Curve Ball, Pyramid Breweries

The curve ball.  The spin bowl.  Whatever you call it in whichever form of bat-to-ball sport you play, it is the tricky secret weapon you either delight in or dread depending on what end of it you find yourself.  It is also a big part of the culture and lore of the game.  These mischievous deliveries tap into our seemingly universal propensity to fancy ourselves as the underdog.  We dream about utilizing our brain to triumph over the brawn of some Goliath out to destroy us.  Pyramid Breweries’ Curve Ball blonde ale embraces this imagery in its name.  The question is if this is a brew to be enjoyed or dreaded.  I guess it depends on whether we’re pitching/bowling or batting.

I guess it's a dirty blonde.

This beer’s slightly darker hue combines with a mild cloudiness to take any definition off the edges of objects you’re viewing through the glass.  I almost imagine it as a liquified version of the sandlot or dusty pitch.  A bready nose carries with it faint citrus flavors that come out more on the tongue.  The wheat presence in this beer is a nice touch, producing a soft mouthfeel that’s kind of like eating fluffy pillows or cumulus clouds.  Actually, water vapor and down feathers aren’t particularly tasty.  I’ll go with Japanese tofu instead.  Drinking this beer is like eating Japanese tofu... except made of barley and wheat... and it has alcohol... and you drink it... and it tastes like beer.  Right.

Curve Ball doesn’t surprize you or confuse your expectations, so you’re not on the receiving end of the throw.  Maybe it’s the feeling you have after fooling the batsman/batter and slipping the ball right past him.  As the Umpire yells “steeerike!” or the wicket flies into pieces, you feel like the cool cat on the field.  Smooth.  Skilled.  You have nothing left to prove, so there’s no point in drinking a hop bomb or pounding a wee heavy.  This blonde from Pyramid is what you drink when you’re secure in your masculinity but don’t feel like having a wine cooler.

I don't drink wine c...
Fuzzy Navel?  (glance left,
glance right, lean in)
I'll have one.