Great American Pale Ale
Sweetwater Tavern & Brewery

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From:
Sweetwater Tavern & Brewery
 
Virginia, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
5.75%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.71 | pDev: 10.51%
Reviews:
6
Ratings:
16
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 16, 2016
Added:
Aug 05, 2004
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by woodychandler:
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I liked this one as soon as I laid eyes on it. It had a beautiful deep copper color to it, along with a decent head and lots of carbonation in eveidence. It was very dry, both in the mouth and on the finish. It had a very citrus-like flavor, maybe grapefruit or some other tangy fruit, I just couldn't quite put my finger on it. The citrus lingered in the mouth, which was very enjoyable. I found it hard to believe that this is the one that they were calling an APA. Very nice!
Aug 05, 2004
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.77 by Boone757 from Virginia

Jan 16, 2016
 
Rated: 4.18 by Shane7

Jan 15, 2015
 
Rated: 3 by little_star from Illinois

May 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by ygtbsm94 from Utah

Oct 24, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by klesniew from Virginia

Oct 12, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Navalartichoke from Virginia

Sep 09, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by avisong from Virginia

Mar 02, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by GaryMarkle84 from Virginia

Oct 24, 2012
Photo of mdfb79
Reviewed by mdfb79 from New York

3.46/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
From 06/07/12 notes. They brought this to RFD for Lupulin.

a - Pours a deep amber red color with one inch of white head and low carbonation evident.

s - Smells of cascade hops, pine hops, mint, light fruit. Nice but very light and weak; would have liked more hops to come through.

t - Taste of cascade hops, pine , fruity malts, caramel malts, mink. Taste is better than the nose, and more hops to it.

m - Medium body and low carbonation. Pretty easy to drink.

o - Overall a pretty nice APA. Nose is a bit weak but the taste is much better, and it is very easy to drink. Would have it again.
Jun 20, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by nmann08 from Virginia

Jun 11, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by sobeleg from New York

Nov 26, 2011
Photo of Thorpe429
Reviewed by Thorpe429 from Illinois

3.62/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A: Pours a light copper with a single-finger white head and minimal lacing.

S: A good amount of grain with some fairly-hefty citrus hops backing it up.

T: Mostly dominated by malt; a bit of citrus bitterness comes through, but that's definitely the less-dominant portion of this.

M: Light-to-medium bodied; fairly smooth.

D: Nothing special like some of the other beers I've had at this location, but certainly nothing wrong with it either.
May 05, 2010
Photo of ultrasupergenius
Reviewed by ultrasupergenius from England

3.77/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5
This is an old stand-by for me, as I lived right down the street from Sweetwater in Merrifield for years. I've had it on tap and in the growler, and would generally get two growlers at a time of this beer if none of their seasonal beers looked good... or more often than not, one GAR Pale Ale, and one seasonal.

Coppery brown in color, with a slight haze. Foamy head, not long lasting, and a dull off-white tan color.

Slight bite of hops, but not huge on the IBUs. Overall, a very drinkable and enjoyable beer - what I would call an everyday drinker. Guests at my house would always be pleased with this as an offering, and I was often surprised at the bottled beers that would often get turned down in favor of this growler. Crowd pleaser.

If you find yourself in the area (or in Sterling, VA, where they have opened another Sweetwater) - by all means stop in. Great food as well (as was previously mentioned)... but be sure to give their beers a try. They are definitely capable of consistency - which I think is admirable in a small restaurant / brewery... and the fact that the GAR Pale Ale is consistently Good makes them all the better. I would drive an hour to an hour and a half for this beer.
Nov 10, 2009
Photo of alysmith4
Reviewed by alysmith4 from District of Columbia

3.66/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Ok, ok.. the house APA is great, but the food here is to die for! Anything from the warm dinner rolls served with ideal-temperature herb butter, to the succulently seasoned baby-back ribs- you won't be disappointed! And if you don't care for red-meat, go for the butter-roasted chicken. You'll leave feeling intoxicated, whether you have a brew or not.
Oct 25, 2005
Photo of LagerMan
Reviewed by LagerMan from Virginia

3.83/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
For a restaurant that I really don't like going to, the beers here are very nice to drink. I'm trying to expand my horizons from amber lagers to the pale & amber ales, and the Pale Ale at Sweetwater Tavern is a great beginning.

Nice golden/amber color, with a nice 1 1/2 finger head. Sweet/oakey smell, with a hoppy aftertaste. Lacing evident on the glass as I drank. One of the better brews I've experienced at Sweetwater; I'll probably order this one again if I ever go back.
Jul 20, 2005
Great American Pale Ale from Sweetwater Tavern & Brewery
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 16 ratings