.394 Pale Ale

AleSmith Brewing Company — San Diego, CA

25 Sep 2018 · Stephen

Pale Ale AleSmith Brewing Company

6.0% ABV

26 IBU

Copper Color

Contributing Factors

Presentation ✓

Character ✓

Experience ✓

Return –

3 / 4 I'd recommend trying it

Tasting Notes

Appearance Golden, slightly hazy from the dry-hopping schedule — hop particulates giving it a warm, luminous glow rather than true clarity. A frothy white head with good retention and lacing. Looks exactly like a San Diego afternoon in a glass.

Aroma The intense dry-hopping delivers immediately — piney and citrusy as the brewery describes, with bright citrus and tropical fruit notes from the American hop bill. One BeerAdvocate reviewer picking up a can years later describes bright citrus and tropical fruit notes packed throughout. Clean and inviting, the kind of hop aroma that feels like California sunshine the moment you crack the can.

Palate Light-bodied and smooth — "light with a kick" is the brief Tony gave, and AleSmith nailed it. The citrus and tropical fruit carries through the middle alongside a piney hop quality, with the subdued bitterness at 26 IBU sitting comfortably behind the fruit rather than asserting itself. The balanced malt profile provides a biscuity sweetness on the back half that rounds everything out into something genuinely easy to drink inning after inning. Ultra-smooth drinkability, as the can copy promises.

Finish Medium-short, malty sweet, and clean. The biscuity malt sweetness resolves gently with the hop character fading behind it — a finish designed for drinkability throughout rather than lingering complexity. The subdued bitterness makes each sip as easy as the last.

The Verdict

Tony Gwynn wanted a beer light with a kick, full of hop character, easy to drink, worthy of San Diego. AleSmith delivered it in 2014, and he got to hear that it worked. Ten days. That's what .394 carries with it — a number that meant excellence, and a beer that became a tribute. Raise one for Mr. Padre.

— Stephen · Contributing Factor Brewing · 25 Sep 2018