Hello and welcome back to the Eternal Hoptimists,
For those of a certain age the name ALF is probably best associated with a cute and cuddly alien that came to earth and lived with a human family in the 1980’s…..Not in real life of course but in a hit TV show. Anyway, enough retro TV nostalgia its time to look at this hazy pale from Marble Beers that shares its name with the aforementioned alien and was originally brewed as a collaboration with Amundsen.
1. Name: ALF Hazy Pale
2. Brewery: Marble Beers (Manchester)
3. Hops : Mosaic, Enigma & Sultana
4. Grain : Barley, Wheat & Oats
5. Aroma : Initial nose gives off instant tropical aromas with a pleasant stone fruit aroma cutting through.
6. Appearance : For a hazy pale this pours a straw colour with only a slight haze. Two finger fluffy white head that dissipates, leaving a tight head one finger head as the beer is drank.
7. Body : Light to medium body which is almost perfect for the style
8. Taste : As per the aroma the taste is of tropical and stone fruits helped along by the fine array of hops.
The description on the can says that ALF is contemporary pale ale. Estery yeast accentuates the stone fruit and tropical fruit character brought by a heavy dry-hop of Mosaic, Enigma and Sultana, whilst a protein-heavy grist gives a full, pillowy body. Who am I to argue with this as the description is pretty much spot on!
Even before reading the can notes, I instantly got the tropical and stone fruit aromas and flavours which along with the soft, light to medium body makes this a very drinkable beer indeed. Marble Beers have done a very fine job with this as it is absolutely packed with flavours that linger on the palate and bounce around the mouth making you crave more with each mouthful that is drank.
The dry hopping and yeast esters only add to the overall experience and at no point distract from the overall experience. I can imagine that in warmer months, this would be an incredibly quaffable and sessionable beer, but, as we are reviewing this in winter months does it make a difference? Absolutely not!
A very drinkable and highly sessionable beer that as an added bonus comes in the standard 500ml Mable Beers cans and comes approved by the Vegetarian Society…..Highly recommended.
Our overall rating: 3.8 / 5.0
The|Eternal|Hoptimitsts 