Holy crap... Kirby made a pale ale.

Capital Brewery’s U.S. Pale Ale hit store shelves last Monday, though it’s been on tap out at Capital’s bier garten for a few months. And I’m not complaining by any means – heavens, no. It’s just somewhat unexpected. Hell, even Capital as much as admits it. “Like you, we never expected to discover this beauty of a drink,” reads the blurb on the six-pack. “But here it is. Unexpected. Humble. Disarming.” Well, I’ll be damned.

See, here’s the thing: Capital is known for its German-style beers. Just check out this nugget from Capital’s website: “Wisconsin has a great heritage of being a lager beer-producing state. We wanted to carry on this tradition by producing beers with a strong German stylistic emphasis.” Those beers include brewmaster Kirby Nelson’s Bavarian Lager, Oktoberfest, Maibock, Blonde Dopplebock, and my oft remarked-upon personal favorite, Autumnal Fire.

Pale ales, on the other hand, come out of English-style brewing, an entirely different beast. These tend to be well-hopped ales... and in the case of American versions, REALLY well-hopped ale. A punch in the face with Cascade hops, as American as apple pie. In any case, pale ales ain’t German.

So how does U.S. Pale Ale stack up? Well, it’s nowhere near as aggressively hopped as, say, Tyranena’s Bitter Woman or Ale Asylum’s Hopalicious. The beer has a nice floral aroma, though with less citrusy grapefruit flavor than often comes with Cascade hop territory. While it has plenty of hop character, the taste is smoother than many American Pales. This is a refreshing, very drinkable ale.

In short, this may not be a beer that knocks the socks off of crazy hopheads, but it certainly is a nice addition to the range of locally produced pale ales. And never let it be said that Capital can’t step outside of its lederhosen. Of course, this won’t stop me from counting the days until Capital’s February Bockfest...