Common Ales: Rainier Mountain Pale Ale

So…Rainier did a pale ale. I have thrown myself upon that sword in order to tell you about it.

The Rainier Mountain Ale: nose is sweet, more malt oriented. There’s also a hint of that lager funk that disappears quickly. However, the flavor is…weird. There’s a bitterness on the finish that rises up after a few sips but I’m not getting something to counterbalance it. The midrange is a bit invisible; there just isn’t much there to set this beer up for something good. What is in the midrange: a little bit of banana.

I can’t go for that. Rainier lager I can recommend: it is what it says. This? I feel like it’s a confused statement and it leads me nowhere. Words mean things and pale ales should be hoppy. Somewhere. Somehow.

This isn’t it.