Belt's Beer Garden: NSD celebration

Wednesday was National Signing Day and teams like NIU, WMU, Ohio, and Miami did better than normal. In honor of that, I decided I'd do some recruiting of my own. This week I've got two signees from opposite sides of the country.

My first recruit hails from New York and is out of Sixpoint Brewery.

Sixpoint Brewery comes to us from Brooklyn, New York. They've been around since 2004 and do some really cool stuff for charity like "Beer for Beasts" which partners with the Human Society of New York and the Cupid's Undie Run which raises money for the Children's Tumor Foundation. To see if Sixpoint is available near you, they have a handy beer finder on their website, which you can get to here.

Bengali pours creamy copper color and is speckled with carbonation throughout. Only a thin layer of head tops the beer though. There is a nice hoppy aroma to it. You can smell a nice balance of citrus and pine, with the citrus taking the slight lead. At first sip, the citrus hits your tongue for a flash then fades into a malty-caramel finish. The more you drink, the less caramel there is. By the middle of the glass, you taste more of the citrus and pine, but it is still really well balanced. At 69 IBU it does have a bite of bitterness to it, but nothing severe.

Bengali breaks in at 6.5% ABV, so it's a middleweight when it comes to ABV, not too strong or too light. The price is better than a middleweight. It's definitely a great price at just $1.99 for a 12 ounce can (or $3.49 for a 24 ounce can). Overall, Bengali is a solid IPA, nothing too special, but worth a try. I give it a 7.5.

Next, I signed, er drank, a recruit from Colorado - Dale's Pale Ale from Oskar Blues.

Oskar Blues started a decade ago in Longmont, Colorado. They are a small brewery that has made a big impact on the craft beer world. They were the first to can a craft beer, with the beer I'm about to try - Dale's Pale Ale. Over the last ten years, they have grown significantly and have opened a second location all the way across the country - in Brevard, North Carolina. To see if you can find them near you, check out their beer finder here.

Dale's Pale Ale pours cloudy copper color with about a finger of head lining the top of the beer. It has a subtle smell to it, more piney than anything, but nothing really overwhelms your nose. When you first drink Dale's the pine hits your tongue first, but again, it's not overpowering. Then you get a hint of citrus towards the end, but not a very strong taste by any means. It's a rather sweet beer and not very dry at all. The malts are there, but hops are barely present...until then end. And by the time the hoppy bitterness shows up, the beer's half gone and you just want to drink more of it anyway. They say it's IBU is up there - at 65 - but it does really well to hide those bitter notes.

Despite the lack of hops (for my taste), Dale's Pale Ale is still a rather enjoyable beer. It's no wonder it has won awards and put Oskar Blues on the map. And at 6.5% ABV, it's no slouch. And at $10.99 for a six-pack, the cost is definitely worth it...if you can get it. Overall, this is the second time I've ever had Dale's. The first didn't leave a very good impression on me, but this second tasting has changed my mind. And if you've tried it and didn't like it, I recommend you give it a second chance too. I give it an eight.