GOOD PEOPLE PALE ALE // AN AMAZING BEER

GOOD PEOPLE PALE ALE // AN AMAZING BEER

I had a lot of free time recently, being that I am basically off work for the entire week, so I decided to throw some meat on my smoker. I had a Boston Butt in the freezer, so I put that on around 9:30 this morning and waited. Toward the end, to celebrate a successful cook, I decided to pop open a cold one and enjoy my hard work. I decided to drink a Good People Pale Ale, which is by far my favorite beer currently made in Alabama, and has been for a while. A pale ale was not a great choice to pair with pork, but I went with it.
I enjoyed this one straight out of the can, but I know from previous experiences that this beer pours a hazy straw color with about two finger widths of off-white foam that creates some nice lacing on the glass. The aromas coming off here are really hop forward, specifically earthy hops; along with some citrus scents and some pine too. The citrus scents I always pick up are in the way of lemon and grapefruit, but I also know it’s packed with Citra hops. I love the way this beer smells; it’s one of the better smelling Good People beers offered. Some people think it smells more like an IPA, but personally, I think it smells exactly how American Pale Ales should smell; hoppy, earthy, and full of citrus.
My favorite aspect of this beer is the taste (shocker,) but really, the taste has so many different elements that make this an amazing beer. The taste really drifts away from the aroma, but takes a nice turn toward some different flavors. Up front, you get a lot of pine notes pair with some serious earthy hops, whereas the aroma had just a faint note of the pine quality. There is a nice malty backbone that really balances all of these qualities and brings the whole beer together with a full body flavor. You get some floral notes toward the end with a touch of some citrus flavors like the lemon I picked up in the nose. It finishes dry and leaves a nice piney aftertaste that almost requires you to take another sip, which can be attributed to the bread-like taste that you get midway through. The whole taste is so developed and the flavors come through really clear unlike a lot of pale ales that really lean toward the use of different spices like cardamom or coriander. I tend to prefer the more citrus centered beers, but that’s not to say that I don’t enjoy the flavors of spices used sometimes.
The mouthfeel is perfect for the style as usual with all Good People beers. They really know how to dial in that carbonation level and make sure it complements the flavors in the beer. There is a creaminess aspect of the beer toward the end that really rounds it out and makes it a little heavier, but that’s fine by me. The beer can settle on your tongue while you take it all in and allow it to develop. You can’t really pick up on the alcohol, but along with the dry finish, you do get a slight burn as the beer warms up.
Overall, this is a great beer, and it makes me really happy that it’s so readily available in Birmingham. I’m glad that this is one of the beers that Good People chose to produce, and I hope it continues to be canned year-round. The flavors are such a refreshing take on the American Pale Ale and really what I compare other beers to since having this for the first time. Like I said, this is one of my favorite beers, not only of beers made in Alabama, but one of my favorites ever. I drink it whenever it’s offered and so should you.