Judge’s Review: 91 Rating – Tropicáliana Pale Ale by Sunken Silo Brew Works

American Pale Ale | Year-Round | USA

By Rick Franckhauser

Judges Rating: 91.00
Aroma: 21.00
Appearance: 6.00
Flavor: 36.00
Mouthfeel: 10.00
Overall Impression: 18.00

Sunken Silo Tropicaliana Pale Ale was judged as BJCP category 18B, American Pale Ale.
The aroma provides moderate levels of tropical fruits, a combination of pineapple, guava, and a touch of mandarin orange. There is a low level tar resin note retro-nasal. Very low neutral sweet malt combines with the fruity hops to give an overall sweet impression. Everything is clean and bright, nothing off. The beer is a light golden hue and topped with a large creamy white foam cap. Mostly clear with just a touch of haze. Lots of tiny bubbles ascending. Nice lacing as it goes down with excellent retention.
The flavor profile mirrors the aromatics with some adjustments in the various levels and balance. The guava is more dominant with the citrus following and the pineapple only reappearing in the after taste.None of the resin qualities are found. The only perception of malt is in the sweetness of the beer. Speaking of sweetness, the bitterness is moderately low but manages to keep the beer from being overly sweet. Clean fermentation and everything is bright and fresh. Hints of pineapple linger on the palate. Medium-light body with moderate carbonation levels. A very slight carbonic bite combines with a slight hop bite but overall the mouthfeel is smooth and rounded.
Overall a very enjoyable pale ale that leans into the New World hops and provides qualities typically found in hazy, juicy, NEPA’s, without the haze while keeping everything at pale ale levels. The sweetness also moved toward the juicy style. Very enjoyable but I wanted a touch more bitterness and perhaps a slightly more characterful malt just to keep it in the APA camp. I did appreciate the restraint on the hops as I find many APA’s drink like IPA’s, blurring the lines between the styles. I enjoyed the freshness of the beer. I suppose if the beer was significantly hazy in appearance along with the sweetness level and tropical hops, perhaps this would be a perfect hazy pale ale, if there were such a category in the BJCP. This of course is stylistic nit picking. In the end, this is a really good APA, or maybe it’s a New Zealand Pale Ale? A rose by any other name…