasted bread/biscuity malt. A bit of pear and grass. Maybe a touch of honey? Quite subtle regardless.

T: Again, biscuity or toasty malt. Flash of grassy and herbal bitterness in the middle. Some honey and pear, perhaps even a little melon? Lingering bitterness in the aftertaste.

M: Pretty medium bodied, smooth.

O: Interesting experiment for sure. I'm drinking this version first. Definitely a unique beer, I'm not sure I've had anything like it to compare to. Tasty enough but nothing earth-shattering.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 03:16:26 | More by Dope

jaasen64

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle

A- Yellowish golden, translucent but slightly hazy especially near top. About a half finger of frothy white head. Layered lacing that clings to glass. Average carbonation.

S- A little bit hoppy, malts, a little bit grainy, some wheat and spices.

T- Lightly sweet and bitter. Hops but not overly hoppy, a little bit of a sweet grainy wheat taste. Very light sweet lemon taste. Light sweet aftertaste.

M- Medium bodied to a little bit on the lighter side, goes down smooth, alcohol well hidden.

O- This was a very interesting beer. Slightly different then most beers I've tried. Nice balance between the light hops, sweetness, and some spices. Alcohol definitely well hidden, could have used a little bit more flavor. Awesome to know this is what people were drinking 174 years ago. Will have to compare to the 1945 next.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 22:50:21 | More by jaasen64

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle.

Pours hazy gold with an inch of dense white head. A partial skim coat for the duration and tattered sheets of lacing.

Aromatics are a blend of earthy hops, honey-drizzeled malt, and pear skins. Cut grass and apples follow through.

Medium bodied with a crisp mouthfeel.

A pressing, almost numbing bitterness starts off the palate. Grapefruit, bitter greens, and pithy fruit stones follow through with light malt running under.

Finishes with a lenghty, assaulting bitterness, biscuity malt, and a trace of warmth.

If this is a solid representation of this recipe from 1838, I would say the IIPA was well on it's way at that time.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 23:42:33 | More by brewandbbq

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Wow, much brighter and lighter colored than the 1945 version, this one pours a light fluffy 1/2 finger head that fades semi slowly with nice lacing, similar to the other, but the color of this is an opaque golden with a hint of a yellow-orange.

Nose is fairly light, much lighter than the 1945 as well, but completely different. This brings some light aromatic fruity hops, bit grassy as well, very light toasty golden malts, mostly missing on the nose.

Taste is bigger, almost golden Belgiany flavored actually... starting with the malts, the malts seem more complex than just 100% pale, and it has an interesting body feel. Some fruity flavors come through, most likely from the yeast, with a light estery flavor. then hops, decent bitterness with some grassy floral hops, and slight earthy flavors. The hops also seem to get slightly fruity, and eventually slightly herbal, but also surprised to see that just Kent hops. The bitterness builds to a big decent bitterness towards the finish, and lingers well past the finish. It dries a bit on the finish as well, with some light lingering malt and fruity yeast flavors, but mostly grassy earthy hop flavors. the booze is there, definitely gives you a warming and slight boozy kick.

Mouth is fuller bodied, almost abrasive gritty like, with a decent warmth of booze that almost starts to tingle, and decent carb.

Overall not bad, a much bigger and completely different beer from the 1945, bolder, hoppier, stronger, etc, but I think I prefer the complexity of the overall beer in the 1945. Interesting how much it changed, almost as if going down by so much in grains, alcohol, hops, etc should have made the beer worse, but at the same time they learned how to do more with less. This being a fairly simple recipe makes it a bit too bland overall IMHO, but still a fairly tasty beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 21:09:12 | More by jlindros

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.3/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-Pours a hazy golden color. Head is quite minimal. Very opaque. Color of the body is vibrant.

S-Nose is quite yeasty. Pale fruits (pear and apple). Hops are quite dull. Malt is bready. Overall, a decently pleasant aroma albeit mild.

T-Taste is strange. Surprisingly grassy. Hard to describe 'chemical' flavor. Quite bitter. Underlying sweetness. Very odd herbal flavor. I cannot tell if I enjoy it slightly or do not care for it. Might have to save judgement until I have finished.

M-Creamy but there is a bunch of carbonation. Dry and bitter. Alcohol comes into play. Body is medium to heavy.

O/D-Very strange brew. I respect the effort to try and recreate and old recipe, but I will say that brewing has taken a big, gigantic, enormous step forward since 1838. At nearly $8 a bomber, this wasn't worth it. I love Pretty Thing, but this one doesn't really do it for me. Definitely won't be shelling out another $6 for the other X Ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 02:44:57 | More by VelvetExtract

silentjay

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

pouring the two of the series side-by-side, my reviews will compare/contrast the similarities/differences.

the 1838 pours a lot lighter in color (a hazy straw) with a carbonation made up of smaller bubbles that stick around a while and lace pretty well.

very fruity, almost phenolic aroma with lots of crakcery/biscuity malts and some grassy/herbal hops. pretty tame aroma.

hoppy, grassy, herbal, tea-like with plenty of fruity esters. light pale maltiness and a bit of booze. a touch of a toasted nut flavor on the back end.

medium bodied with light carbonation and a sticky feel left on the finish.

I mean, for the ABV, this drinks pretty well. rather tame aroma, but some complexity due to a layering of different flavors.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 01:42:28 | More by silentjay

greenengineer

Massachusetts

2.58/5  rDev -31.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22 oz bottle into a plain pint glass. Served slightly chilled. Brewed 2/13/12 according to the bottle
A - clear yellow/amber, decent head fades quickly, buts sticks to the sides of the glass. As the bottle says "paler than you might expect"
S - malty aroma, hops hard to detect
T - bitter, astringent even. Not liking this much. Has a bit of a metallic taste. Doesn't taste like it has really come together. Second and third sips are tasting a bit better, but still not terrific.
M - thin, but good fizz.
O - I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt, and say that this needs to spend a bit longer in the bottle. I like so much of what Pretty Things does, but this misses the mark for me. Hops bitterness very strong in the taste, but not in the nose. Extra point for local.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 19:18:29 | More by greenengineer