Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Pale Ale (Organic) | Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)

3/5  rDev -21.7%

4/5  rDev +4.4%

Poured from the 550 ml bottle into a shaker pint glass. In addition to the typically cool old timey label with Yorkshire rose is a "USDA Organic" sticker. I got a mild gusher upon opening. An easy pour produces about a one inch head that proves fairly sticky. The beer is a slightly hazy ruddy pale brown with rather high carbonation.

Subtle floral and tea-like hop aroma-flavors with a rich caramelly malt base. A nice fruity pungency evocative of apricot underlies everything and contributes to an illusion of sweetness belied by the dry mineral finish.

Another excellent and accessible beer from Sam Smith (more and more available in my area). I continue to be intrigued by the whole Yorkshire square method of brewing, and how this obviously contributes to the unique qualities manifested in the beer. This beer was very reasonably priced at 4-something for the bomber. Purchased at Front Street Market in Butte, Montana.

 935 characters

4.5/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

I'm not sure why this beer didn't score in the 90's here on BA. Not to call into question the impeccable palates and discriminating taste of these 'experts' but I sometimes wonder what they actually expect from a beer. Sam Smith's Organic Pale Ale is a world classic, in my view, a definitive example of the variety. It's a traditional, regional English country ale, not intended to hit you over the head with any one of the characteristics of beer (look, smell, etc.) although I do find the rich copper hue quite pleasing to the eye... Smell? Nothing to write home about, but the taste? It's got a solid malty backbone with a slight hint of mustiness that I suspect might come from the stone troughs used in fermentation. Hops are not forward, but they're not supposed to be. There is hardly any hop character, but it still packs enough tang to satisfy the hop-seeker. ... The "Organic" variety, in fact, has permanently replaced the original "Old Brewery Pale Ale"; folks just found this one to taste better so Sam Smith's ceased production of the other one... Is this one for the growing numbers of hop-crazy beer enthusiasts? No. Is it for the Yuengling-Bud crowd? No. Is it for the drinker who appreciates tradition, quality and craft? Yes.

 1,245 characters

3.92/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a medium brown with slight amber tones with a real nice big head,the aroma was more malty with some light hop aromas lingering.The taste up front is of lightly sweet malt with a hop smack that hits and lingers thru the finish.There is a winey,fruity undertone to this beer wich I like and havent tasted on any other pale,a good solid English classic.

 356 characters

3.83/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A nice looking amber pour with a generous off-white head. A sweet and lightly hoppy nose with floral notes. The taste is modeartely hoppy with a fruity sweetness and hints of carmel. nice maltiness as well. very smooth mouthfeel and a very easy drinker. while it's not my favorite pale ale, i think it is very good and has excellent drinkability.

 346 characters

3.6/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance – Orange in color and clear with some good carbonation and a big, fluffy head that went down quickly.

Smell – The musty citrus and floral hops are balanced with a noticeable malt aroma that seems kind of sweet.

Taste – Yes, the malt base is there, almost drowning out the lovely hops. There’s also a sweetness here that I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe very light cane sugar?

Anyway, the hops are fairly complex at the taste. I can even pick up a bit of pine at the finish. This is a nice, well-balanced pale ale.

Mouthfeel – Surprisingly carbonated for the style, this one is medium in the body and very refreshing.

Drinkability – What can I say? It went great with my sandwich and chips and would make a nice session ale.

 761 characters

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.04/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

An average puring of this beer produces a massive orange sherbert head that is slow to retreat. It is a bit darker shade of the classic english pale oxidized copper. The nose is faint and sugary with a wisp of spice.

The taste starts off kind of woody, with a slight vegetal note on its heels, then comes a wash of sweet caramel malt base earthy and spicy hops to play on. Cinnamon notes appear here and there. There is a long but strangly astringent finish. Mouthfeel is mid-bodied and slick.

I don't think Sam Smith makes any bad beers, but I was a little less blown away by this one. It is a tasty, drinkable, down to earth pale. Interestingly, I had it with a gingery dish and that slight cinnamon came out in a big way that was quite pleasing. Try it sometime.

 772 characters

3/5  rDev -21.7%

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lucky me, my bottle was un-skunked.

A not-so-pale-colored pale ale with a pretty head that dies down after a few minutes, leaving a small amount of lacing.

Malty sweetness in the nose.

To me, the taste (and color) is much closer to what I know to be an amber ale. I really dont think its all that hoppy. Not bad attributes, just different. I enjoyed the toasty finish. There's a subtle bitterness in there too, which is interesting. Definitely more bitter than it is hoppy.

I'm sure I'll be having this again sooner or later (the gift pack with the logo glass always sucks me in). High marks all around.

 615 characters

4/5  rDev +4.4%

3.78/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Part of a mix pack I got for Christmas. Three beers, a pint glass and some coasters.

A: Deep amber with decent 1/2 inch off-white frothy head.

S: Fresh grain smell, also a distinct mineral smell that I find common to all SS beers.

T: Clean, crisp, simple. Very slight sweetness upfront. A faint hop flavor and then a clean finish that ends with a mineraly taste that is very pleasant.

M: Medium, not too filling, but definitely not watery. Carbonation was right where it should be.

