#8 - Durham Brewery - Pale Ice

Pale Ice in an American Pale Ale clearly designed as a session beer and weighing in at 3.9%.  The Columbus hops create a powerful flavor and for those of you who are not big fans of the citrusy-hoppy types, you had best stay away.  I've had this in two different pubs with differing results.  The first time I tried the pint, I found it bitter to the point of unpleasantness.  My second try yielded drastically different results, and to be perfectly honest, was quickly followed by a third, fourth, and fifth try.  The difference between the two pubs tends to be cellar and glass temperature, with the second pub markedly cooler.  Most if not all of the American beers that employ this style are designed to be drunk ice cold and to my mind Pale Ice is at its best under similar circumstances.  If you're drinking it from a bottle, pop your glass in the freezer for half an hour, if you find it on tap, hope they have a cold cellar!  All in all, based on the second tasting, it gets a 7/10 and should be a firm favorite if well chilled and served on a warm summers' day.