What’s my wife’s favorite beer from the Grumpy Old Men Brewery in Blue Ridge, Georgia? I don’t know, let me aska. Here, wait. I’ll groan for you. OK, that joke only works if you know I’m sipping a glass of delicious Aska Pale Ale from Grumpy Old Men. It doesn’t even work then since my wife doesn’t drink, and if you’re wondering why she married me if she doesn’t drink beer, it’s because I drink enough of it for both of us. So there.
I recently visited Blue Ridge, Georgia, home of Grumpy Old Men, but sadly they are a very small operation and don’t have regular tours. I did get a beautiful Grumpy Old Men beer glass at one of the local gift shops, though, and visited the other two small breweries in Blue Ridge. It wasn’t long after my visit that Grumpy Old Men Aska Pale Ale showed up down at Stout’s Growlers. This is my second beer from Grumpy Old Men after tasting their Devil’s Den IPA at Taco Mac. Perhaps that officially makes me a GOMBie now……
There isn’t much information about the beer on the brewery website, but they do say that it has an alcohol content of 5.5% by volume. I am not sure where the name “aska” came from, perhaps the heavy metal band of the same name? I paid $10.75 for a 32-ounce growler at Stout’s.
Grumpy Old Men Aska Pale Ale pours to a brilliant orange color with a thick head of fluffy white foam and a vibrant lemony citrus nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a generous amount of caramel malt up front just right for a pale ale followed by zesty lemony hops that remind me of Sorachi Ace in their bright citrusy presence. The beer finishes with a gentle bitterness appropriate to the style.
All in all, a very nicely done pale ale with good balance, much flavor and high drinkability. The lemony hops just pop and I couldn’t stop drinking this one, friends. I loved it the more I sipped it.
I’ll be back for more for sure.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft