Mismatch Brewing Co Pale Ale

There's been a move in recent years to strip out as much of the malt character in pale ales as possible, leaving the pale gold beers as pure hop delivery systems: all the fruit, some bitterness, and nothing else to get in the way. It makes pouring a glass of Mismatch's Pale something of a change – a throwback, perhaps – to when brewers here were first mimicking their peers from across the Pacific and looking to create Sierra Nevada (or Little Creatures) inspired pales.

Here, they've used Crystal malt from the UK in combination with local malts to lay down a base of distinctive caramel and biscuit flavours before adding Mosaic and Blanc hops to adorn the beer with pine, ripe pineapple and an earthiness, plus a bitterness that's very present but doesn't overstay its welcome.