Dale's Pale Ale pairs well with sandwiches and North Fork weekends!

Packaged in an unassuming blue, red and silver can, Dale's Pale Ale makes a tasty, casual pairing with sandwiches and other laid back, weekend fare.  It pours out from the can a dark orange-amber color, with a fast-disappearing, lacy head.

The hops are smooth and gently bitter, lingering softly in the aftertaste.  It's mellow in a style that evokes a mild British bitters, rather than a more acridly hopped strong IPA. 

It's a versatile beer, and would pair well with the saltiness of a strong sharp and/or aged cheese, or the bite of a blue.  It was excellent, paired with the mild, creamy funk of a Point Reyes Blue.  Paired with a smoked mozzarella, it made the gentle cheese seem to disappear.

The North Road Deli

The best pairing for Dale's Ale, though, was a sandwich from the North Road Deli, on the North Fork of Long Island.  Known as Byrne's Deli, to North Fork locals, this family-run deli is always bustling. 

Their specialty sandwiches, like the Jockey Creek (smoked turkey, Muenster cheese, and Russian dressing nestled in a big, homemade hard roll) or the Horton's Point (turkey, Russian dressing, Muenster cheese, and bacon) make delicious foils for the mild bitterness of a can of Dale's.  It's the Russian dressing that makes it so good: sweet pickles that offset the bitter, smooth ale.

Another pairing that would work would be Long Island's own Blue Point Toasted Head lager.  But more on that, in a future post!