Pinstripe Red Ale

Well, Pinstripe Red Ale (5.15% ABV) is kind of red…maybe more like a deep orange, but that’s pushing it.  The white head of this English-style bitter recedes quickly to a splotchy, inconsistent film, but the lacing is admirable.  Pinstripe is crystal clear with little visible carbonation and its good, clean bouquet is malty and sweet with the faintest of floral hops notes.  Pinstripe is more bitter and dry than you’d imagine from what you perceive in the bouquet, and it’s a long-lasting bitterness at that.  The flavor has a kind of non-descript sweetness, possibly like a sweet dough.  As is the case with Ska Brewing Company (Durango, CO) beers, the label is cheesy, Pinstripe Red Ale‘s looking like an illustration for a 1980s Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual.  I’m not a big fan of Pinstripe, but I wouldn’t refuse one if offered to me.  I might not finish it though.  Stinking wasteful American I am.  Too bitter?  Maybe.  Uninspiring?  Definitely.