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The Governator Ale
Portland Brewing Company
- From:
- Portland Brewing Company
- Oregon, United States
- Style:
- Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
- ABV:
- Not listed
- Score:
- 79
- Avg:
- 3.35 | pDev: 14.63%
- Reviews:
- 30
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Aug 25, 2016
- Added:
- Jan 13, 2004
- Wants:
- 4
- Gots:
- 1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by beerguy101:
Reviewed by beerguy101 from California
3.63/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.63/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
AND PUMPING IRON BREWING BRINGS YOU
GOVERNATOR ALE
Orange gold color. Small white foamy head. Aroma is fruity and malty. A medium bodied APA/ESB.. Malts are fruity and sweet. Hops are grapefruity and slightly bitter. A little thin tasting But nicely balanced, with a nice dry finish. Nice but nothing special. I dont feel pumped up after drinking this beer, but I will be back
Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and dry. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.
Mar 06, 2004More User Ratings:
Reviewed by largadeer from California
2.09/5 rDev -37.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2
2.09/5 rDev -37.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2
Near decade old bottle at this point, and obviously quite oxidized at this point. Vaguely resembles an ESB, but tastes pretty strongly of sherry with a bit of wet paper.
Aug 25, 2016Reviewed by Offa from California
4.4/5 rDev +31.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
4.4/5 rDev +31.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
As far as I know, this has been out of production for several years, but I recently found a lone bottle. If it is old, it has certainly taken the years very well, for it looks, smells, and tastes perfectly fresh and in fact very good.
Light amber, it has a medium, dense white head that steadily shrinks to a rocky, thin, foamy top that lasts, and leaves some lace.
The aroma is nice, yeasty bread, caramelly, with citrus (vaguely grapefruity, but only just), with some fruit.
The taste is very good, caramelly grain, hints of pine, honey, pear, citrus (again, fainly grapefruity, but barely), some English-like earthy-leafy qualities. It's light but full of flavour, zesty, lightly sweet then with balancing bitterness and a smooth, long finish. It is nicely balanced and very drinkable. Overall, it's a fairly standard, basic ale, but it's a very well-done, solid, and tasty interpetation. It's also somewhat reminiscent of Snowshoe Brewing's Thompson Pale Ale.
Oct 29, 2008Light amber, it has a medium, dense white head that steadily shrinks to a rocky, thin, foamy top that lasts, and leaves some lace.
The aroma is nice, yeasty bread, caramelly, with citrus (vaguely grapefruity, but only just), with some fruit.
The taste is very good, caramelly grain, hints of pine, honey, pear, citrus (again, fainly grapefruity, but barely), some English-like earthy-leafy qualities. It's light but full of flavour, zesty, lightly sweet then with balancing bitterness and a smooth, long finish. It is nicely balanced and very drinkable. Overall, it's a fairly standard, basic ale, but it's a very well-done, solid, and tasty interpetation. It's also somewhat reminiscent of Snowshoe Brewing's Thompson Pale Ale.
Reviewed by t0rin0 from California
2.58/5 rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
2.58/5 rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Oh man, I spotted this in the fridge behind the malt liquors at the liquor store last week. I thought it was too funny and offered to buy it but was given a bottle as a gift. Wasn't expecting much, tried it more as a novelty.
Golden brown pour, decent head but not retention. Plenty of bubbles. Quite clear.
Malty and thats about it. If you really stick your nose way down in the glass you can smell a touch of skunk but if upon a normal inspection it smells like a nice ESB.
Taste sorta follows suit except that its got a metallic quality to it. Malty, bitter (probably the metallic quality). Some alcohol or something in the aftertaste, not pleasant.
Thin body, about right. Possibly drinkable if you need something crisp and cold but more suitable for drinking games.
Aug 29, 2008Golden brown pour, decent head but not retention. Plenty of bubbles. Quite clear.
Malty and thats about it. If you really stick your nose way down in the glass you can smell a touch of skunk but if upon a normal inspection it smells like a nice ESB.
Taste sorta follows suit except that its got a metallic quality to it. Malty, bitter (probably the metallic quality). Some alcohol or something in the aftertaste, not pleasant.
Thin body, about right. Possibly drinkable if you need something crisp and cold but more suitable for drinking games.
Reviewed by eballard from Washington
3.03/5 rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.03/5 rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
The beer poured a nut brown color with a light foamy head. The smell was slightly sour at first but settled into a malty hops smell with hints of caramel. The taste is exactly what you would think from the smell but a little lighter on the flavor. It may be a little too light. It has a crisp finish with a hops after taste. All in all it is a fine beer its too bad it was retired.
