Chico King: Pale Ale (Beer Camp Across America)
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.61/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Had this for the first time at the Beer Camp Across America event in Chico.

Cool orange appearance and about 1.5" of white head. Aroma was hops, but not as pungent as you might think these two breweries could make together.

Taste is reminding me of SNPA in a big way, a little less Cascade hop and crystal/caramel malt, but the underpinnings still seem to be there. The hops here are more fruity, less bitter, less aggressive, the body is just as sweet but not as thick. Its not quite a blend of SNPA and Alpha King, but those are definite starting points that you can feel in this one. Seems like the malt bills are pretty similar, hops though are very different and more fruit forward here.

Feb 07, 2017

macrosmatic from Florida

3.36/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Reviewed from (very long-standing) notes. Consumed in late 2014. Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a Cigar City Brewing pint glass.

A: Pours a medium to dark gold, just a bit hazy. Forms a couple finger's of white head that lasts for a good while with average visible carbonation.

S: Resin with floral and grassy hops. A cracker malt body. Not a big aroma overall.

T: Follows the nose – grassy and floral hops, a touch of citrus rind. A hefty malt base for an APA, and one that comes across as quite bready. Light bitterness lasts into the hang.

S: Medium body, with good carbonation sensation. The alcohol seems a little prominent for the style.

O: Nothing offensive in the way of an APA, but absolutely forgettable. Nothing to make this stand out at all.

Feb 07, 2017

GuyFawkes from Illinois

2.81/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottled 5/15/14; drank 7/16/14 @ the Yarchives.

Poured from the bottle into a glass.

Clear orange/red hue.

HUGE eggshell head (careful pouring!); a curtain of lace.

Ham, mild toffee & acrid smoke nose?! Gross; I'm worried.

Medium thin mouthfeel.

Pickle juice flavor with mild mango lurking in the shadows somewhere. Barely drinkable.

Dec 30, 2016

Mitchster from Michigan

3.8/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours out to a slightly hazy burnt orange. Thin layer of silt at the bottom of the bottle. Forms a thick large meringue style yellow head with beautiful retention and thick lacing. The nose is probably a bit muted from it's original form as this is a bit old, but has a touch of kiwi fruit, tropical fruit and subtle pine and floral. Mouthfeel is a bit prickly, not too acidic, medium bodied. Taste of kiwi, a touch of biscuit malt?, a bit grainy and husky, medium firm bitterness, kiwi floral is the best way to describe it. No pineapple, mango or cat pee here. Finishes dry.
A decent pale ale with it's own character but it doesn't do a lot for me.

Oct 18, 2015

feloniousmonk from Minnesota

4.06/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Clear, bright amber coloring, lush, creamy head, leaving lace, looking lovely.

Aroma: spills out of the glass. Floral, spicy, citric. Delicate and glorious.

Taste: Mmm, bitter. Mmm, fruity. Not too much this, not too much that, in every way a triumphantly hopped pale ale, not an overdone IPA. Lush, plump sweet malt keeps it all together. Balance is key here. This is no monster, no imperial anything. It's just a big bunch of yum, is what it is.

I want to know more, so I'm peeking at the label: "This pale ale packs plenty of bright, fruit-forward resinous hop varietals above a robust malt body." That's the bottleneck. Now, the back: "3 Floyds has a reputation as the Midwestern kings of alpha (hops), and it seems our flagship beer helped lure them down the lupulin-paved path. Chico King is a mash-up of our mutual passion for hoppy pale ales and we suspect you'll find it fit for royalty."

So, what is it? It's not SNPA, and it's not Alpha King, but it's somewhere in between. And to tell you the truth? I'd rather have the others. This mash-up doesn't make a better beer. It's good, don't get me wrong, it's just not better.

Apr 08, 2015

sulldaddy from Connecticut

3.9/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Sampling a cellar temp 12 oz bottle poured into a snifter. The beer gives a frothy fluffy head of 2 cm foaming up. The head is just a hint off from white with a bit of yellow mixed in. Gradually fades to a partial surface layer and leaves some sticky lattice on the glass.
Aroma is apparent on the pour with some crisp bold pine sap and a bit of citrusy fruit. Bold nose on this beer.
The first sip reveals a silky smooth texture and average body with fine tingly carbonation that tickles my palate on each sip.
Flavor is briefly caramel and toffee but quickly rolls to some aggressive hop notes, this isnt a bitter bomb though. I get pine sap again and some grapefruit rind with a bit of lingering astringency but not like sucking on an aspirin.
There is no hint of alcohol and the beer is crisp and drinks very easy.
A nice example of the style, id drink it again.

