Pale Ale
Pirate Life Brewing

Pale AlePale Ale
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From:
Pirate Life Brewing
 
Australia
Style:
American Pale Ale
Ranked #238
ABV:
5.4%
Score:
90
Ranked #9,335
Avg:
4.08 | pDev: 9.31%
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
24
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 26, 2023
Added:
Jul 17, 2015
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  8
No description / notes.
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Ratings by dansmcd:
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Rated by dansmcd from Australia

3.65/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Jul 17, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3 by BrisLoganite from Australia

Dec 26, 2023
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Reviewed by AzfromOz from Australia

4.42/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Received as a birthday present in August 2022 and drunk a few days later, just shy of its best-by date.

Pours a burnt caramel, copper colour. It's probably not even a pale in comparison to the beers from 200 years ago, but that's just semantics! It has a centimetre-high head that fades by about the halfway mark, but leaves solid lacing down the glass.

The nose is dominated by dank, resinous, piney hops and sweet caramel. There's burnt sugar and dough. It screams American Pale Ale at me.

The taste is similar. There's a big bitter hop kick at the start and end. It's resinous and piney, with weed and maybe some ash. If the bitter hops are the percussion and lead guitar in this beer the caramel malt is the rhythm guitar underpinning everything and laying the perfect canvas for the hops to play to the crowd. It is extremely moreish, with a bitter and sweet but not too long finish and a nice retronasal bitterness at the back of everything.

The mouthfeel is perfect for the beer. The moderate carbonation combines with the sweetness to bring the beer to life in the mouth. Despite the carbonation, it is silky on the swallow and never taxing even after several serves of the beer.

Overall this is an excellent beer. I am perhaps a little biased in that this is my favourite style and an Aussie beer, but boy is it done well and it easily stands up to any pale ale I've had from the US and beyond.

Cheers!
Sep 07, 2022
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Reviewed by JonathanX from Massachusetts

3.79/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pirate Life Pale Ale has a pleasing light gold color and a refreshing hoppy, citrus aroma. The head was moderate, and the flavor was hoppy and faintly bready. Though not an IPA, this one tastes rather like one to me, and in my opinion, is nicer and more balanced as an IPA than the actual Pirate Life IPA.
Jun 29, 2019
 
Rated: 4.2 by hopnerd from Australia

Jan 03, 2019
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.74/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
355 ml can, from Vinmonopolet Haugesund. ABV is 5.4%. Clear amber colour, large to moderate white head. Pleasant aroma of fruity and piney hops. The flavour has a moderate malty sweetness, followed by piney and grapefruity hops. Resinous and medium bitter finish.
Sep 08, 2018
 
Rated: 4.21 by RMW66 from Australia

Jun 10, 2018
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Reviewed by jazzyjeff13 from England

3.99/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A 355ml can with no visible BB date. Purchased a while back from the Brewdog webshop. A (not very) pale ale hopped with Cascade and Mosaic.

A: Poured into a Duvel tulip. Can-conditioned. A deep, hazy marmalade-amber hue with tons of chunky suspended sediment and moderate carbonation. Yields a large head of creamy white foam that lasts for a few minutes before subsiding to a patchy surface layer. Slight lacing.

S: Aroma of intense resinous hops with hints of pine, weed, citrus peel, herbs, mild tropical fruit, leafiness, caramel malt, mild barley sugar and ale yeast. Incredibly hoppy - very nice.

T: Tastes of seriously aromatic hops with notes of pine resin, dank weed, grapefruit, citrus peel, mild tropical fruit, herbs/spice, caramel malt, barley sugar, ale yeast and faint earthiness. Somewhat sweet, followed by a robust hop-driven bitterness upon swallowing.

M: Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with light carbonation and great body. Pretty astringent; hop oils stimulate the palate. Aftertaste of bitter aromatic hops, pine resin, weed, citrus peel, herbs, caramel malt and ale yeast.

O: Fantastic hoppy beer! Looks alright, while the aroma and flavour are sublimely hoppy with a solid bitterness underpinned by sweet caramel malt. Lovely body. Goes down a treat. My only (trivial) complaint would be that it isn't particularly pale. If you love hops, add this to your must-try list.
Mar 30, 2018
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Reviewed by Reginald_Folklore from Viet Nam

4/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A beautiful hazy copper amber with large white head. Aromas of grapefruit, pine, mango, grass. Bang on. A bit sweet and caramelly, tropical fruits and citrus. Nice bitter finish. ...I'd go as far to say that this is the best Pale in Aus since Creatures.
Mar 08, 2018
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Reviewed by Everydayoff from Thailand

3.94/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
355ml can poured into a teku glass.

Hazy dark amber in color with lots of sediment, it tops with very thick fluffy off-white head that stays with great retention. The head just slowly dissipates to an everlasting foamy layer atop and leaves lots of lacing patch and spot.

In a nose, big citrus, tropical, pine, and slight orange spice, all from hop. Malt is bold to balance with notes of bread, and sweetness like a caramel.

The taste has good balance between hop and malt. Of course, hop is in the foreground providing its citrusy, piney, tropical, slight herbal, and some tea leaf bitter-like. Malt is in the background to support but it is not too sunken with obvious notes of caramel and bread.