Aug 21, 2006Reviewed by weeare138 from Pennsylvania
3.37/5 rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.37/5 rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Thanks to hopdog for this...
Appears a hazy gold with a small white head that fades into a small collar with spotty lacing left around the glass.
Smell is of biscuit, earthyness, toffee, piney hops, caramel, and mild oxidation.
Taste is a step down from the same aromas but not awful.
Mouthfeel is of caramel sweetness that settles on the front of the tongue with a dry cardboard and lemon tartness feel.
Apr 14, 2006Appears a hazy gold with a small white head that fades into a small collar with spotty lacing left around the glass.
Smell is of biscuit, earthyness, toffee, piney hops, caramel, and mild oxidation.
Taste is a step down from the same aromas but not awful.
Mouthfeel is of caramel sweetness that settles on the front of the tongue with a dry cardboard and lemon tartness feel.
Reviewed by sloejams from Oregon
3.52/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
3.52/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Not sure why this has been retired, I still see it frequently in Southern California, perhaps these are old - the date on the bottle is not very legible. Having not had it in a couple years, I decided to give it another go.
It poured a golden color with a slight head. The aroma was malty with hops in the distant background with a slight citrusness and caramel. The flavor is sweet but subtle - perhaps too subtle. The hops give a lil kick not something I often associated with ESBs. The mouthfeel is smooth but thin. It went down relatively fast - very drinkable - to my surprise. Guess I was thirs-taaaay!
I'd say it's better than the dumb title gimmick would suggest, but nothing phenomenal.
Jan 23, 2006It poured a golden color with a slight head. The aroma was malty with hops in the distant background with a slight citrusness and caramel. The flavor is sweet but subtle - perhaps too subtle. The hops give a lil kick not something I often associated with ESBs. The mouthfeel is smooth but thin. It went down relatively fast - very drinkable - to my surprise. Guess I was thirs-taaaay!
I'd say it's better than the dumb title gimmick would suggest, but nothing phenomenal.
Reviewed by rowew from Colorado
3.63/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
3.63/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Presentation: 22 oz bomber. While this was going for ridiculous prices on Ebay I picked one up for $2 at the liquor store. No freshness info or indication of what kind of beer this is on the label.
Appearance: Poured red orange with just a slight haze, and a nice head. Bubbles coming up from below kept the head sustained quite a while.
Smell: Lots of yeast in the aroma, and some biscuity malts.
Taste: Smooth mouthfeel with a relatively low level of carbonation. Taste is biscuity malts and a bit of yeast profile, and just a hint of hop bitterness in the finish.
Overall impression: Not a bad ESB - I assume this has been around a while, but it held up fairly well.
Sep 08, 2005Appearance: Poured red orange with just a slight haze, and a nice head. Bubbles coming up from below kept the head sustained quite a while.
Smell: Lots of yeast in the aroma, and some biscuity malts.
Taste: Smooth mouthfeel with a relatively low level of carbonation. Taste is biscuity malts and a bit of yeast profile, and just a hint of hop bitterness in the finish.
Overall impression: Not a bad ESB - I assume this has been around a while, but it held up fairly well.
Reviewed by RoyalT from Michigan
3.53/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.53/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance The Governator is a clear, brownish-orange in color with a nice white head that looks like a pillowy cloud as seen from a top view, like what you see when youre in an airplane above cloud level. It left some nice lacing, too.
Smell Theres a light bitter aroma to this ESB. Its a bit yeasty, too, reminding me more of an English Bitter. The malts are light as well.
Taste The yeast and grain come out much bigger at the taste. Again, its more like a mild English Bitter. There is also a leafy type of vegetative bitterness in the flavor.
Mouthfeel This light to medium-bodied ale is moderately bitter in the mouth with some light but sprightly carbonation.
Drinkability Well, I know that the bottle is old as they werent making this for very long before Arnold closed down production under duress of a nasty lawsuit, but it held up well and was surprisingly not a bad drinker.
Jul 10, 2005Smell Theres a light bitter aroma to this ESB. Its a bit yeasty, too, reminding me more of an English Bitter. The malts are light as well.
Taste The yeast and grain come out much bigger at the taste. Again, its more like a mild English Bitter. There is also a leafy type of vegetative bitterness in the flavor.
