Sod Buster Pale Ale
Tractor Brewing Co.

Sod Buster Pale AleSod Buster Pale Ale
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From:
Tractor Brewing Co.
 
New Mexico, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.37 | pDev: 18.1%
Reviews:
17
Ratings:
23
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 19, 2018
Added:
Aug 30, 2006
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  2
45 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by stevoj:
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.16/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
On tap at brewery. Clear amber with creamy head. Light malt aroma, taste brings in some caramel, tingly hops bite at finish. Leaning more towards the English pale than the normal APA.
Jan 28, 2016
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.06 by festizio from California

Oct 19, 2018
Photo of NicoleHandS
Rated by NicoleHandS from New Mexico

3.74/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Light red cooper in color with a delicate Corny sweet aroma. Malty back with a lingering bitterness
May 31, 2016
Photo of martin11m34
Rated by martin11m34 from New Mexico

4.27/5  rDev +26.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Fruity aroma with hints of citrus from hops, malty body that curbs the hop bitterness.
May 31, 2016
Photo of sskyem
Reviewed by sskyem from New Mexico

4.69/5  rDev +39.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Floral nose. Golden color. Nice carbonation with slightly dry finish. Balanced to the hops as should be expected for the style yet a nice level of malt behind it.
May 31, 2016
Photo of holidayz9000
Reviewed by holidayz9000 from New Mexico

4.34/5  rDev +28.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
This is a wonderfully balanced moderate pale ale. At 37 IBU, its not too hoppy. It starts crisp and finishes smooth and malty. Super biscuity flavor which I love! Perfect daytime summer beer if you still want a bit of hops.
May 24, 2016
 
Rated: 3.58 by LXIXME from New Mexico

Apr 18, 2016
 
Rated: 3.25 by nickfl from Florida

Dec 24, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by Lovely85 from Florida

Dec 24, 2013
Photo of almychristopher
Reviewed by almychristopher from New York

3.13/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
this beer pours a hazy golden color with an off white head with decent retention. the nose presents a slight hop aroma then a bit of yeast esters. the taste is sweet at the begining with a bit of malt and a light pine hop at the finish... not all that great. the mouthfeel was decent, medium with adequate carbonation. not a beer I'd buy a sixpack of.
Nov 11, 2008
Photo of WesWes
Reviewed by WesWes from New York

2.8/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
The beer pours a hazy amber color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is average. It has a fruity pale and crystal malt scent along with a decent hop aroma. The taste is average as well. It has a bitter hope bite balanced with some crystal and pale malts. It's got some weird yeasty finish that I'm not too fond of. The mouthfeel is decent. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate/good carbonation. This is an average pale ale at best.
Oct 16, 2008
Photo of dsa7783
Reviewed by dsa7783 from New Jersey

3.06/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Single, twelve-ounce bottle just copped from The Palisade Liquor Store in Jersey City...
A hefty pour yielded a rustic, light-brown color with massive carbonation, a big, foamy head, and a nice deposit of lacing around the edge of the serving glass...
Aroma replete with hints of malts, apples, pears, and grains...
Taste strongly complemented the aroma, with a sweet, green apple finish, malty backbone, with hints of pears, nectarines, and slight caramel...
Overall, this was a crisp and refreshing depiction of the style, yet, for some reason, this tasted way too much liked spiked applejuice instead of a classic APA... Bottle claims this was brewed with Pacific Northwest hops including Cascade, Chinook, and Centennial...
Wouldn't recommend this...
Jul 27, 2008
Photo of RblWthACoz
Reviewed by RblWthACoz from Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours a fogged amber gold with a crème head. Nose is one dimensional and uneventful. Flavor carries much of the same with a grass tone and some citrus. Pretty earthy and robust, but a bit off balance and just a touch too much tang. Feel is decent on liquid and the carbonation is nice. Easy to drink, yes. A mass of character, no.
Jul 18, 2008
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.21/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
An unusual citrussy odd aroma and a muddled taste of tangerine and orange and some grapefruit. And an orangey colour to that effect. Not unpleasant but not what you expect. But a good bitterness with a tad sourness in the finish, with a tad of cream. Drinkable and.
Mar 30, 2008
Photo of mistermonkey
Reviewed by mistermonkey from Georgia

