Fat Yak Pale Ale
Matilda Bay Brewing Co.

Fat Yak Pale AleFat Yak Pale Ale
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From:
Matilda Bay Brewing Co.
 
Australia
Style:
American Pale Ale
Ranked #1,088
ABV:
4.7%
Score:
79
Ranked #26,524
Avg:
3.46 | pDev: 14.16%
Reviews:
53
Ratings:
146
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 30, 2023
Added:
Mar 06, 2009
Wants:
  7
Gots:
  31
Fat Yak first impresses with its golden colour, distinctive, hop driven, fruity and herbaceous aromas, giving characteristic passionfruit and melon notes, followed by a hit of hop flavour at the finish. The taste is refreshingly clean on the palate.

25 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by SmashPants:
Photo of SmashPants
Reviewed by SmashPants from Australia

3.52/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Format: a solid very dark brown 345mL bottle with a standard Matilda Bay label. Decent.

Appearance: pours out a copper-amber colour with a decent looking body. Plenty of fine carbonation visible with a finger of white head that drops to a thick half-finger. Looks pretty good.

Aroma: plenty of citrus hops here with some light caramel and biscuit malts. Predominantly citrus however.

Taste: once again the big citrus hops with a touch of floral and those caramels. Very refreshing.

Aftertaste: a touch of hops bitterness, a touch of caramel sweetness and a touch of floral. Decent.

Mouth feel: medium in feel with a medium carbonation that brings the profile characteristics forward quite well.

Overall: another good Australian take on the American Pale Ale. Well worth the having, particularly for AU$55 a case.
Dec 16, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 2.75 by BrisLoganite from Australia

Dec 30, 2023
Photo of Thebeerbrothers
Rated by Thebeerbrothers from Australia

3.07/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 5 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pleasant enough, little bit of hop flavour. No harshness, not complicated. Quite enjoyable.
Dec 22, 2021
Photo of Nath91
Reviewed by Nath91 from Australia

2.57/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
Fat Yak, along with Coopers Pale Ale, was one of my first beers that introduced, and seduced me into the world of Pale Ales - notably American Pale Ales. It was a really good beer, until Carlton & United bought out Matilda Bay, and then something happened. The beer stopped being as good as it initially was. Speculation was rife they had changed something in the brewing process to make it more appealing to your rusted on lager drinkers. Needless to say my lover for the beer diminished greatly. I think sales took a massive hit as well, because all of a sudden, it wasn't as easy to find this on tap at a pub, as newer breweries become more readily available.

I would like to think that the boffins at Carlton & United have learnt their lesson with not meddling with micro and craft breweries, as their acquisition of breweries like 4 Pines, and Balter have not diminished those products at all. So I saw a bottle of Fat Yak on special at my local bottle shop, and thought I'd give it a crack after many years of not drinking it.

Look: NIce copper appearance, thin egg shell head that's probably not going to stick around in an Ikea tumbler. Still looks like a decent pale ale.

Smell: Initially there's a rather strong unpleasant smell, like stagnant swamp water. Getting through it getting very sweet syrupy malt, dark stone fruit, but definitely a sickly sweetness. almost like fruit cordial or a fruit tea. The initial scent was nasty, but it mellows out nicely.

Taste: Quite sweet, with caramel notes, slight stone fruit taste of plum, some light orange peel. There's a light metallic bitterness at the back of the sip. But it's not very bitter.

Feel: Less carbonated than most lagers, but more than a English pump ale. It's fairly thin, so does have a refreshing element when served cold.

Overall: Disappointing. Used to be such a great beer, now is more an easy-drinking English style Amber Ale rather than an American Pale. Definitely not what it used to be when it first came on the market. Used to be much hoppier, more flavourful. it's not awful, aside from that initial weird smell, but with so many better Pale Ales from craft breweries on the market these days, its not a beer that I'm going to be drinking much of, unless it's free at a function or something.

#️⃣3️⃣4️⃣
Sep 07, 2021
 
Rated: 4.33 by Daneve76 from Australia

Jun 23, 2021
 
Rated: 3.28 by virinow from New York

Aug 12, 2018
Photo of shiu-chan
Reviewed by shiu-chan from Singapore

2.75/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
Both draft and from 330ml bottle, Clear Copper Amber with little carbonation, one finger head and no lacing.
Nose and Palate are both flat, lacks complexity given that Aussie takes pride making good craft beer.
Overall, I would choose other APA given a choice.
Feb 19, 2018
Photo of Beginner2
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois

2.98/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
Had on tap on the roof deck overlooking at Sydney Harbour at the Glenmore in The Rocks restaurant district.
(If you want a scene of singles mingling, this is the place. But if you are a serious taster of beer, go somewhere else.)

As for Fat Yak, I suppose it is an APA; but its handicapped by the Aussie tendency to drink beer too cold and bland.
I suppose Fat Yak looked average in the glass, but it was hard to get any distinctive Smells. If there are Tastes in there, I couldn't find them because of the cold. Feel did not linger, but that that was a good thing as my goal was to escape the mob scene. Can't blame the scene on the ale and I hope I don't. But, Fat Yak is not the makings of a culinary treat.
Jan 12, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by Mikexw from New York

Dec 12, 2017
 
Rated: 3.25 by kdown from California

Aug 28, 2017
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Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand

3.12/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Copper with soada like carbonation, topped with 3 fingers of off white head.

Smells of red tea, light fruity esters, and is slightly nutty.

Nutty, red tea, fruity esters, its much like an English style brew.

Light body, moderate carbonation and a dry, tannic finish.

Got in Australind, WA, drinking in Thailand, Aug 26th, 2017. Malt forward brew, that is light and uneventful.
Aug 26, 2017
 
Rated: 4.35 by Alfredogz99 from Mexico

Jul 10, 2017
 
Rated: 2.77 by GP79-AUS from Australia

Jul 08, 2017
 
Rated: 3.42 by BAsbill from California

Jul 06, 2017
 
Rated: 3.59 by Stockatron from Australia

Jun 29, 2017
 
Rated: 3.37 by DerekCarruth from Georgia

Apr 11, 2017
 
Rated: 3.85 by Jerseyislandbeer from Jersey

Apr 04, 2017
 
Rated: 3.25 by iftcoach from Germany

Mar 19, 2017
 
Rated: 3.58 by travelguy from Ohio

Mar 13, 2017
 
Rated: 3.43 by SkylerShores from Australia

Feb 10, 2017
Fat Yak Pale Ale from Matilda Bay Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 146 ratings