Bass Pale Ale
I had the fortune to go on a Princess Cruise a few weeks ago down the Pacific coast of Mexico and loved every minute of it. We called at three ports during the seven-day cruise: Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan & Cabo San Lucas. The ship was wonderful, it was the Sapphire Princess, our cabin excellent and the restaurants, food and service 5 star. Everything I could have hoped for on a holiday materialized. I would highly recommend it.
However, as a mirco-brewery beer drinker there was one thing I was bracing myself for, an offering of nothing but lousy, mass-produced, beer. Most holiday resorts opt for a beer selection that is usually aimed at the lowest common denominator in beer appreciation and Princess Cruises was no exception. Beers ( I use the word loosely) such as Budweiser, Coors, Dos Equis, Miller, Corona, Stella Artois, and Becks were the none too inspiring offerings that dominated the menu. I was sunk. But wait! There was one beer on the ‘menu” that could maybe float my boat and give me a glimmer of hope, Bass Pale Ale. I haven’t tried Bass in years and even though it is one of Britain most well know beers it wouldn’t be my natural choice at home, however, compared to what else was on offer I was literally excited at the prospect.
The bottled Bass Ale, on sale at $4.25 which was not too bad I thought, was called their “Pub Pour”. Apparently this is a process by which a small jet of nitrogen is added before filling the bottle thus creating a richer head similar to that of a pub pint. It’s a nice idea and it works. It poured beautifully giving it a nice creamy head. So far so good. The beer has a rich amber colour which looked great in the glass and has a well-balanced sweet, malty taste with hints caramel although the predominant flavour is the hops which appeals to me as I really enjoy IPA’s.
It’s a very smooth beer that went down easily (well what else do you do all day on a cruise?) and, believe it or not, made my weeks cruise more satisfying. It was plain sailing all the way!
You know, cruise lines like Princess should really consider the trend of increasing demand for quality beers and offer a more diverse and unique beer selection. I’m sure a lot of passengers would really appreciate it.
Thanks for reading.
Technorati Tags: Bass Pale Ale, Pale Ale, Princess Cruise Lines, Micro-Brewery, Quality Beer