2.23/5  rDev -33.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Had on-tap at ABQ airport. slightly hazy, very light copper tint. Very scant head, with an inoffensive nose. Thin on taste, with a slightly metallic sourness. Lace was almost non-exsistent. I could barely finish this one as it came in a 20oz mixing glass.
Feb 20, 2008
Photo of sulldaddy
Reviewed by sulldaddy from Connecticut

2.79/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Cellar temp bottle poured into a snifter. The beer pours a clear chestnut hue with fizzy off white minimal surface layer of head. The head does stick around throughout sampling. Aroma is floral hops from a distance but gets kinda pungent and old grassy and herbal with deep sniffs. First sip reveals ave to lite body with fine fizzy carbonation. Flavor is very mild but exudes a bit of toffee that rolls to some astringent bitey hops. not over the top hoppy with some doughy yeast and slightly drying on the finish. A fairly mild and overall ok beer. Not something I would quest for but certainly not a drain pour either.
Sep 18, 2007
Photo of John_M
Reviewed by John_M from Washington

2.43/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
This pale ale reminds me of some of the less successful pale ales I tried in the early 90's, back when a lot of microbreweries were just getting started and were tinkering with their recipes.

Had this on tap at the Albuquerque airport. This is the second beer I've had from Tractor Brewing (both at the airport); neither were impressive. I couldn't finish either one of them.

The beer pours an attractive light peach/orange flavor, with fair head retention and OK lacing. Alas, this was to be the beer's best feature. I don't get too much on the nose; mostly just sweet maltiness. On the palate.... sigh... this beer is very sweet and malty, with minimal discernable hop presence. The beer is so sweet that it's really pretty hard to drink, and there's somethig off in the finish as well. There is a harsh bitterness in the finish, and it's not the sort of thing I associate with hops. The beer is light to medium bodied, but the excessive sweetness and other off flavors ultimately made it impossible for me to finish this beer.

I don't make it out to New Mexico all that often, so it would be nice to stay with something local while there. However, this is the last time I will get anything from Tractor Brewing. Enough is enough.
Sep 17, 2007
Photo of riversider76
Reviewed by riversider76 from New York

3.56/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a cloudy golden. Fluffy white head,that lasted a long time,with nice lacing. Aroma is of sweet malts,and earthy hops.Nice,but on the weak side. Body is medium,with carbionation. Taste is sweet,but with a tart fruit edge. nice bit of hops in the finish. Worth a try for sure.
Sep 09, 2007
Photo of NJpadreFan
Reviewed by NJpadreFan from New Jersey

2.85/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Tractor- Sod Buster Pale Ale

Appearance- Light golden brown with no head.
Smell- A quick burst of vegetables? followed by a light caramel malt and weak cascade hop presence.
Taste- Light oily hop with a decent malt backbone.
Mouthfeel- Light dryness and the hop's weren't bitter enough.

Overall- A mediocre, at best Pale Ale. Again another dummied down beer from Tractor. I could polish off a 6er of this and then start drinking.
Jun 04, 2007
Photo of plaid75
Reviewed by plaid75 from New York

3/5  rDev -11%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Poured a clear copper hue with very little head. Obviously no retention and poor lacing.

The smell featured a lightly sweet grainy malt with some spotty aroma hop.

The taste consisted of a sweet caramel malt accented with a bitter green apple hop element.

The mouthfeel was average with a bit of an astringent finish.

Overall a subpar and uneventful APA.
Feb 03, 2007
Sod Buster Pale Ale from Tractor Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 23 ratings