What happens when you combine snowboarding and beer? Euphoria. Well, that’s what happens when Ska Brewing and Venture Snowboards team up anyways. Ska brews the beer, Venture brands the beer, they throw a party and everyone has fun. Sounds like a perfect match to me.

The Euphoria Pale pours out a beautiful amber-red. Crystal clear but with a subpar head of foam. The aroma was a bit of a let down. I was bracing for that dank hit of hops, but it never came. Instead, this pale stays with its malty roots and hides its hoppy character behind a wall of grain.

The taste is a different story though. The hops definitely come through with a nice floral note that is sweet and fruity. Its interesting because generally a beer this hoppy is equally bitter. Not here. This thing almost tastes like a lite beer with its lack of bitter notes. It has a lingering passion fruit aftertaste that is really something.

Overall, it’s not what I expected and I’m glad. Too many pale ales seem to use the same recipe. Ska breaks from standard a bit here and ends up with something that ads a slight twist to the old classic. Pick one up, open it up, drink it down. What are you waiting for.