Mouthfeel This light to medium-bodied ale is moderately bitter in the mouth with some light but sprightly carbonation.
Drinkability Well, I know that the bottle is old as they werent making this for very long before Arnold closed down production under duress of a nasty lawsuit, but it held up well and was surprisingly not a bad drinker.
Reviewed by BrewMaster from California
3.72/5 rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.72/5 rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Appearance: Golden amber color with a thin off-whit head made up of uneven bubbles. It's a decent looking beer but it looks oddly carbonated.
Smell: Sweet malty nose with a touch of floral scent.
Taste: Sweet maltiness to open with a touch of roasty bitterness in the middle. Buttery, earthy, soft malts with a sandy flavor. The hop flavor is rather convuluted but still enticing. Bitter hop flavor with a dry, grassy, linen, and leather taste. A light berry fruit ending very close to strawberries.
Mouthfeel: Soft and smooth. A bit of a stinging astringency near the middle to end of the beer, but it's still comfortable.
Drinkability: I had this beer in my fridge for a about 4 months. I bought it on a whil and just now decided to try it. Really it is quite good and true to the style. It's a bit over-carbonated and thus feels a bit like soda. But the flavors are complex and tasty. I would gladly drink it again. I won't seek it out, but I won't turn it away either.
May 25, 2005Smell: Sweet malty nose with a touch of floral scent.
Taste: Sweet maltiness to open with a touch of roasty bitterness in the middle. Buttery, earthy, soft malts with a sandy flavor. The hop flavor is rather convuluted but still enticing. Bitter hop flavor with a dry, grassy, linen, and leather taste. A light berry fruit ending very close to strawberries.
Mouthfeel: Soft and smooth. A bit of a stinging astringency near the middle to end of the beer, but it's still comfortable.
Drinkability: I had this beer in my fridge for a about 4 months. I bought it on a whil and just now decided to try it. Really it is quite good and true to the style. It's a bit over-carbonated and thus feels a bit like soda. But the flavors are complex and tasty. I would gladly drink it again. I won't seek it out, but I won't turn it away either.
Reviewed by clvand0 from Kentucky
3.83/5 rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.83/5 rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Hilarious. Thanks to kmpitz2 for sharing this one. I expected this one to be just so-so, but I was surprised. Pours a golden color with a tall head that tries to hang around for a while and leaves a little bit of lacing on the glass. The aroma is hoppy - mostly grassy, grainy, and dirty hops, but it's nice and mild, so not to be overpowering. I was actually surprised that this is considered an ESB, and not an IPA, although it's not exactly pale. The flavor is much like the aroma. There is a moderate amount of hop flavor and a slight bitterness all backed by a strong malt backbone. The odd thing is that the flavor hops seem to be a bit stronger than the bittering, leading me to believe this one would be best categorized as an APA instead of ESB. Regardless, it's a surprisingly good beer and I'd have it again.
Jan 28, 2005Reviewed by kmpitz2 from Tennessee
3.83/5 rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.83/5 rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
How could I pass this one up when I found it at the beer store. This pours a nice deep golden/light copper color with a nice 3 finger head that falls to about a finger before I drink. The nose is kinda APAish to me, with the dirty hop nose. The flavor is a little more sweet/citrus in the hop than the nose would say. It is a little crisp as well. I kinda like it. The feel is a light moderate. Overall, not a bad brew at all.
Jan 28, 2005Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa
3.13/5 rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
3.13/5 rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Perfectly pellucid orange-amber topped by a sturdy beige head that is pitting for all it's worth. Scraps of pocked lace remain as the foam begins its slow descent. The nose isn't all that interesting; weak citrus, earthy hops and weaker caramel malt. It isn't bad, it just needs to be more outgoing.
The scores continue to fall. The body is way too thin and the flavor way too weak. I would hope that a beer named after a body builder would be more muscular than this. The thin, bordering on watery body is helpless to keep the flavor around long enough to make a favorable impression. I keeping drinking, hoping that something (hops, malt... anything) will speak in something louder than a whisper, but it's not to be. There's a faint metallic flavor on the finish, but even that fades into oblivion.
The Governator Ale was a great gimmick that received more than a little publicity. Problem is, MacTarnahan's must have--cynically, I might add--relied on the name to sell whatever they brewed. Is it too much to ask for them to have put a little beer in this beer? Thanks to Dogbrick for the bomber.
