143: Iowa Pale Ale

I used to get Millstream beers occasionally when I was in college, usually after I’d received a big check (all other times, I’d be drinking whatever was cheapest, usually Pig’s Eye or Leinenkugel by the case).

The Millstream brewery is located in the Amana Colonies, about a 40 minute drive from Iowa City, where I was going to school, along an old highway that I preferred to drive instead of the interstate. The Amanas are probably best-known as the home of some of Iowa’s German Amish communities, although Amana the town, where the brewery is located, has become a tourist destination, and isn’t much of a real Amish community anymore.

Because of the area’s German origins, most of the beers produced by Millstream when I attended school were German in nature … Bock, Oktoberfest, and assorted other lagers seasonally. So I was curious when I spotted this ale in the cooler at an Iowa grocery store. How would this brewery do with a top-fermenting yeast?

It was how you might imagine a lager brewer doing ale – pretty dry, clean, and clear. Still pretty good, although I think I gave them extra credit for the Grant Wood-inspired label (I did go to art school in Iowa, after all).

Beer Name: Iowa Pale Ale
Brewer: Millstream Brewing
Price: N/A
Sampled: May 23, 2010
Rating: 3/5
Notes: Tastes sweet and crisp – kind of like a fresh apple. A bit of a burnt, but slightly hoppy (very slightly hoppy) aftertaste. Good for cooking, I bet.
ABV: N/A
IBU: N/A
OG N/A
TG N/A
Serving Type: Bottle.