Cloudy Pale Ale
Stone & Wood
- From:
- Stone & Wood
- Australia
- Style:
- Hazy Pale Ale
Ranked #198 - ABV:
- 5.5%
- Score:
- 82
Ranked #34,167 - Avg:
- 3.5 | pDev: 14.57%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 6
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Oct 20, 2023
- Added:
- Jul 11, 2014
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 4
SCORE
82
Good
82
Good
[Formerly known as Cloud Catcher - name changed around May 2023]
If you’re a fan of our iconic Pacific Ale, it might be time to take the step up to Cloudy. Cloudy is our refreshing, modern Pale Ale with tropical, stone fruit aromas and flavours, a smooth mouthfeel and low bitterness and malt. It also pours with the beautiful golden haze you’ve come to expect from things brewed by our crew. Perfectly matched to the moments where the sun’s going down.
If you’re a fan of our iconic Pacific Ale, it might be time to take the step up to Cloudy. Cloudy is our refreshing, modern Pale Ale with tropical, stone fruit aromas and flavours, a smooth mouthfeel and low bitterness and malt. It also pours with the beautiful golden haze you’ve come to expect from things brewed by our crew. Perfectly matched to the moments where the sun’s going down.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by AzfromOz from Australia
3.94/5 rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.94/5 rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Birthday gift from the family in August 2023. Drunk in October 2023.
L: Bright, almost fluorescent lemon-yellow, with a thin, bubbly, bright-white head. Large-bubbled carbonation hustles up the glass.
S: Artificial lemon and soft fruits. The can says stone fruit and I could probably convince myself that that was there too.
T: Much more of the stone fruit, especially nectarine, in the mouth with that lemon note fading away.
M: Very soft and mild, with minimal carbonation, but suiting the soft stone fruit taste profile well.
O: The last beer of my seven-week period of travel and leave from work, and a nice, cruisy way to end the break. Pity about work tomorrow, though!
Cheers!
#329
Oct 18, 2023L: Bright, almost fluorescent lemon-yellow, with a thin, bubbly, bright-white head. Large-bubbled carbonation hustles up the glass.
S: Artificial lemon and soft fruits. The can says stone fruit and I could probably convince myself that that was there too.
T: Much more of the stone fruit, especially nectarine, in the mouth with that lemon note fading away.
M: Very soft and mild, with minimal carbonation, but suiting the soft stone fruit taste profile well.
O: The last beer of my seven-week period of travel and leave from work, and a nice, cruisy way to end the break. Pity about work tomorrow, though!
Cheers!
#329
Reviewed by StJamesGate from New York
3.71/5 rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.71/5 rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
On tap at Hagstravaganza 4, Ballymote, Sligo.
Deep gold; mild apricot, touch of toffee, mild tropical, yeasty dirt, and slight grass; almost medium.
4 3.5 3.75 3.75 3.75
For Ella + Galaxy, dull. Needs more hops. Shame.
Dec 18, 2018Deep gold; mild apricot, touch of toffee, mild tropical, yeasty dirt, and slight grass; almost medium.
4 3.5 3.75 3.75 3.75
For Ella + Galaxy, dull. Needs more hops. Shame.
Reviewed by doktorhops from Australia
3.45/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.45/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Can’t believe I haven’t crossed this Stone & Wood off the list – Cloud Catcher. I’ve reviewed 11 beers from Stone & Wood over the years, with Stone Beer, Willie Simpson Doppelbock, and of course: Pacific Ale being my highlights. I still rate the Pacific Ale, I know it’s a cruisey entry-craft beer, but what it does it does well and let’s face it: it has revolutionised the craft industry in Australia by casting an even wider net and bringing more and more people into what craft beer is all about: good times with good quality. As for Cloud Catcher – the 5.5% ABV version I’ve tried before and wasn’t impressed IIRC, however this is the new 5% ABV version bottled in 330ml bottles (as opposed to 500ml bottles) and given a core-range 6-pack status… should be alright then.
Poured from a 330ml bottle into a nonic pint.
A: Slight hazed golden body with a decent 2 centimetre white sea foam head that compresses leaving sticky lace inside the glass. Cloud Catcher looks alright hey, nothing amazing, just a good solid Pacific Ale look. 7/10.