Apr 06, 2015

Jadjunk from Georgia

3.77/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

"3 Floyds has a reputation as the Midwestern kings of alpha (hops), and it seems our flagship beer helped lure them down the lupulin-paved path. Chico King is a mash-up of our mutual passion for hoppy pale ales and we suspect you'll find it fit for royalty." Brewed in the style of an American Pale Ale, available in single 12 oz. bottles as part of the Beer Camp Across America 2015 Variety pack and on limited draft.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a Sierra Nevada tulip glass. Served above 54 degrees Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a foamy frothed head of a cinnamon white color over a mildly cloudy copper body with sparse, thin sediment and no visible carbonation bubbles. Retention is very good and lacing is light and spotty. 4

(Smell) The hop profile kicks in first with piney, spicy, peppery and fruity notes dominating the nose with a moderate bitterness. Underneath the hop front lies a more subtle but equally appealing malt body of light bready and biscuity caramel malts with a modest sweetness and high cleanliness. The earthy, nutty and fruity base of this beer suggests an English yeast-strain, which works well with this beer. Potency is medium. 3.75

(Taste) The malt and hop profiles are seemingly magnified in the flavor, with biscuity, chewy pale and caramel malts generating a filling malt profile and the hop profile covering with an equally profound bitterness, flavors of pine resins, fruit and pepper. Finishes with a lingering fruity and spicy hop profile and a moderate bitterness. 3.75

(Mouthfeel) The texture is slick, lightly chewy and medium dry. Carbonation is modest with a medium frothiness and a softly crisp finish. Body is medium+ for the style, medium overall. Balance is equally sweet to bitter. Alcohol presence is low and there are no off characters to mention. 3.75

(Overall) Chico King is a pale ale that does quite right by its style. A good balance of hop and malts with a solid flavor profile for both. It doesn't need to rely on the gimmicks of west coast and brighter hops, making the Alpha a more uncommon but equally appreciated hop choice. Overall Chico King is a very enjoyable pale ale and one of the better beers of the variety pack. 3.75

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.'s
Chico King Pale Ale (With 3 Floyds Brewing Co.)
3.77/5.00

Feb 24, 2015

woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.07/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I had picked up most of this series as singles at The Friendly Greek and then put them in my reefer awaiting review. The backlog at Chez Woody is phenomenal and so I am now getting around to them.

From the bottle: "This pale ale stacks plenty of bright, fruit-forward, resinous hop varietals atop a robust malt body."; "Brewed in Collaboration with 3 Floyds Brewing Co."; "3 Floyds has a reputation as the Midwestern kings of alpha (hops), and it seems our flagship beer helped lure them down the lupulin-paved path. Chico King is a mash-up of our mutual passion for hoppy pale ales and we suspect you'll find it fit for royalty."; "We brew in Chico, CA, and Mills River, NC, to bring you the finest quality beer."

I Pop!ped the cap and began a very gentle pour as I was simply unsure of what was going to happen. Would the hops have fallen off and settled in the kick? The only was to really know was to initiate things. There were some lees becoming visible, so I backed off and left them in the bottle. I then employed the bartender's trick to get a finger of tawny head that quickly fell back to wisps, but left sticky lacing in its wake. Color was Deep Amber/Light Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a pronounced maltiness, kind of caramel, underlain by a mintiness. Mouthfeel was medium, but there was also a good deal of effervescence. The taste was amazingly marijuana-like! It had a dank, green quality that I was not at all expecting and exhaling made me think that I had just had my nose in somebody's stash. Wow! Malt? Not really. I got that much more on the nose than I did in the mouth. Finish was semi-dry and I began considering putting what remained in the bottle in a bong and firing it up. Instead, I poured that into my now-empty glass to see just what was what. As expected, the clarity had turned to mud. The dank smell actually increased! Mouthfeel was diminished and the taste was mellower.

