Loomis Basin Brewing Company’s Swetzer Pale Ale grabs your attention right out of the bottle with its beautiful caramel color, effervescent body, and hoppy aroma. That’s the good news.
The lack of a head will strike some as good and others as bad depending on individual tastes. Me, I like a nice, creamy head on my beer and at least a little lace clinging to the glass so that by the time I’m empty I feel like I’ve accomplished something. I’m not sure how such a lively beer manages to be completely devoid of a head, but the folks at Loomis Basin have managed it.
Now for the taste: Citrus is there, as are malt and hops. There’s a strange note in Swetzer Pale Ale, too: something earthy, almost like boiled peanuts. It’s not an offensive flavor, nor is it welcome. It just sort of…is.
The aftertaste does nothing to develop the flavor profile. This beer simply lingers on the tongue a bit bitterly, waiting for you to dive in again and make some sense of it.
Swetzer Pale Ale isn’t a bad beer, nor does it distinguish itself in any category. You won’t feel cheated, but in today’s craft beer world you can do much better for your pint dollar.
Brewery: Loomis Basin Brewing Company?
?City: Loomis, California?
Style: American Pale Ale??
ABV: 4.8%??
Availability: Year Round