S: Strong stone-fruit character from the off – bit of a peach/apricot combo, very much like original Pacific Ale… now I remember why I wasn’t a big fan of 5.5% Cloud Catcher – it was too similar to S&W’s own Pacific Ale (they really are flogging that horse aren’t they?). Other aromas include a dry cracker malt base, touch of passion fruit, and a light floral scent. 7/10.
T: Similar to Pacific Ale, however it has got its own character, as they say in Vietnam: “Same, same... but different”. It starts out with those peachy/apricot tones, mid-palate grainy note (that distracts/detracts), dry crackers, slight floral hint, finishes with a mild passion fruit sourness and a light herbal bitter note. That grain is distracting though – don’t remember Pacific Ale being grainy. 7/10.
M: Mid to light bodied, bit of spritz to the carbonation, tongue tingles with a big fizz, nothing OTT but noticeable and also distracting. 6/10.
D: Hmmmm, again, don’t know why Stone & Wood feel like they need 2 beers as similar as Cloud Catcher and Pacific Ale in their core-range when their core-range only consists of 5 beers (inc: Garden Ale, Jasper Ale, and Green Coast Lager). I do admire that Stone & Wood have always done things their own way (which is quite surfy/hippy being from Byron Bay – the surfy/hippy capital of Australia) however I feel like they could have gone a bit more IPA-with-a-twist here. 7/10.
Food match: My Greek cuisine recommendation for Pacific Ale rings true here too.
Sep 05, 2018Poured from a 330ml bottle into a nonic pint.
A: Slight hazed golden body with a decent 2 centimetre white sea foam head that compresses leaving sticky lace inside the glass. Cloud Catcher looks alright hey, nothing amazing, just a good solid Pacific Ale look. 7/10.
S: Strong stone-fruit character from the off – bit of a peach/apricot combo, very much like original Pacific Ale… now I remember why I wasn’t a big fan of 5.5% Cloud Catcher – it was too similar to S&W’s own Pacific Ale (they really are flogging that horse aren’t they?). Other aromas include a dry cracker malt base, touch of passion fruit, and a light floral scent. 7/10.
T: Similar to Pacific Ale, however it has got its own character, as they say in Vietnam: “Same, same... but different”. It starts out with those peachy/apricot tones, mid-palate grainy note (that distracts/detracts), dry crackers, slight floral hint, finishes with a mild passion fruit sourness and a light herbal bitter note. That grain is distracting though – don’t remember Pacific Ale being grainy. 7/10.
M: Mid to light bodied, bit of spritz to the carbonation, tongue tingles with a big fizz, nothing OTT but noticeable and also distracting. 6/10.
D: Hmmmm, again, don’t know why Stone & Wood feel like they need 2 beers as similar as Cloud Catcher and Pacific Ale in their core-range when their core-range only consists of 5 beers (inc: Garden Ale, Jasper Ale, and Green Coast Lager). I do admire that Stone & Wood have always done things their own way (which is quite surfy/hippy being from Byron Bay – the surfy/hippy capital of Australia) however I feel like they could have gone a bit more IPA-with-a-twist here. 7/10.
Food match: My Greek cuisine recommendation for Pacific Ale rings true here too.
Reviewed by heygeebee from Australia
2.82/5 rDev -19.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.75
2.82/5 rDev -19.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.75
The problem I am having with S&W is that I love - just love - their Pacific Ale, but the rest of their range I find lacking. A lot.
This seems more Golden Ale than APA and is the most watery beer I have had in a while. The rest is all sweet bland malts and subdued hops.
Miss
Oct 03, 2015This seems more Golden Ale than APA and is the most watery beer I have had in a while. The rest is all sweet bland malts and subdued hops.
Miss
Reviewed by Andrewharemza from Australia
4/5 rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Clear deep golden body, foamy white head. Nice hoppy aroma, ripe peach and apricot, tropical and citrus fruits, with biscuity malts underneath. Medium-full body, nice carbonation.
Jul 18, 2015
Reviewed by CrazyDavros from Australia
3.25/5 rDev -7.1%
3.25/5 rDev -7.1%
Pours deep amber with a small head.
Nose shows lychee, passion fruit and grassy hops along with some straw/hay malt characters.
Main flavours are cereal grains and cardboard-like malt. Some lychee and floral hops underneath.
Carbonation seems necessarily high.
Aug 20, 2014Nose shows lychee, passion fruit and grassy hops along with some straw/hay malt characters.
Main flavours are cereal grains and cardboard-like malt. Some lychee and floral hops underneath.
Carbonation seems necessarily high.
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