Feb 19, 2015

DrDemento456 from Pennsylvania

3.69/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Well no longer pale in color with a 1/2 inch of tan colored head. Looks more like a DIPA to me.
Smells fairly malty with light bittering hops and some cracker malt. Smells not as bright and citrus like I expected.
Tastes more balanced than I expected pretty much a higher octane Sierra pale ale with balanced citrus hops, some crystal like malts and some cracker bread finish.
Mouth is good light to medium bodied as I expected. Smooth.

Overall not bad but I will accept the more readily available Sierra pale ale.

Feb 02, 2015

TheSSG from Illinois

3.78/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a huge, dense, frothy head that has great persistence and laces readily. Soft, floral hop aroma. Hazy, raw sienna/copper color. Starts with a big, bitter hoppiness; grapefruit, citrus, and citrus rind. A medium bitterness. Lingering citrus rind bitterness in the finish.

I was really expecting a hop bomb, but this is actually really nice. Definitely hoppy, but surprisingly restrained on the lingering bitterness.

Jan 12, 2015

little_star from Illinois

4.46/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Richer (and darker) than a typical pale ale, lovely velvety yet surprisingly heavy mouthfeel, and pours with a foamy head that resembles soft~beaten egg whites (in a good way). I'm neither a pale ale nor hop-lover, but this is a nice departure from typical APAs.

Dec 21, 2014

ONUMello from Ohio

3.38/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass
A: Light brown with a one-finger head that quickly settles
S: Very generic malt/hops
T: Also generic malt/hops, adding a bit of herbs
M: Light-medium-bodied, a touch bitter
O: Given the quality of pale ales both SN and FFF make this is a big disappointment. An okay beer but very unremarkable. Not nearly as good as any of the year-round let alone special pale ales either brewery makes

Dec 20, 2014

KTCamm from New Jersey

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

11/23...BCAA 7/12....pours medium copper/amber with fluffy white foam, small layer. Light hoppy pale nose. Taste is a mellow malt with a spiky hop push. Long finish. Notes of pine, trees, oils, peppermint. Classic pale with a twist.

Dec 06, 2014

ClePaul from Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Look 8/10
Smell 16/20
Taste 34/40
Feel 7/10
Drinkability 16/20

Overall 81/100

A nice pale, overall tastes like it was dumbed down from 3F's standardly aggressive style. It has a nice creamy malt bill which is really good, however there's lack of hop presence. It just doesn't taste like a SN/Three Floyd's collab should to me~

Nov 09, 2014

timontheroad from Colorado

3.43/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice fairly clear light amber color. One inch fluffy tan head, good retention. Aroma is really yeasty, like the smell of rising bread dough. I get just a bit of piney notes as well. Flavor is pretty subdued, with just a bit of malty sweetness, some faint citrus flavors and a bit of piney bitterness on the back end. Mouthfeel was kinda thin, not much going on there. Overall, this beer was a little underwhelming, considering its pedigree.

Oct 30, 2014

Fatehunter from Oregon

3.6/5  rDev -0.8%

Pours a finger of head on a clear dark straw colored body.
The aroma has a pine smell with lots of caramel malt. Great depth.
The taste has great pine and lemon bitterness beginning to end with some malt sweetness in the middle to break it up nicely.
The texture is crisp.
Nice and enjoyable.

Oct 28, 2014

BucannonXC5 from California

3.53/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Type: 12-oz.bottle
Glass: Stone Ruination IPA pint glass
From: Albertsons in Alpine, Calif.
Price: $25.99 for the variety Beer Camp Across America 12-pack
Purchased: Oct. 17, 2014
Consumed: Oct. 27, 2014
Misc.: Collaboration with 3 Floyds Brewing Company; Packaged May 15, 2014 at 6:54 p.m.

