I've seen this quite often in stores and have been rather intrigued by it, purely for the name. I went to Albion College (MI), so seeing this in stores provoked some kind of vague fond reminiscence of my college days. It's funny how my college life has followed me to Columbus... a couple of former roommates moved here (although each of our lives have diverged), my child's pediatrician was in my graduating class (Dr. Shari Burns; she's awesome if you have little ones), and one of my dear friends here in town has been doing the brand identity for my alma mater. And now I find this in my local Kroger. I've always said that Columbus is the biggest small town anywhere, as it is 1 1/2 degrees of separation, at most. Will this be the beer to prove my theory?
New Albion Brewing is regarded as the first American craft brewery of the modern era, founded in 1976 and dissolved in 1982. Somewhere since then, Boston Beer Company (you probably know them better as Sam Adams) bought the rights and started brewing and widely distributing New Albion Ale in January 2013. I'm excited to see how it tastes.
It pours a very light orange color with an off-white head, semi-cloudy in the glass with some chill haze. The nose yields some citrusy, pineapple-y hop aromas and mild malt presence. Those are barely noticeable when you actually taste it. It's a very mild beer, highly carbonated, with an extraordinarily clean finish. I don't find it to be remotely offensive. It's a solid American pale ale, fairly safe for Sam Adams to produce, yet it does evoke the recent revival in American craft beer. This may quickly become a staple in my fridge.
And your trivia for the night: Albion means "England" in Old English. The language, not that crap malt liquor that still makes me retch a little in my mouth when I just think about it.
4.2/5 caps. Bonus points for the name.
-Jennie
I get more piney out of the hops in the nose. The taste is mild, as Jennie stated, but yet drinkable. The finish is clean and smooth, almost finishing like a lager. Not a bad selection and seriously makes me rethink what I previously thought of Boston Beer's selections.
4.1/5 caps
-Nathan-
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