Beer Profile: Straight to Ale’s Dark Planet

Courtesy beerpulse.com

Profiled by Ken Carman for professorgoodales.net

Not enough scores to score on RB or BA. Not listed on their site, but found on a FB page run by them…

Here is what the brewery says about this beer…

“Dark Planet is a rich, earthy, English style ale that checks in at 9% ABV. Deceptively smooth and complex with hints of caramel, molasses, and dark fruit, a great beer for the fall season.”

Big light tan head that fades fast: little pillow, more bubble/big rock head. The srm is probably 18 or so, brown ale-ish. Good clarity with very nice highlights: deep ruby-ish/garnet.

The nose is carmelized sweetness with slight hopping noticed: so background hard to tell.

Firm bitter in both the taste and the mouthfeel, but to be honest this beer fails with balance. I get the caramel, molasses (very slight, not as much fruit: maybe hint of plum, but there’s a balance problem here.) The abv hits you hard and competes way too much with the rest. Harsh on the roof of the mouth, and the palate, and on the
way down. Not undrinkable by any means, but it simply ruins what would be an otherwise incredible experience. Keep the abv but even more sweet grain, more likely less hops. Cut down on bitter, combines with harsh abv in slight problematic ways. Medium body that hangs in the mouth after swallow.

“Smooth?” Uh: NO.

Note: English ale? Where do they get English ale from? Well, if the abv was less it might be more “English,” but I’d have to have it that way to be sure. English ales I’ve had have always been more about balance than this. The hops are, perhaps, Fuggles-ish. I get some “earthy,” but way in the background.

Personally I’d take this into Scottish Heavy territory because it doesn’t quite work. But they have one of those already. Another solution, maybe the best is bring it to 7abv. There are no higher alcohols I can sense here, but even when not “higher,” too much for balance is problematic.

Great brewery, and I hate to do it, but a three. Needs work, guys.

Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”