Pale Ale
Brau Brothers Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clear golden colored beer, with a small white head that doesn't last too long. Not a lot of internal action.

The scent is a mainly caramel malts but seems to have just a dab of chocolate malts as well, and also consists of some grassy hops.

While Brau Brothers Pale Ale is classified as an American Pale Ale, it seems more English to me. It is still pretty light on taste, but the malts seem to take center stage. Fairly bready caramel hops, backed by a light bitter finish.

Deep polished bronze brew with a fluffy off white foam head. The nose has a little bit of pine and orange peels. The taste is like wood that has been rubbed with some orange peels. This finishes like club soda. Strange. The nose was somewhat promising, but the taste was bland and a let down.

One of six varieties in a 12-pack Brau Brothers Brewing sampler.

Poured from a 12 oz. brown long neck bottle into a clear standard pint glass.

Appearance: A nice clear deep golden color with a one finger off-white foamy head. Receded quickly with very minimal lacing.

Smell: Not much there, slight malt and hop aromas...but both very subtle.

Taste: One of the lightest APA's I've tried. A bit thin and watery, but a decent subtle balanced flavor of malts and hops. Better than an adjunct lager, for sure...but not one of the better American Pale Ale's out there.

Mouth feel: Light body with moderate carbonation. Leaves it all feeling a bit thin.

Drinkability: I would take this over a Bud or MGD, any day...but that's not saying much. This might appeal to someone just starting in the craft beer world, who wants to start slow and mellow. But seasoned craft beer drinkers have many better APA options out there. My least favorite Brau Brothers beer so far...they do a better job with other styles, like their IPA and Scotch Ales.

Acquired from Sinatra716 via Show Someone What You're Made Of BIF so a big THANK YOU goes out to him.
Poured in to a pint glass

A: This beer pours hazy light copper color with a half finger of white head. Head recedes immediately and leaves minor spider webbed lacing.

S: Nose is dead flowers and caramel malt.

T: Taste starts very soapy, and botanical. Seriously, dead flowers. Big hearty sweet caramel malt character. Very off balanced and not very good.

M: Lighter side of medium body, medium carbonation, thin mouthfeel and slightly dry.

O: Does not go down easily, not tasty, not too filling, mild kick, not a good representation of style. Ouch, this was not an easy beer going down, the hop character is just not good and the malt flavoring is very off balanced. I would avoid this one in the future.

A - Poured out a clear, orange color with a small, white head of foam. It left little to no lacing.

S - It smelled of citrus and grassy hops. Very faint caramel aroma.

T - A sweet APA with a strong dose of caramel. It was grassy and slightly bitter. Nice tasting but almost seems a little English.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A light bodied ale with a dry finish.

D - This is a pretty tasty brew. Very sessionable and enjoyable.

Poured from bottle into pint glass

A- Dark yellow in color with a bright white head that left no lacing

S- Sweet malt followed by hints of citrus, overall pretty mild scent.

T- Mostly grainy and sweet citrus, very mild hop finish.

M- Light and fairly carbonated.

D- An OK beer, not really enough flavor for me to be a pale ale. Certainly nothing to complain about though.

A= the pour reveils a nice looking dull amber color with a good two finger head that holds some average retention and lacing. The problem is that the beer is hazy. Lots of chill haze.

S= The dominate hop aroma is floral for sure. This beer smells like a bouquet of flowers and a sort of old attic sort of smell to it.

T= The taste is very similar to the smell. The foral hops are here but not as dominate as the biscuty malt and the old attic smell. If your looking for an APA that is heavily hopped this isn't for you but it is an easy drinker with some pretty decent flavor.

M= Really average. Not too thick or two thin. Clean finish.

D= Pretty good. I saw that the average score was a C... Maybe the other people who tried this were expecting a hopped up APA like Sierra Nevada but this on is just a solid example of an APA. Clean and easy drinking.

Purchased at 3 Corners Liquor in Medford, MN. Pours a light straw body with a thin white head that fades. Aroma is honey malts with very faint hops. Mouthfeel is light bodied and lightly carbonated. Flavor is mostly sweet honey malts, but thin and watery overall. Finished very clean with not bitterness. Not what I look for in a pale ale. Drinkability is good, but only because it's so light.

