Next Round: In praise of the pale ale

Lately I’ve enjoyed tripping along my own craft beer memory lane.

Long before I fell for India pale ales – and double and triple IPAs – my first craft beer true love was the pale ale. Prior to that, I experimented with imported beers like Beck's, then-regional beers such as Leinenkugel and Shiner Bock, as well as big beer style offerings such as Michelob Classic Dark.

My introduction to pale ales came from the Free State Brewing Co., in Lawrence, Kan., and Boulevard Brewing Co., in Kansas City, Mo., both of which opened in 1989, and soon after that I tried a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, which had made it in bottles to the mid-Atlantic, where I had moved to late in 1990. Each of these pale ales taste different, but they had commonalities -- a fragrant hop aroma, robust malty flavor and substantial bitter tinge, all smoothly balanced.

These days, in an era of all manner of super-hopped IPAs, these pale ales seem truly modest. In a recent column, I chronicled the rise of lower-alcohol session IPAs as an alternative when you need a break from boozier hop bombs. These have become popular because beer lovers can imbide only so many strong IPAs before having to bring their session to a halt. (Green Flash Brewing Co., even named christened its 9.5% alcohol by volume double IPA the "Palate Wrecker.")

Pale ales are another option when you desire more than a few brews and want to give your taste buds something a bit more subtle. My parents recently transported some of Free State's Copperhead Pale Ale and Boulevard Pale Ale to my home and I still find them among my favorite beers.

The bite of the Copperhead may not seem as severe as when I first tasted it two decades ago, but it still has a sneaky bitter presence that reveals itself in the finish. As for the amber-colored Boulevard Pale Ale, its sweet, caramelly flavor and moderate bitterness makes it extremely drinkable. And the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale remains an exemplary representative of the style -- plenty of body without being overpowering.

Thankfully, big-name craft breweries have not forgotten about pale ales. For the recent Savor event in Washington, D.C., Yards Brewing Co. of Philadelphia and Heavy Seas Brewery of Baltimore collaborated on Philtimore Pale Ale, a tasty understated amber-colored English-style pale ale with a slight malty sweetness and mild carbonated feel. The brewers involved -- Yards founder Tom Kehoe and head brewer Tim Roberts, Heavy Seas founder Hugh Sisson and brewmaster Christopher Leonard --  "all tend towards simple recipes with balance and nuance of flavor, which is not the direction a lot of IPAs have gone in recent years," Roberts said in an email exchange.

Heavy Seas' Leonard added that the pale ale "is also a beer style that helped define the craft beer movement, a 'crossover' style if you will.  Coming full circle back to our roots is nostalgic, but also provides us products that inspired us, elevated our craft, formed a foundation for everything we as brewers do to excite consumers."

Pale ale is also, he said, "a style of beer that affords me the luxury of consuming several pints without getting snockered or losing interest in the flavor."

Heavy Seas' best selling beer is the Loose Cannon IPA.  "It's a delicious beer, but it's 7.25% ABV," Leonard said. "I can't drink too many of those and remain responsible.  So, something less potent is more attractive to me.  Many other folks are also finding the 'Session IPA' to be a flavorful alternative.  Pale ale is, and will always be, the original 'Session IPA'."

Yards plans to brew more Philtimore this fall, so be on the lookout for it in October. Meanwhile, here's some pale ales I can recommend beyond those already cited:

Ballast Point Grunion Pale Ale (bottles and draft, 5.5% ABV). The gold medal-winning pale ale at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival is hitting full distribution this summer. Its pleasant shallot-y hop aroma is stronger than that of many pale ales.

Bridgeport Conviction Pale Ale (bottles and draft, 5.2% ABV) is a zesty dry-hopped pale ale that was the first of three beers that the Portland, Ore.-based brewery released during its 30th anniversary last year. Beer drinkers voted to make this beer the one of the three to add to Bridgeport's year-round selections.

Firestone Walker Pale 31 (draft and bottles, 4.9%). Over the last decade or so, the Paso Robles, Calif. brewer has won multiple awards for this crisp, piney beer including three Great American Beer Festival gold medals.

Stone Pale Ale 2.0 (bottles and draft, 6%). This spring, the Escondido, Calif. brewery relaunched its pale ale with this bolder brew that boasts a resinous aroma -- it's made with a new German hop, the Mandarina Bavaria -- and reveals a complex bitter taste that sweetens if you let it warm.

Holy City Brewing Slanted Porch Pale Ale (draft and cans, 5.4%). This orangey-colored ale, made in Charleston, S.C., is made with classic pale ale hops Cascade and Centennial for a bitter, honeyed flavor.

Next Round takes a regular look at new and recently released craft beers. If there's one on your radar, or if you have suggestions or questions, contact Mike Snider via e-mail. And follow Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.