Mission Street Pale Ale

As mentioned time and time again, good beer can be scored at Trader Joe’s.  For those of you who don’t have Trader Joe’s in your home town/city, it is this wonderful grocery store that carries affordable gourmet food.  In the case of Mission Street Pale Ale, this is a private label pale ale made by Firestone Walker, in Paso Robles, CA.  While I passed on it this summer, it did just win a medal at the Great American Beer Festival. Seeing as that surprised me, I thought it would be a good idea to give this brew a taste.

Mission Street Pale Ale – 12oz bottle poured into a pint glass. 4.6% abv. Purchased at Trader Joes Monrovia,CA.

Appearance: A clear straw yellow, with a small layer of suds at the top.  Leaves a bit of webbing on the glass as you drink it down.

Aroma: Lemon and orange peel.

Taste: A crisp hop bite, followed by a light, floral, citrusy clean finish. A smidgen of sweetness.  A Pale 31 -alike?

Mouthfeel: Crisp.

Overall: Really nice, full flavored for being light in every sense of the word.