D: This is a true session beer if I ever had one. Could down plenty of these.

 564 characters

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into my favorite beer glass toasted English malt fills the aroma. It has a full white head and a almost cloudy amber color. The flavor starts sweet with a slight amount of carbonation but finished dry but a slightly nutty aftertaste. A very good English and I like its complexity despite the lack of hops that I've come to like in an American style

 355 characters

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 12 oz clear bottle that has gold foil on top, no freshness date to be found.

Appearance: Bright and copper colored with sea foam like off white lace.

Smell: Hint of hops with a light jolly rancher candy like fruitiness.

Taste: Medium bodied and a dryish mouth feel show on the palate, subdued fruitiness and a malty sweetness holds the front with a mellow biscuity malt taste. Hop bitterness and a slight husk flavour help to balance. A little grainy in the finish with a true pale ale dryness in the end.

Notes: Clean to the tongue with lots of complexity, perfect quaffing material ... A Pale Ale to reckon with.

 640 characters

4.24/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

What a surprise to find a four pak of these at one of my local beer stores across the state line in Virginia.
Appearance: Pours a clear copper body with a small wisp of offwhite hued head that soon falls to film and collar. Sparse patches of lace are left on the glass.
Aroma: Very aromatic nose, with a floral/herbal hops profile atop a solid malt backbone of caramel and toffee notes.
Mouthfeel: Light medium to medium body with lively carbonation and a lovely metallic accent.
Taste: Herbal and floral hops bitterness is assertive and lingering in a very English style hops profile. A pleasant metallic note seems to burst through the carbonation and blend with the sweet toffee malt tastes. Mildly bitter herbal hops finish.
Drinkability: An excellent rendering of the English Pale Ale style and, perhaps, a benchmark for the style. Very enjoyable, with superb drinkability, essentially a session ale.

 911 characters

4.75/5  rDev +24%

2.5/5  rDev -34.7%

3.52/5  rDev -8.1%

3.53/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: 12oz. clear bottle (how do they get away with that?!) with the gold foil around the top.

Appearance: An opaque copper-colored appearance with a frothy, bubbly head that rings the glass distinctly after each quaff.

Smell: Just a little bit of citrus hoppy aroma....but there was also a whiff of "skunkiness" to this one as well.

Taste: Nothing in this beer really jumped out at me. The hops didn't outpower the balancing sweetness from the malts. Just a decent-tasting pale ale.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation and crispness of the hops make for a good mouthfeel.

Drinkabilty: Definitely one of the more "puckering" type PA's I've had. This one really finishes dry. That was kind of a turn off for me.

 725 characters

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Nonic Imperial Pint.

Appearance: Clear medium amber with moderate off-white head that leaves a decent amount of lacing, especially for an English beer.

Smell: Dark sweet fruit, caramel, English hops and a slight earthiness.

Taste: Fairly malty pale ale with an emphasis on slightly sweet fruit, caramel and an almost buttery quality. The malts are somewhat balanced by a nice Fuggles/Goldings hop taste. Ends with a somewhat metallic bitterness.

Feel: Relatively low carbonation, very smooth medium body, semi-dry finish.

Drinkability: Above average EPA that would be a great session beer. I was expecting more though, but I think I like Bitters and ESBs more than EPAs.

 714 characters

4.25/5  rDev +11%

4.5/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

L: Brilliant amber under a lacy and persistent 1” lightly tan tinted cap.
S: caramel, a touch of fruit, not much hop, herbal
T: A little sweet with a hint of toffee and a little darker malt – nuttiness or biscuit, flavor combines toastiness with fruitiness. Medium hop flavors and crisp, palate cleansing bitterness with a little light astringency.
F: Medium body, medium low carbonation.
O: An excellent classic beer.

 426 characters

4.03/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle

Texas Liquor
Carlsbad, CA

Copper and auburn with a thick, pillowy, persistent light brown head that leaves small lines of lace down the glass.

Sweet caramel and toffee lead the way in the aroma, with biscuity and bready malts combining for a pleasantly sweet aroma. There isn't much hop presence, but as an English pale ale, that is to be expected. Very nice.

The flavor too is lacking in distinct hop character, which I don't mind in this style. The caramel, toffee, and bready flavors combine well for an incredibly easy drinking pale.

Medium bodied with ample carbonation.

A definitive version of the style. Malty and delicious.

 644 characters

4.03/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 550 ml bottle into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass.

Appearance: Bright amber orange with lots of rising bubbles. Big four finger off white head with good retention and lots of lacing sticking around the glass.

Smell: Sweet toasted caramel malts with apples, bread, dark berries, figs, nuts, and hints of citrus hops. Very malt driven. Smells a lot like apple cider.

Taste: Like the smell. A big taste of bready sweet caramel malts with apples, toffee, nuts, berries, and figs. There is a light but noticeable presence of citrus hops in the finish. Tastes a lot like apple cider but the small kick of hops in the finish reminds you that its a beer.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Very creamy in the mouth and smooth.

Overall: A very fine English pale ale. Very malty but the sweetness is nice and not too much. Pretty well balanced.

 883 characters

4/5  rDev +4.4%