Beer 379 - Independence Pale Ale (3.5 stars out of 5)

Brewed and bottled by Independence Brewing Co, Austin, TX.  Bought at HEB, Fry Road, Katy, TX and drink at home in Katy, TX while preparing dinner of pork chops with mushroom and onion sauce, cauliflower and green beans with cheese sauce and fresh tomato.  Very nice.

Web site: http://www.independencebrewing.com/beer/indy_pale.html

The web site says “PALE ALE STATS:
Style: American Pale Ale
Alcohol by volume: 5.5%
Beginning gravity: 13.5º Plato
Ending gravity: 2.5° Plato
Bitterness units: 44
Yeast: American Ale yeast
Bittering hops: Horizon
Finishing hops: Cascade, Saaz
Malts: Two-Row Pale, 20° Carame

Bright, bold, and hoppy...Independence Pale Ale is a true Texas Pale Ale. Brewed with the finest two-row barley and Pacific Northwest hops, and then dry-hopped with generous quantities of Cascade and Saaz hops, Independence Pale Ale has a distinctive citrus aroma and clean, hoppy finish.”

Inspired by the unlikely heroes of Texas who had the courage, tenacity and self-reliance to go into the wild in search of something better. Independence Pale Ale is a tribute to unlikely heroes - ordinary men and women who were willing to take a stand. It's for the battle cry of Gonzales, "Come and take it!" It's for Angelina Eberly, the inn keeper who saved Austin with a single cannon shot.

Raise your glass to Independence - a beer as free as Texas!”

I am almost tempted to give this beer 4 stars.  It was pleasant and tasty and a good example of a pale ale without being over hoppy, I enjoyed the taste and need to try this one again.

The drinkers at RateBeer.com were not overly impressed. (http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/independence-brewing-independence-pale-ale/19961/)  Their 69 reviewers gave the beer a score of 2.89 which puts it in the 39^th percentile overall, but only in the 21^st percentile for its style of American Pale Ale.

The 57 reviewers at BeerAdvocate.com were a little kinder.  (http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10284/20370) They gave the beer a score of 3.66 which rates it as B = good.