Inevitable Ale
ReaperAle

Inevitable AleInevitable Ale
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
ReaperAle
 
California, United States
Style:
American Blonde Ale
ABV:
7.1%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.65 | pDev: 9.86%
Reviews:
24
Ratings:
25
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 19, 2014
Added:
Feb 27, 2006
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
Strong Blonde/Golden Ale
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by IntriqKen:
Photo of IntriqKen
Reviewed by IntriqKen from California

3.65/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Crystal clear golden yellow topped with an impressive 2 finger off white head that melts to fine sticky lacing then disappears.
Aroma is sweet amber malt and passion fruit...maybe a touch of tangerine.
Taste is sweet candy malt that is immediately overwhelmed by citrus peel hops leaving a very sharp bite on the tongue.
Mouthfeel is tingly and smooth.
Light alcohol burn going down but nice lingering warmth as it spreads throughout your torso.
Very drinkable for such a high octane ale. Nice drying aftertaste that leads you to another swallow.
Oct 05, 2006
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by harpus from Alabama

Mar 19, 2014
Photo of magictrokini
Reviewed by magictrokini from California

3.01/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Dark orange pour with an off-white bubbly head. Floral aroma of hops, resin, caramel, and wood. Oily mouthfeel with nearly no carbonation. Orange, resin, pine, and malt mix well. Alcohol is masked well, only coming out as the beer warmed. More malty than expected, but an excellent IIPA.
Dec 16, 2008
Photo of RoyalT
Reviewed by RoyalT from Michigan

3.35/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance – This is a very cloudy brightish orange in color. It initially poured a good head but lacked retention.

Smell – The hops here are very light. I am getting a strange almost wheat kind of aroma with some lemon rind and spices that remind me of a Belgian Pale Ale. It’s not a bad smell just unexpected.

Taste – This again lacks almost any hop flavor yet is quite tasty. It shares the flavor profile more of a BPA than an APA. There is some light yeast and citrus with a nice malt base.

Mouthfeel – This is shy of medium-bodied but quite thirst quenching. It’s almost gritty on the tongue with almost no bitterness.

Drinkability – Well, this was way off style but went done good enough.
Jun 27, 2007
Photo of Westsidethreat
Reviewed by Westsidethreat from California

3.9/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A: Highly carbonated dull peachy/copper color with a sudsy off white soapy head.

S: Apricot, pina colada, mellow tangerine and maybe some strawberries.

T: Very fruity this one. Really a lot of “tutti fruiti” going on. Begins with honeysuckle mixed with corn pops and soaked with apricot preserves. Moves onto some bubble gum, white peach and dramatic kiwi fruit. At this point floral hops come to the front with pollen like spiciness. Finishes with a healthy amount of bitterness…not too much to confuse the flavors but enough to add depth. Interesting grassy notes linger in the aftertaste.

M: Medium body with a really full and creamy mouthfeel.

D: This beer actually reminds me a lot of a saison. Its really growing on me too. It’s a little sweet to be drinking a lot of, but 22ozes is just about right.
Mar 22, 2007
Photo of theopholis
Reviewed by theopholis from California

4.2/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance- Pours a light golden-amber with a failry small, off-white head. Very little head retention. Pretty decent lace.

Aroma- Lots of sweet maltiness. Some hints of caramel and floral hops. I'm kind of stuffy tho. There could be more in there. Smells pretty good.

Taste- Very nice. A semi-complex, subdued mix of malt sweetness, bittering and flavor hops. The after-taste is a bit odd, but not unpleasant. Not as hoppy as most American pale ales, but very nice. Some caramel or toffee overtones in the after-taste. It's so subdued, I can't really tell which it is.

Mouthfeel- smooth and pleasant. Body is average for the style. Carbonation level is very good. You get some nice CO2 bite right at the very tip of your toungue.

