Triumphant return?

Let's see just how rusty my beer reviewing skills have become...

Tonight I chose two six-packs, one Sierra Nevada 2008 Anniversary Ale and the other Bridgeport Haymaker Extra Pale Ale.

When I was making my decision, I did not know exactly what style the Anniversary Ale was and it does not list it on the bottle, but I assumed it was a pale ale judging from the time of year (as early to late fall is the season for pale ales) and it turns out that I assumed correctly: according to the website it is an "American-style India Pale Ale". So I guess I can take that as a safe bet that my skills have not waned too awfully much.

Sierra Nevada 2008 Anniversary Ale

Pours easily into a mostly clear, deep amber color with yeast visible in perfect suspension, not a lot of work to keep the frothy white head to a minimum. I poured quickly to get a small head and shook the last half inch of liquid in the bottle to give the head a nice finish. A majority of the froth dissipates after a good 5 minutes, so it is pretty long lasting, but the foam which does remain on the top leaves a beautiful lacing on the glass. Fine bubbles, indicative of natural carbonation from the bottle conditioning process, rise from the bottom of the glass in perpetuity. Maybe my reviewing skills haven't eroded at all.....

Very light mouthfeel with an aroma reminiscent of pine terpenes mixed with flowers. Flavor is at first sweet and fruity which quickly fades to flowers which eventually gives way to a distinct bitter earth and pine flavor. Aftertaste is bitter, citrusy, and very long lasting. Sorry I couldn't get much more descriptive in this section, but pale ales are not exactly known for high complexity.

Bridgeport Haymaker Extra Pale Ale

Pours a bright golden yellow color and is a little more heady than the Sierra Nevada, but still an easy one. I again shook the last half inch of the liquid to finish the pour. Majority of the head does not last as long as in the Sierra Nevada but more remains on the top of the liquid and yet somehow fails to leave the same impressive lacing. Depressing. More yeast is visible suspended in the beer in here, and it does not clump together quite as much, leading to a more cloudy beer. Fewer bubbles rise from the bottom of this beer, but it is definitely bottle conditioned.

The aroma is strong with earth and, oddly, with the scent of a hefeweizen and lacks real complexity. It was complex in that I could not decide exactly how to describe the aroma at first, in fact it took me 20 minutes or more to come up with the words because the hefeweizen scent completely threw me off. Flavor is much the same as the aroma, but with the addition of yeast. The distinct flavor of hefeweizen plus pale ale leads me to believe that wheat is definitely one of the "four malts" they proclaim on the label. The flavor was actually what unlocked the mystery to the aroma for me. Only after drinking about a third of the beer did I find the words to describe this one; obviously it has been a long time since I've had a hefeweizen.... Aftertaste is relatively shortlived, on the order of a few minutes, and barely bitter (at least for my tastes). Mostly a yeasty aftertaste.


Overall

My overall impression of these two brews is strong. I think the Bridgeport would be better suited as a late summer beer, but would suffice as a mid-afternoon beer for the warm, early Oklahoma autumn.

The Sierra Nevada is definitely my favorite of the two, and is the perfect beer for the cool evenings of the entire Oklahoma fall. It also has a more impressive aroma and visual appeal, but the Brideport earns more marks for complexity of flavor.