6

33cl can. A clear yellow golden beer with a white head. Aroma of mild citrusy hops, flowers, pale malt. Taste of pale malt, straw, flowers, hay.

7.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Can as gift. Light hazed golden colour with a thin white head. Aroma and taste are pine and slight fruity. Medium resinous body.

6

Gekregen van Rick Z.

7.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

American style pale ale (APA) apparently replacing an earlier version, by a client brewery north of Oxford referring to itself as the "Original Stormtrooper". Not sure what George Lucas thinks of this, but since I am crazy about all things Star Wars: thanks Craftmember for the can, and may the Force be with this beer. Very thick, frothy, pillowy, beaten egg-white, intricately plaster-lacing, stable head on a moderately hazed 'honey blonde' beer with peachy tinge and lots of vivid sparkling rushing upwards, sustaining the head. Aroma of yellow grapefruit, lime zest, drying orange peel, spruce tips, wet toast, old bits of toasted onion from a jug hidden deep inside my cupboard and equally old and dusty lemon peel flakes from a jar, old dried ginger powder, rusk, fried sesame seeds, old frying oil, parsley, dried lemongrass, hints of brown soap, dust, gasoline. Crisp, dryish onset, some grapefruit and apple peel but low in fruitiness, 'clear' and zingy minerality from medium level carbonation but also rather metallic; slick, smooth, oily body, toasted-bitterish peanutty and cracker-like maltiness, with a drying character especially when the hops set in, making for a long, bitter, grapefruity, spicy, rooty finish, even to the point where 'West Coast IPA' springs to mind rather than just 'old school APA'. The hops add dried grapefruit peel, parsley and pine resin aspects, a touch of toasted onion perhaps, and lots of pepperiness, but the citric aspect (in a citrus peel rather than citrus flesh kind of way) maintains dominance. Like the often worn-out armor of the original (classic trilogy) Stormtroopers themselves, this APA feels very old school, in a most charming way; as stated, it carries enough grapefruity and piney hop bitterness to qualify as an old-fashioned American IPA, from a time when NEIPA was not even born yet - but this in itself is no issue to me at all, as even the pioneering Sierra Nevada version, upon which most later APAs are more or less modelled, has a comparable amount of sheer bitterness. These guys clearly now what they are doing, even if it is in someone else's kettles; apart from the Star Wars nostalgia which will always warm my heart, this is a very drinkable, entertaining and correctly made, if very old-fashioned APA, which (along with black IPA, West Coast IPA and others) seems to be one of those styles enjoying a second youth now that craft brewing Europe has turned its attention to U.S. styles and some of its brewers seem to chronologically lag behind on the pastry and hazy sweets that are taking over the craft beer world from within America. I love this kind of bold, no-nonsense 'old-fashionedness' and certainly enjoyed this Galactic Pale Ale so have a decent score for that.

6.9

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

330ml can from School of Animals, Kuala Lumpur. Poured a hazy golden colour with a mostly lasting frothy white head. The aroma is grainy malt, tropical citrus fruits. The flavour is moderate bitter and sweet, with a super fresh, crisp, juicy orange, mango, light dry pepper spice, hop bitter palate and a lingering bitter finish. Medium bodied with average carbonation.

7

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Pours unclear, slightly darker blonde. Small white head. Scent is fresh, malty, crisp. Mild citrus. Bit piney, ezrhty jopnote ( like target but less pronounced than I'm used to with that). Taste is full bitterness, mild malty base ( cornflakes, milder bready). Fairly sharp, medium thin body, medium Carbo. Ok.

6.3

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

33cl can from B&M. Thanks to JMGreenUK for pointing out there's a 2nd version. Thin white head. Slightly hazy golden pour. Light bitterness.