Shoals Pale Ale
Smuttynose Brewing Company

Shoals Pale AleShoals Pale Ale
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From:
Smuttynose Brewing Company
 
New Hampshire, United States
Style:
English Pale Ale
ABV:
5.6%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.83 | pDev: 10.97%
Reviews:
677
Ratings:
1,500
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 01, 2022
Added:
May 05, 1998
Wants:
  46
Gots:
  160
Our interpretation of a classic English beer style is copper-colored, medium-bodied and pleasantly hopped. Its flavor is delightfully complex: tangy fruit at the start, with an assertive hop crispness and a long malty palate that one well-known beer writer has compared to the flavor of freshly-baked bread.

52 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.5 by LAM01833 from Massachusetts

Aug 01, 2022
 
Rated: 3.71 by crazyspicychef from Pennsylvania

Feb 03, 2021
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Reviewed by JJKBeerLvr from Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a bottle into pint glass in Nov 2019. There is a drink before date of 12/2019 on the bottle.

Appearance: Dark amber color with huge tan head. Cloudy IPA, more than others. Head is very thick and there is alot of lacing.

Smell: Strong earthy aroma woth some hops. Some citrus as well. Overall the earthy aroma dominates the other aromas.

Taste: Sweet taste. There is some hops and citrus flavor but with some sweetness like a brown ale as well. This is not as bitter as most other IPAs. Has a nice after taste. Overall a nice balance and very drinkable.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied. Medium alcohol which matches the 5.6% listed.

This is a good IPA. It has some hops, and other flavors, which makes it interesting. I prefer their Finest Kind IPA which has more hop bite, but this is very drinkable and I would buy this again.
Nov 28, 2019
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Rated by CharliePerkins from New Hampshire

4.35/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
One of my favorites for decades -- but it's gone.
https://www.facebook.com/smuttynosebeer/photos/a.107294636880524/184475365829117/?type=3&theater
Jul 14, 2019
 
Rated: 3.99 by smb71481 from Vermont

Apr 22, 2019
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Reviewed by mothmanscott from Georgia

3.7/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
From notes 11/10/13: Pours an opaque amber but clears as the brew warms producing 2+ fingers of frothy, off-white, somewhat lasting head that leaves sheets and streaks of lacing. Aroma is caramel malt, honey/graham cracker, hints of citrus, grass, apple and onion. Taste is toast and caramel fronted backed by a hoppy bitterness that provides hints of citrus (particularly lemon), pine, grass and pineapple. It finishes finishes with some pepper, a prominent earthy floral hop note and a mineral hint that become the dominate characters of the lightly bitter aftertaste. Mouthfeel is light-medium bodied with medium-high carbonation, dry and lightly astringent in the aftertaste.
Dec 23, 2018
 
Rated: 3.96 by KMcGrath from Massachusetts

Nov 28, 2018
 
Rated: 3.96 by ScottyB515 from Ohio

Jul 24, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by NeckBootHeadAss from Virginia

Jun 29, 2018
 
Rated: 3.95 by redsoxjim from Massachusetts

Jun 24, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by pantz9 from Massachusetts

Apr 28, 2018
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Reviewed by l2t from Massachusetts

4.74/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
With all the IPAs on the market now, it's getting very hard to find a good pale ale. Shoal's Pale Ale is one of the few I can regularly go to when I want a medium-heavy brew with a nice body that doesn't taste like a packed a wad of hops between my cheek and gum. Don't get me wrong, I've been an IPA drinker for decades but it's gotten out of hand and much prefer a good Pale Ale now and Shoals Pale Ale is perhaps the best I've found.
Feb 25, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by ADKbeerguy from New York

Feb 04, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by Kurzman from Rhode Island

Sep 29, 2017
 
Rated: 3.94 by chrishiker1409 from New York

Apr 29, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by jebrew from Maine

Apr 22, 2017
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Reviewed by EmeraldMist from Maryland

4.68/5  rDev +22.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
Look - Pours a hazy light amber, fluffy light beige head, lots of lacing all over the glass.
Aroma - Grass, apple, yeast, brown sugar, earthy
Taste - Light fruitiness to start, sweet red apple, subtle citrus, herbal hops lend bitterness and give it a really nice earthy tea flavor, malts come in with slight toast, very light toffee and fresh biscuit. The finish is long with hints of sweet toasted tobacco and dry nutty yeast.
Feel - Medium bodied, not quite creamy, soft carbonation.

Overall - So balanced and so complex. It's not often that I compare beers to cigars, but like a good cigar this beer has loads of flavor, complexity and transitions but keeps the strength reasonable. World class beer for sure.
Apr 18, 2017
 
Rated: 3.5 by downquark from Germany

Feb 20, 2017
 
Rated: 3.88 by Mwt from New Hampshire

Feb 04, 2017
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Reviewed by edward_boumil from New York

3.86/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Really great Pale Ale. Malts are prominent here, toasty and very grainy. Love it. Hops give a very fresh and herbaceous aroma to the beer. Bitterness is light and the beer is very smooth and easy drinking. Full body yet easy drinking. Proper pale.
Jan 09, 2017
Shoals Pale Ale from Smuttynose Brewing Company
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 1500 ratings