Caldera Pale Ale
Caldera Brewing Company

Caldera Pale AleCaldera Pale Ale
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From:
Caldera Brewing Company
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.8 | pDev: 10.53%
Reviews:
219
Ratings:
449
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 30, 2020
Added:
Aug 22, 2005
Wants:
  14
Gots:
  29
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Boone757:
Photo of Boone757
Rated by Boone757 from Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

Dec 24, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of TheBricenator
Reviewed by TheBricenator from Oregon

3.94/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Look: Clear burnt orange with a nice forming white head that slowly recedes, leaving behind great lacing
Aroma: Grapefruit rind, herbaceous hop notes, lemon, coniferous plants, and some bready malt buried deep down
Taste: Follows nose but totally a citrus fruit and pine/conifer bomb through and through. Decently balanced with some malt sweetness but it stays far enough in the background that this tastes as if it’s in IPA territory
Mouthfeel: Fairly full, medium-high carbonation, and a good hop bite and dryness on the finish
Overall: This is awesome and exactly like I remember. Like Oskar Blues’ Dale’s Pale Ale, this beer was the first beer I had that was an IPA masquerading as a ‘pale ale’ and it hasn’t changed a bit, which is a good thing. Old school citrus/conifer dominated hops with a decent malt base along with dryness and a bite. Delicious
Nov 30, 2020
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
solid west coast pale here, pretty well in line with other hoppy beers i have had from these guys in that its got some nice malt support but the hops really pop. not sure i caught this one at its absolute peak of freshness, and i would like to next time, but its still nice beer, sturdy enough for colder nights but drinkable at the same time. the hops in here have a lot of citrus to them, but taste a little bit generic to me, maybe thats the less than perfect freshness, but its not unique, much as i like whats going on here, soft lemon and orange zest on top of a baked sort of grain thing, not sweet but somewhat hearty anyway, almost healthful or something, a biscuit and honey vibe. not much fermentation profile to this, middle of the road bitterness, a little hop oil texture giving it some richness, and a lightly floral element to the hops with the citrus fruit as well. its got great balance, high carbonation and a relatively clean swallow, if it were at its freshest, im sure i would be quite impressed. just a touch old school, which i like these days, and drinkable for how flavorful it is. solid as usual from these guys, but maybe a tad generic as pale ale goes...
Nov 30, 2019
 
Rated: 3.84 by corywalston from North Dakota

Jul 07, 2018
Photo of Lingenbrau
Reviewed by Lingenbrau from Oregon

3.63/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Caldera's Pale Ale's appearance is picture perfect. This shouldn't even be an argument. It's polished copper kissed golden body is crystal clear with tiny bubbles streaming upwards to support a foamy and rocky almost bone white head. It's staying power is impressive, as is its layer upon layer of lacing rings.

An overall sweet balance of citrus fruits are met with just a touch of pine. Almost Chardonnay like, a white grape and even buttery aroma takes the back seat.

Unfortunately, this buttery character is well represented in the flavor, as it distracts from the orange, melon, grapefruit, and white grapes. Sappy pine needles come in at the end, but fail to turn this ship around.

It is surprisingly more on the bitter side, and really doesn't showcase much of the sweetness when it comes to feel. Any notion of that sweetness is cut off dramatically by a very dry and highly carbonated finish.

This is a classic example of "You can't judge a book by it's cover.". It's flawless appearance is about the only great thing going for this, but I will say it is still relatively easy to drink. Cheers.
Jun 12, 2018
 
Rated: 3.87 by 6thstreetbrewpub from District of Columbia

Jul 05, 2017
Photo of D1noB
Reviewed by D1noB from Oklahoma

2.78/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
A malt and grain backbone that has a controlling dryness.

Taste Rating in Words: It's Gatorade on a hot day, keeps you thirsty while just slightly hydrating you.
Jul 04, 2017
 
Rated: 4.06 by QuakeAttack from California

Jun 07, 2017
 
Rated: 3 by NonicPanic from Pennsylvania

Apr 26, 2017
 
Rated: 4.01 by TheOakKing from New York

Mar 16, 2017
Photo of unlikelyspiderperson
Reviewed by unlikelyspiderperson from California

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Look is a deep amber, clear, clean head with decent retention and a bit of lacing.
Smell is hard for me to determine because my nose is all stuffed up today. Giving it a 4 semi randomly.
Taste is very clean. Light malty sweetness that is complimented by a crisp, grassy, hop bitterness. Definitely a pacific northwest brew, the hop notes are clear and strong but the style is respected and the beer is very mild and drinkable.
Feel is very thin. Moves over the tongue quickly and doesn't have a lot of presence on the palette. Definitely a beer that could appeal to a wide audience and one that would be easy to appreciate on a hot day.
Overall a clean and drinkable pale ale from the PNW tradition. It would definitely meet most people's expectation of beer. Nothing to exciting but a pleasant quaff none the less.
Feb 23, 2017
Photo of teromous
Reviewed by teromous from Virginia

3.63/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
There is a "canned on" date on the bottom of the can but it is smudged out to the point where it is missing.

Appearance: Big white head right from the get-go. The body is a medium golden brown color that is very murky. It's hard to even see a shadow through the haze. Good lacing.

Aroma: It has a fairly strong lemon aroma.

Taste: It has a bit of a lemon zest flavor with just a light bit of cedar and a touch of alcohol.

Mouthfeel: It has a very good mouthfeel. It is nice and dry with good bitterness and a great fluffy head that adds a bit of softness on the surface of the beer.

Overall: It is a good tasty pale ale. I would recommend it and I would drink it again when I'm looking for a good lemon zest aroma and flavor.
Feb 21, 2017
 
Rated: 3 by duvel1979 from District of Columbia

Feb 09, 2017
Photo of fizzician
Rated by fizzician from Illinois

4.37/5  rDev +15%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Golden amber color. Faint, pleasant fruity aroma. Tasty, with nice apricot flavors and prominent hops, with some maltiness to balance things out.
Jan 02, 2017
Photo of TheWolf
Reviewed by TheWolf from Delaware

3.68/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Not bad. Decent aroma and flavor. Oily in the mouthfeel. Honey like color. Slight haze. A honey like sweetness to the malt. Low bitterness to the hop. Drinkable.
Dec 28, 2016
 
Rated: 4.03 by RBorsato from Virginia

Dec 13, 2016
 
Rated: 4.1 by shoretaxi from New Jersey

Nov 29, 2016
Photo of NeilSilber1
Rated by NeilSilber1 from California

4.3/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4
Beautiful bit drinks like a IPA, quite hoppy for a pale ale.
Sep 23, 2016
Photo of jeffjeff1
Reviewed by jeffjeff1 from California

3.94/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A- clear honey color, thick head that leaves wonderful lacing and dissipates in a decent amount of time
S- sweet malt, citrus hops
T- malt, citrus hops, nice balance
M- medium bodied
D- I thought it was really good. Nice balance and nice flavor
Sep 12, 2016
 
Rated: 3.47 by SouthCrescent from Pennsylvania

Aug 22, 2016
Caldera Pale Ale from Caldera Brewing Company
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 449 ratings