Pale Ale
Santa Cruz Ale Works

Pale AlePale Ale
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From:
Santa Cruz Ale Works
 
California, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
77
Avg:
3.11 | pDev: 13.5%
Reviews:
14
Ratings:
20
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 04, 2015
Added:
Feb 28, 2008
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by OBeerMeGreatOne:
Photo of OBeerMeGreatOne
Reviewed by OBeerMeGreatOne from California

3.6/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pours a deep hazy amber. Huge head with not so great lace. It smells good, but a little sweet. There are a lot of pale malts right up front, with vanilla. The background has a little bit o' hops, but not that much.
The taste follows suit. A very malty APA. Not bad, but a little thin and highly carbonated. I will say that I liked it, but it certainly doesn't quite follow the style. Still very tasty.
Feb 06, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.3 by Spaceman_Jer from Colorado

Apr 04, 2015
 
Rated: 2.99 by CFH_101Proof from California

Oct 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by brywhite from California

Sep 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Cubro from California

May 29, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by Pugs78 from California

Nov 01, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by dbrauneis from North Carolina

Dec 26, 2011
Photo of flexabull
Reviewed by flexabull from California

3.25/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Part of a wedding gift from someone who knows what I like. Thanks again!

Pours a slightly hazy bright gold color with a big off white head. (head is actually a litlle too big)

Aromas are of citrus hops, grapefruit, and some caramel. It's kind of faint though.

Taste is light, with light caramel malt flavors and some brewed tea. Finish has hints of hops, some citrus, and like the nose, it's graptefruit, and kind of an odd yeasty sweetness on the finish.

Mouthfeel is ok, but feels too thin.

This is a decent pale ale, but it needs more body and flavor to be good.
Oct 02, 2010
Photo of JBogan
Reviewed by JBogan from California

3.18/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Pours an amber color with a creamy and long lasting one finger off white head fed by a good amount of slowly rising bubbles.

The aroma is of caramel malt with a slight citrus note.

The taste is also of caramel malt, although very subdued. There's a very slight hop bitterness at the finish. It's not a bad tasting beer, but it's so muted that it almost seems watered down.

Mouthfeel was slippery and on the thin side. It's a shame because the beer is so nice to look at and it appears it's going to be thick and velvety going down but that's not the case.

This brew is just a little too restrained in the taste department for my liking. There's nothing "wrong" with this beer, but other than the appearance there's nothing exceptional about it either.
Feb 13, 2010
Photo of bulletrain76
Reviewed by bulletrain76 from California

3.68/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22oz bottle. Clear red-amber with a frothy head. Crisp, hoppy aroma with lots of citrus and pine. Malty, hoppy and drinkable at the same time. Toasty and caramel malt flavors. Very up-front and bitter hops for a pale ale, but not too much to get in the way. Nice balance on the whole. Lighter body with medium carbonation is very drinkable. A Very solid american pale ale, but hop profile could be tweaked a little to make it amazing.
Nov 10, 2009
Photo of DrScotch
Reviewed by DrScotch from California

2.12/5  rDev -31.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Solid, big bubbled head sits atop a nice copper coloured ale, but that's about where it ends.

Overly sharp smelling, switching between grapefruit and pine, with a background of yeast. Kinda like the 2nd day of my homebrew fermentations. After the fourth or fifth sip, the aroma becomes downright unpleasant.

Thin in the mouth, little character, no interesting malt flavour, minimal bitterness, any hop flavour is beaten to death by the pinesol flavours...

Pretty darn disappointing, and I'm sorry to say that this will prejudice me agains trying any other SC Ale Works brew...
Oct 08, 2009
Photo of RedBrewer83
Reviewed by RedBrewer83 from Oregon

2.71/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
A: Pours a golden amber hue with a half inch head that quickly dissipated. Decent lacing, but nothing to write home about.

S: Faint aromas of grapefruit and pine that give way to sweet malt. Not as big a nose as I would like, pretty muted.

T: A little more pronounced than the nose, starts with grapefruit and very faint orange that gives way to pine and finally a little caramel nuttyness in the finish. Flavor drops off fairly quickly, doesn't linger long at all.

M: Less than a medium body, a little too thin and yet a little more carbonation than I care for. Finishes pretty dry.

D: Fairly drinkable, dryness in the mouthfeel keeps you drinking more...maybe that's their plan?

