Samurai Ale
Great Divide Brewing Company

Samurai AleSamurai Ale
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From:
Great Divide Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
American Blonde Ale
Ranked #286
ABV:
5.1%
Score:
80
Ranked #26,360
Avg:
3.5 | pDev: 15.14%
Reviews:
352
Ratings:
645
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 09, 2024
Added:
Jul 02, 2006
Wants:
  22
Gots:
  35
Samurai is the perfect beer for your zen garden after battle, or your patio after a long day of work. The addition of rice gives a slightly fruity, crisp, refreshing element to this hazy unfiltered ale, creating a light, easy-going beer suitable for the peaceful warrior. This may be your first Samurai, but it certainly won’t be your last.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Lexluthor33
Reviewed by Lexluthor33 from New York

3.6/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Yes, it is a blond colored beer.
Medium size head with a good lace.
Yes, it's bright and sunny, but when I had this beer 2008-2010 I only remember it as a proper Rice ale.
This review dates back to that time, as I see it is billed as a blonde ale.
Aroma of grains and malts with a zest of citrus.
Taste of rice, grains, light malts and fruit.
The feel was light body, medium carbonation and a smooth finish.
Mar 09, 2024
 
Rated: 3.5 by njbusa from New Jersey

Nov 04, 2023
 
Rated: 3.25 by RiceOwls27 from Texas

May 04, 2020
 
Rated: 3.93 by Boone757 from Virginia

May 23, 2019
Photo of jadpsu
Reviewed by jadpsu from Georgia

3.62/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
LOOK: Pours a slightly hazy pale straw yellow with an impressive all white head that has some solid retention and side glass lace.
AROMA: I get the rice, but with the bottle suggestion not sure I would have identified it as such. Hinto of some lemon rind, but not a lot else in the aroma department.
TASTE: Light, crisp, refreshing some lemon zest. Easy drinking.
Dry and mildly bitter at the finish.
May 22, 2019
Photo of HopBelT
Rated by HopBelT from Belgium

3.61/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Bottled feb. 2019, 5.5% ABV.
May 17, 2019
 
Rated: 3 by VaporDome from New York

May 03, 2019
 
Rated: 3.38 by tylerstravis from Colorado

Apr 21, 2019
 
Rated: 3.22 by bump8628 from Oklahoma

Mar 08, 2019
 
Rated: 3.64 by GarbageMan10 from Texas

Feb 19, 2019
 
Rated: 4.5 by pvibeer from Colorado

Nov 25, 2018
Photo of mothmanscott
Reviewed by mothmanscott from Georgia

4.07/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From notes 12/16/11: Pours an opaque straw yellow producing a huge, fluffy, loose, white head which leaves nice rings of lace as the beer is consumed. Aroma is mild grain, light fruits (especially banana and lemon), a touch of honey. Taste is similar but slightly sweet with pale malt up front that rapidly gives way to a yeast/hop bite and bitterness that lingers well into the aftertaste. Light, crisp, dry and refreshing!
Nov 13, 2018
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

3.81/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
12 ounce can into pint glass, canned on 6/19/2018. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy pale golden yellow color with a 2 finger fairly dense and rocky white head with awesome retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of cracker, rice, white bread dough, and lightly toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of lemon, pear, apple, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance of pale malt/rice and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with solid strength. Taste of cracker, rice, white bread dough, and lightly toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of lemon, pear, apple, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of cracker, rice, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, lemon, pear, apple, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice robustness and balance of pale malt/rice and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and minimal lingering hop astringency after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitterness and carbonation. Medium-high carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp, and bready/grainy/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.5%. Overall this is a very good American blonde ale. All around nice robustness and balance of pale malt/rice and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth, crisp, and refreshing to drink with the modestly bitter/drying finish. Great balance of clean pils malt/rice and earthy hops; with some restrained fruity yeast complexity. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.
Aug 25, 2018
Photo of Martin194
Reviewed by Martin194 from Iowa

3.09/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Look: Cloudy, very light gold (sort of like lemonade) with a fluffy white head.

Smell: Hints of rice, hops, a bit bready, some citrus notes, floral.

Taste: Grains, bread dough, very light but refreshing, with a slightly (pleasantly) bitter aftertaste.

Feel: Crisp finish. Dry mouthfeel after swallowing, normal carbonation,

Overall: Very drinkable beer, nothing to write home about but not offensive by any means.
Jul 26, 2018
 
Rated: 3.88 by mcthfg from Korea (South)

Jul 25, 2018
 
Rated: 3.1 by blissfulNemo from Michigan

Jul 02, 2018
 
Rated: 1.88 by Chilmer from Iowa

May 25, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by BennyProfane from California

May 22, 2018
Photo of BWED
Reviewed by BWED from Colorado

3.59/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz. can poured into shaker pint.

A- Hazy straw. Head is white and foamy. Retention is good. Little lacing.

S- Light, grassy, grainy. Hop aroma is earthy, a bit floral, and mildly fruity.

T- Light but decently flavorful. Slightly sweet and some light toast.

M- Body is light, with a crisp finish.

O- Mild, crisp. Though decent flavor.
Apr 22, 2018
Photo of hman43
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina

2.89/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75
Look: It pours light yellow, not quite clear with a large white head. Head retention is moderate.

Smell: It has a heavy rice aroma with some sweet grainy malt. Very low non distinct malt aroma.

Taste: It is heavy is rice as far as taste goes with some barley in the background. The hops flavors are hard to pick up as the rice dominates the flavor. There is a bit of low fruit in the background.

Feel: It has a light feel with a very low bitter aftertaste.

Overall, this is a beer that tastes like rice with a few background elements.
Mar 17, 2018
Samurai Ale from Great Divide Brewing Company
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 645 ratings