Pale Ale? Pale Ale? Ok, the color is pale and slightly hazy. It pours with a nice 2" head with a vigorous pour, unfortunately the nice head disappears. With that disappearance goes any hope for this beer. I took a whiff and it instantly brought me back to my college years. All I could think of is that this beer smells like my first apartment the night after a party, like stale beer. The taste is not much better, there is barely any bitterness, there is almost no malt flavors only a slight fruitiness. I would not drink this again.

A: Pours very clean, with a nice one finger head and a mostly clear golden body. a dencent amount of active carbonation. The head doesn't stick around for ever, but leaves some lacing. The color is that of apple juice while the head is very nearly white with many small bubbles. Lacing is solid at least for now. A good looking pale.

S: I can smell fruity hops, reminds me of fruit punch strong in white grape juice. Delving in I get more malty sweetness, but nothing too strong, and still a solid note of fruity hops. Its a strong smell in that I can smell it from a few feet away, but not a pungent or overpowering smell when I put my nose up to it.

T: Sort of sweet, not bitter at all. Well, maybe a little bitter, but more like a fruit gone bad bitter. And no malt either. I taste some sugars. Sort of thin and uninspiring, but nothing to complain about. Patently average to me.

M: Thinnish but smoother than water. While there is carbonation in the glass it doesn't feel carbed in the mouth. Easy enough to sip or quaff.

D: Doable, not all that alluring, but not offensive. Something to drink when you want to drink and that's what there is.

Pours an amber-gold with very little head. What is there doesn't last long. There's a little bit of hops in the nose and some sweetness. Not quite as hoppy as I might think for an APA.

The taste matches up to that. There's something a bit off here; an sweetness that overpowers the hops and doesn't really match the rest of the flavor profile. I think there's some potential here if they either up the hops a little bit (not to IPA levels, but enough to match the sweetness) or tone down that dominant flavor.

I could see this being a satisfying lawnmower-type drink when cold, but it's not the kind of brew I'd recommend for a savoring.

This one poured a pale greyish amber. I had to pour it recklessly to get any head out of it, which I have noticed typical to the brewery.

The nose was very fruity for a pale ale. The main notes were fruity, particularely apple (almost apple cider-ish) and citrus. The hops continued grassy and piney, buttery tones evolved as well.

When tasting it, pilsner came to mind for sure. The hops at the forefront; apple, pine and grassy notes. It definitely had the buttery diacetyl presence also. Not bad, but not typical.

Body was light, carbonation was mellow, feel didn't have too much oomph.

I wasn't too impressed, as far as Pale Ales go, for it tastes homebrewed or something or something different. If you're looking for a good pale ale, this isn't it. If you're looking for something that isn't really true to anything, but not bad??? Try it? But I'm not sure who's looking for something that isn't anything.

This came recommended by the local beer store.

The beer poured a cloudy yellow and medium head. The smell was not what I expected from a pale ale. Not much hops or pine but some malt and butterscotch.

Taste was not up front like many pale ales. Hops are there but not very strong. Medium body with malt and some citrus and hops.

An OK drink but not quite characteristic to the type.

12oz. poured into generic pint glass

Appearance: Semi-translucent gold/copper with a quarter inch white head that dissipated quickly. Not much lacing.

Smell: Sugary caramel, a lot sweeter smelling than expected, apple, pear, slight citrus, and toffee.

Taste: Strong caramel flavors followed by crisp apple and citrus hops that are more prominent in the taste than the aroma. Other flavors include toffee, some grassiness, and a slight metallic aftertaste. All of it blends together pretty well but it just feels like it's missing something.

Mouthfeel: Thicker than most regular pale ales, which isn't a bad thing.

Drinkability: If I had a few more I'd probably have them right now but I doubt I will pick this one up again, there are way better pale ales out there.

Overall: I've only had a few offerings from Brau Brothers and I only enjoyed the oatmeal stout and now this. I said I doubt I'll pick this one up again, which is probably true, but if it's on tap somewhere I'll get a pint.