The body is medium with quite smooth mouthfeel and lively carbonation. The feeling is crisp and so refreshing with a dry finish.

Still good offering from the Pirate Life even there is no major excitement or ground-breaking but standard Pale Ale easy to quench your thirst at any time.
Dec 01, 2017
 
Rated: 3.65 by pin from Australia

Jun 21, 2017
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Reviewed by kitch from Hong Kong

4.01/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
A 355ml can with a hard to read best before date, but I believe it says best before 22nd June 2017. Poured into a Mikkeller stemmed tasting glass.

Appearance: A slightly hazy copper amber colour with a big fluffy three finger off white head that dissipated fairly quickly, leaving some soapy lacing.

Aroma: Piney, citrusy grapefruit, caramel malt with a hint of tropical peach and mango.

Taste: Sweet caramel malt beginning with some tropical and stone fruits. Lightly bitter grapefruit and pine finish.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

Overall: This is solid! Very easy and enjoyable drinking for any time of day and year.
Dec 05, 2016
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Reviewed by doktorhops from Australia

4.17/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
After the abysmal Monteith’s Brewer's Series American Pale Ale that tastes NOTHING like an American Pale Ale, let alone a West Coast one (which is bizarrely what they were aiming for with barely any hop character... I know right!?). Anyway we can trust Pirate Life, those (no doubt) hirsute brewers from South Australia, to deliver the goods. The last brew I reviewed of theirs (their IIPA) was pretty freaking good, so I’ve got high expectations for this one: Bring it on you parrot-owning patch-wearing leg-missing beard-growing musket-firing rum-drinking Spanish-sinking scallywags, ARRGH!

Poured from a 355ml can into a nonic pint.

A: Hazed amber/caramel body with a fluffy off-white cappuccino foam 2 cm head that soon reduces to an odd layer of soap-like bubbles on top - whatever this brew is doing I can tell it’s going to be a real hop bomb, hot damn! 8/10.

S: A papaya tropical character mingles with floral and stone fruit notes - big on hops, excellent *rubs hands together* hint of juicy fruit chewing gum, and a caramel malt base that knows exactly what it should be doing (i.e. letting the hops be awesome). It actually reminds me of Green Beacon’s Windjammer IPA so far, which is a superlative brew. 9/10.

T: Flavours are a touch more restrained than Windjammer, but overall notes of tropical fruit/stone fruit/juicy fruit and cannabis resin character in the finish. All this leads into drying medium bitterness. Grapefruit aftertaste, not bad, not bad at all Pirate Life. Side by side Windjammer offers better flavours IMO, but this nonetheless a tasty Pale Ale. 8/10.

M: Medium bodied with a smooth, dense carbonation - right where you want it to be. 9/10.

D: A solid offing from Pirate Life, which complements their IIPA and proves them as a force to be reckoned with in the international craft brewing stakes, bravo Pirate Life! Any downsides? Well again, Green Beacon Windjammer if I had the luxury to choose over this Pale Ale (which I fortunately do living in glorious Queensland) is the brew I would go with - it’s tastier, and it has a better balance (more towards the sweeter side but I’ve been getting into sweeter East Coast Pale Ales lately anyway). Overall solid effort again Pirate Life. 8/10.

Food match: Thai? Vietnamese? Cambodian? Take your pick!
Jun 11, 2016
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Reviewed by Benjo87 from Australia

4.77/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Pours a dark cloudy Amber with a big thick and creamy looking white head

Smell - lots of tropical fruit, passionfruit and the like, also has a notable pine smell. Lots of hops. Smells like an IPA. Smells pretty darn amazing.

Taste - all I can say is that it's just perfectly balanced. I really can't fault the beer. It's highly enjoyable. The taste follows the smell perfectly. It tastes like a well made IPA on first taste, but no big bitter finish. Finished with the malt. Full bodied mouthfeel. A treat!
Mar 26, 2016
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Reviewed by Pintfinder from Australia

4.52/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours a deep Amber colour with cloud like Ivory head, great appearance.
Subtle stone fruit like scent.
Rich full flavour on the front, stone fruit flavours coming through in the mid palate. A big bitter finish.
One of the best Pales I've ever had, full flavoured, packs a serious punch!
Mar 25, 2016
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Reviewed by heygeebee from Australia

4.36/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Pours Amber, lovely head and lace.
Smell of stone fruit, Mayo, peach.
Taste is delicately restrained but full bodied. If that is not a contradiction. Lychee, peach, mango.
Mouthfeel moderately carbonated, smooth.
Sum is more than the parts... Great beer indeed.
Mar 11, 2016
 
Rated: 4.21 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

Mar 05, 2016
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Reviewed by Jason from Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
355ml can, sample from the brewery.

Lovely frothing, lacing show is great to watch sip after sip. Clear amber hue. Bright citrusy hop nose with bready undertones. Dry but lots of balance, citrus hopping with a bready palate. Ample hop bitterness, hint of alcohol and fruitiness from that. An amazing Australian Pale Ale.
Oct 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4.38 by jjdunce from Australia

Sep 10, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by DamienI from Washington

Sep 02, 2015
Pale Ale from Pirate Life Brewing
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 24 ratings