Poured a caramel, amber clear color with three fingers of khaki white rocky head. A good deal of bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass, reminding me slightly of a snow globe. Below average, sporadic foamy lacing along the sides of the glass. Thick, foamy retention on the top all the way down. (Sight - 4.00)

Smelled caramel, toffee, slightly roasty malts, purple grape, plum, dark peach and apricot, rye hops, light mango and passion fruit, Citra hops, light menthol, honey and candied floral hops. (Smell - 3.50)

Tasted similar to the nose with more bitterness. Got earthy rye hops, lemon sweetened iced tea, purple grape, plum, bitter roasted caramel, toffee, passion fruit, herbal hops and mango rind. (Taste - 3.50)

Light body. Oily-to-creamy texture. Average-to-lively carbonation. Bitter, malty finish. (Feel - 3.50)

Nothing too exceptional. I think I even overrated it a tad. (Overall - 3.50)

3.53 | 80 | B

Oct 28, 2014

Dwkasper from New York

4.25/5  rDev +17.1%

A: dark amber, caramel color, thick white head with plenty of lacing

S: malty, bready, nectarine, rustiness, raisins

T: very malty but balanced, sweet raisin taste

M: good mouth feel, consistence, no harsh or bitter tastes

O: great beer, can't wait to try zombie dust and other 3F originals

Oct 26, 2014

Furlinator from California

3.7/5  rDev +1.9%

Pours hazy amber. The 1/4 inch off-white head fades to a thick cap on top and leaves spots of lace.

The smell is very faint. I'm picking up mostly grain.

The taste is of roasted malt, and bitter hops.

The texture is light bodied with medium carbonation.

Uncomplicated but, well balanced. Light and easy drinking. Not bad.

Oct 24, 2014

BeerDawgs from Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%

A - Copper red, with 1 finger of head and tons of lace left all over the glass

A - bready maltiness and huge pine hop aroma

T - Dry malt, and a lot of hops. Overly hopped, thats all I am giittting

M - Medium bodied, well carobonated

O - An average APA. Maybe hey didm't pick my favorite malts, but its dssapintgm

Oct 18, 2014

Flounder57 from Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle was poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: A one finger head was poured that reduced to aa puffy layer. It is a slightly hazy copper color with good clarity and vision of bubbles coming up through the glass. Frothy lacing down the glass as the beer was drank.

Smell: Citrus, herbal, fruity, toasted, bready, and pale malts.

Taste: Same as above folks. Simple and balanced with mild bitterness in the rear.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied, medium carbonation, a little chewy, crisp, and refreshing.

Overall: More of an English style than American, but pretty content with this beer.

Oct 10, 2014

BWED from Colorado

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

12 oz. bottle poured into craft tumbler

A- Orange-gold, a bit hazy. Off white head is dense, and retains well at one finger. A few speckles of lacing.

S- Caramel notes of malt. Hop presence is a bit fruity, peach and plum, with citrus undertones.

T- Caramel again, and just a bit of hops. Still quite fruity and sweet. A little bit of pine. Citrus notes are still in the back seat.

M- Body is light. Carbonation comes out a little strong, and the finish is semi-dry.

O- This one is okay. Honestly. I like both these guys' individual Pale Ales better than this one. Just a bit underwhelming.

Oct 10, 2014

scotorum from Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Finally into the home stretch on the BCAA twelvepack, down to the last three. This one the collab with Three Floyds of Zombie Dust and Gumballhead fame.

Poured from the 12 oz. bottle into a Unibroue stemmed tulip.

a: Clear amber with an inch tall white head which faded to heavy surface foam and dense lacing.

s: Fruit cup, that is various light ripe fruits like peach, pear and apricot in combination.

t: Medium biscuit/caramel malt with tinges of light fruit under significant hop bite.

m: Light to medium, notably smooth, good body and carbonation tingle.

o; A pretty tasty, solid American pale ale in every respect, although not as hoppy as many.

Oct 08, 2014

arizcards from Arizona

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

Had with dinner last night.

Beer poured golden with an OK head.

Nose had hints of tropical hops.

Taste was not bad but lacking the oomph i like in my APA's.

Feel was medium bodied and not overly refreshing.

I liked the tropical hopping but the malt bill was a little lacking.

Oct 04, 2014

Samp01 from New Jersey

3.66/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a copper amber with a medium white lasting fluffy head. Aroma and Taste is citrus fruity notes, somewhat mild herbal earthy hops bitterness, some mild orange notes as it warms up, a bit of malty caramel as well. Palate is a medium body, moderate carbonation. The finish is a sweet malty flavor, some herbal earthy hops, citrus orange notes. Has good malty character, a somewhat subdued pale ale but still very good and solid all around.

Sep 30, 2014