Overall: Decent Pale Ale, but certainly not one of my favorites and will hesitate when reaching for another Aleworks brew....
Jul 16, 2009
Photo of Spikester
Reviewed by Spikester from Oregon

3.07/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pale amber with a huge off white head. Good amount of lacings. Aroma is malty with some floral hops. Taste is malts, some minor hops, and an overall sweet finish. Some orange grapefruit with a medium dry finish. Overall a prety good organic pale ale.
Feb 24, 2009
Photo of HalfFull
Reviewed by HalfFull from California

2.65/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Pours a golden copper from a 22 oz. bomber into a pint glass. A half inch of robust head sticks around for a while, then settles in to offer some decent lacing through the pint.

Smell is a mix of hops and light malts, and a bit reminiscent of a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, at least initially.

Taste is similar yet finishes a bit short and with a hint of soap and dry smoke. A bit drying in the feel, this beer surrenders itself in the end, yielding that orange oil odor of a Firestone Pale Ale as the carbonation lessens. A bit of chalkieness in the taste detracts from the feel and finish of the beer.

My first foray into the brews of Santa Cruz Ale Works, and likely my last.
Dec 27, 2008
Photo of magictrokini
Reviewed by magictrokini from California

3.3/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pours clear copper with a medium white head. Metallic malt and hops aroma with some grass and oranges. Crisp taste with more hops than usual for an APA, but retains a nice malt and grain backbone. RunDWP is right: for being so bitter, this is still a smooth drink. Liked this better than their IPA.
Dec 16, 2008
Photo of Offa
Reviewed by Offa from California

2.98/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
This is a decent, standard West Coast/US pale ale.

It looks good, amber with a very large, off-white head, slowly shrinking, and leaving a little lace.

The aroma is quite fruity, with citrus, pear, grapefruit, hint of flowers and caramelized fruit, juice.

The taste is faint caramelized fruit, under stronger grapefruit, vague hints of other citrus, pine and grain, sweet with a lightly bitter finish. It's rather basic, vague and has little happening other than the caramelly grapefruit-grain.
Sep 23, 2008
Photo of rkuhnel
Reviewed by rkuhnel from California

3/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
From a 22 oz bottle purchased from the North Coast Coop in Arcata, CA this poured a rich reddish amber color with a very foamy white head and lots of lacing rings as it slowly settled. Nose is very much of floral and piney hops. Smells more like an IPA. Mouthfeel is medium. Flavor is dominated by bitterness, and it is excessively so. Finish is also bitter. While I love IPAs and ordinarily like the bitterness, this was in some respects not something i liked a great deal. This would be a
Sep 03, 2008
Photo of seanbhudson
Reviewed by seanbhudson from California

2.61/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Appearance: Cloudy amber orange with a huge off white bubbly head that dissipates very slowly.

Smell: Piney hops, apricot and a little soap

Taste: Starts slightly sweet, then pick up some malts and finishes bitter. I taste caramel and an astringent grapefruit at the finish.

Mouthfeel: Relatively dry with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability: The beer is not bad while you are drinking it but finishes with a very astringent bitter. I am wondering if I had a bad batch, the head was out of control and it had an astringent taste.
Jul 28, 2008
Photo of Dukeofearl
Reviewed by Dukeofearl from California

3.15/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Price not listed, but picked up at BevMo in Redlands, CA. in June, 2008. 22 ounce bomber.

Pours a medium golden orange, with a thin but decent head.

Aroma of sharp astringent hops, malt profile very low, and not much else.

Flavor is mostly about a sharp sour weedy hop profile with minimal malt base. No fruitiness, no sweetness, no real complexity.

Moderate to strong carbonation. Easily drinkable, but there's not much going on here. Not grabbing me.
Jul 04, 2008
Photo of illidurit
Reviewed by illidurit from California

3.54/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a pint glass. Copper in color, with a finger and a half of white head. The foam settles to a ring a bit too quickly, and there's no lacing.

Aroma is very hoppy, with sweet, pungent, floral notes. Malt is subdued and grainy.

Flavor starts out with a toasty malt note, but quickly fades into a rather standard hop bitterness. Quite average for a west coast pale ale. A little soapiness in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is fine, with appropriate carbonation and dryness. Easy to quaff and adequately refreshing.
Mar 14, 2008
Pale Ale from Santa Cruz Ale Works
Beer rating: 77 out of 100 with 20 ratings