One day at the brewery, we decided to play the old "let's see how much flavor we can pack into a low alcohol beer" game.  What, you don't play that game at home?  Well it's not a new one–the English have been playing for years–but somehow it's been slow to hop the pond.

Anyhow, the winning recipe was a beautiful malt forward pale ale, clocking in at only 4%.  It's American through and through–from the yeast to the malts to the hops–yet the panoply of rich caramel malts evoke the beers of the Britons.  The Anglo-American alliance has never tasted so good.

BOB is named for the blue orchard bee–also known as a mason bee as he fortifies his nest with mud–which is a native of the Pacific northwest.  He spends his time patrolling the orchards that produce our state's iconic apples, pears, and cherries.