I’ve had some things by Anderson Valley that I think are pretty good.  I liked Brother David’s Triple a lot.  They have some other stuff that I don’t particularly enjoy (Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout is an example).  Let’s see how their Pale Ale measures up.  (Click here to learn about Pale Ale as a style.)

First, the body matched the parlance on the bottle; it was light gold in color.  There was a short but stable head that first looked like puffy clouds. 

Numerous aromas were notable in this beer.  There were floral hops and a very slight nuttiness.  I also noted the smell of golden raisins and white grape juice in the nose.  This lent itself to a slight wine quality in aroma.  However, there was a sweet malty aroma and perfumey qualities that balanced the aroma out nicely. 

The citrusy hop taste kept the beer somewhat bitter all the way through.  I noted alcohol presence in the beer along with a malty nuttiness.  There were also some metallic notes that I picked up on when drinking this beer.  Overall, I found the beer to be pretty decent but with a bit much on the bitterness for the style.  Of course, you may like your Pale Ales pretty bitter.  I’m more of a Samuel Smith’s Pale Ale kind of guy.  Either way, it’s worth a try.