I must admit I’d fallen a little out of love with pale ale. Since the sell out of 4 Pines, whose pale ale was once my standard ‘by the case beer’, the style has been largely absent from my fridge. Add to that the few versions I’ve had recently haven’t been all that good, full of clumsy malt and inadequate balancing hops. As a result I’d neglected the Modus Operandi Pale Ale sitting in the back of the fridge for too long and it was pushing its best before. Of course it was still a cracker. I shouldn’t have expected anything less from MO. I’ll have to make sure there’s always a few cans sitting in the fridge, ready to be drink nice and fresh.

Can. Pours a deep gold, with a dirty white head and spotted lacing. Earthy hop aromas, along with pine, grapefruit and orange marmalade. Hop forward, but not dominant. Displays of pine, burnt citrus and earth provide flavour and moderate to firm bitterness. They integrate well into the structure providing caramel malt middle however maintain their presence and a perfectly balanced beer.

3.9/5. Trent

Appearance 4/5

Aroma 7/10

Flavour 9/10

Palate 4/5

Overall 15/20