Sep 25, 2004The scores continue to fall. The body is way too thin and the flavor way too weak. I would hope that a beer named after a body builder would be more muscular than this. The thin, bordering on watery body is helpless to keep the flavor around long enough to make a favorable impression. I keeping drinking, hoping that something (hops, malt... anything) will speak in something louder than a whisper, but it's not to be. There's a faint metallic flavor on the finish, but even that fades into oblivion.
The Governator Ale was a great gimmick that received more than a little publicity. Problem is, MacTarnahan's must have--cynically, I might add--relied on the name to sell whatever they brewed. Is it too much to ask for them to have put a little beer in this beer? Thanks to Dogbrick for the bomber.
Reviewed by Dogbrick from Ohio
2.95/5 rDev -11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
2.95/5 rDev -11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
"Crush your enemy - see them driven before you... and to hear the lamentation of their women" about sums this beer up. In this case it is lamenting the fact that this is a lot of beer to drink when you arent really enjoying it. Dark clear amber with a medium off-white head. Little to no lacing. The aroma is actually well-hopped and spicy. Medium-bodied and somewhat smooth with an off balance of hops, caramel and plastic. The finish is rather bitter and lingering. I cant really call this a letdown because it was about what I was expecting. So unless Arnold himself tells me to "Get to the Choppah!" to drink another, I will NOT be back.
Sep 22, 2004Reviewed by blitheringidiot from Pennsylvania
2.7/5 rDev -19.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
2.7/5 rDev -19.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
From a 22 oz.'er Clear ligth tea hued 100% see thru beer.
Halfhearted light mixed floral aroma. Eh!
Metallic mild pale with easy balanced flavors.
Low carbonation and hardly much body (how ironic)
Last swigs: This is a novelty beer that leaves me with an unimpressed flavor.
Beer is good. Happy beering.
Aug 09, 2004Halfhearted light mixed floral aroma. Eh!
Metallic mild pale with easy balanced flavors.
Low carbonation and hardly much body (how ironic)
Last swigs: This is a novelty beer that leaves me with an unimpressed flavor.
Beer is good. Happy beering.
Reviewed by shapudding from Pennsylvania
3.8/5 rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.8/5 rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Got to try this at the GenLafayette tasting! -and happy to get to try this with the current injunction by Ah-nohld!
Honey gold with white creamy head. Very hoppy scent, bit of sweetness in the background. Nice and dry with good bitterness. Very hoppy. Citrus and floral. The sweetness is in there, but not overwhelming. It dries your mouth out so that you are wanting more, so it leads to good drinkability.
Decent beer, but one ya really get for the fun factor! I was actually surprised to find decent tasted in there.
Jul 30, 2004Honey gold with white creamy head. Very hoppy scent, bit of sweetness in the background. Nice and dry with good bitterness. Very hoppy. Citrus and floral. The sweetness is in there, but not overwhelming. It dries your mouth out so that you are wanting more, so it leads to good drinkability.
Decent beer, but one ya really get for the fun factor! I was actually surprised to find decent tasted in there.
Reviewed by Bighuge from Minnesota
3.32/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.32/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Clear amber appearance. Virtually no head. Small edging which is an ivory white tone. Lacing is minimal. Toffee and butter on the nose with leathery tones noted as well. Mouthfeel is a little prickly and the body is about medium. Cardboard, toffee, diactyl and earthy hops mix together on the palate in an uninspiring sort of way. Barely better than average, but it is.
Thanks for the beer Sir Ahnold of Long Beach.
Jul 21, 2004Thanks for the beer Sir Ahnold of Long Beach.
Reviewed by beergeek279 from Pennsylvania
3.45/5 rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.45/5 rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Served in the 22 oz. bomber, into a pint glass. The color is golden, with a foamy white head, clumped in the middle. The smell is a good slight citrus hoppiness. The taste is a slightly hopped beer, without much malt shining through, and a slightly off bitter aftertaste. Mouthfeel is fairly thin. As for drinkability, I might have another.
Well, another gimmick beer that we won't have to deal with again. Not a bad pale ale at all, but not something I'd be paying $10 a bottle for on EBay either. I'm glad I tried it, but hopefully the next Governator will fit the name!
May 18, 2004Well, another gimmick beer that we won't have to deal with again. Not a bad pale ale at all, but not something I'd be paying $10 a bottle for on EBay either. I'm glad I tried it, but hopefully the next Governator will fit the name!
The Governator Ale from Portland Brewing Company
Beer rating:
79 out of
100 with
32 ratings
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