Drinkability- Pretty dag-gum good. I would consider this sessionable, but I'm a major hop-head. It's very well balanced, and nothing is overwhelming.
Feb 17, 2007
Photo of Dmann
Reviewed by Dmann from California

3.11/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
I was hoping this beer was better than other Reaper beers I've had, but it turned out to be just average. The pour was decent with a nice clean orange color and a small head that left nice spider web lace around the glass. The smell was a little off putting. Lots of sweetness but a nasty musty smell crept in and kind of ruined it. The taste was weird with sweet fruit notes, no hop flavors to speak of and a kind of sticky finish. Not too impressed with this one overall
Jan 09, 2007
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.68/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bright sunset gold with lemon drop edges. Several streams of miniscule bubbles lead up to a bleached bone white cap that picks up a slight yellowish tint from the beer beneath. The foam looks good as it deflates and deposits a lovely array of thick lace on the upper portion of the glass. Inevitable looks like a 'a Strong Blonde/Golden Ale', just like the brewery intended.

Frankly, the aroma could use a jolt of good Belgian yeast. A simple, neutral ale yeast strain just doesn't cut it in beer of this style since there's very little else present to provide olfactory interest. The nose is sweet and golden malty with the unmistakable scent of floral, mildly grassy, Saaz hops. Incidently, there's no way this is an APA.

I like Inevitable Ale, I just don't love it. My complaints about the aroma apply on the palate as well. The Reaper Ales website says that this beer 'closely resembles a blonde bock' (not really), 'has some chacteristics of a pre-Prohibition pilsner' (I wouldn't know), and 'has the strength of a malt liquor (I'll go along with that). I think Strong Golden Ale is the best description of all.

Speaking of alcohol... it's too prominent. Reaper beer is big beer, but the other offerings were able to hide the alcohol behind roasted malt (Mortality Stout) or hops (Sleighor Double IPA). Here, it's a little too 'in your face'. Since I sort of like the boozy sweetness of a well-brewed malt liquor (yes, they do exist), I like the boozy sweetness of this beer. I still can't decide if Liberty and Saaz were good choices or not though.

The body/mouthfeel, as on all beer from this brewery, is on the full side. These guys brew (or at least used to brew) big ales and offer no apologies for doing so. I love the wonderfully smooth, firm feel of this one. An Americanesque amount of bubbles works much better than a Belgianesque amount would have.

I'm finding that I like Inevitable Ale more and more as I enter the second half of the bomber. Unfortunately, it isn't quite enough to tempt me to bump the flavor score another half notch. This is my least favorite Reaper beer, but it's still a worthwhile purchase if you happen to run across a bottle. Hurry though, it looks like their days as a brewery are numbered. Thanks to Wasatch for allowing me to run the table on what I feel was an underrated SoCal brewery.
Jan 03, 2007
Photo of Wasatch
Reviewed by Wasatch from Colorado

3.97/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a golden yellow color, nice carbonation, nice foamy white head, nice lacing containing lots of islands. Scents of hops, sweet malts, citrus, grapefruit, and slight spices. The taste is sweet and hoppy, slightly tangy, with a nice dry finish. Medium body. Very drinkable, this is a nice twist on a Pale Ale, kinda beligian like charateristic's, definitely recommend.
Nov 11, 2006
Photo of sacfly
Reviewed by sacfly from Maryland

3.13/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
22oz, No bottle date. Served at RFD in DC
Pours a clear, very pale golden color with a thick head of white bubbles. Aroma is muted… very light citrus, lemon. Taste follows suite with a hint of apricot. Mild bitterness. Light to medium body. Easy to drink, but just not much here. I was shocked that this beer is 7.1% and still had such little flavor and mouthfeel. I’ll pass on this next time. It’s not offensive, but there are plenty of APA’s out there that will bring the goods better than this one.
Oct 02, 2006
Photo of russpowell
Reviewed by russpowell from Arkansas

3.85/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours bronze wit a 2.5 fingers white head. Pretty good head retention & slight lacing

S: Slight malt sweetness, then alcohol as it warms

T: Malt sweetness & honey with a faint citric hop smack up front. Alcohol burns as it warms. More malt sweetness & citrus taste follow. Finishes hoppy with a nice malt signature

MF: Medium body & lightlty carbonated, good balance

Drinks easy, nice clean, but hefty APA. Nothing earth shattering here, but worth a try...
Sep 14, 2006
Photo of BlindPig
Reviewed by BlindPig from Nevada

4/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A- Thin white head. Faded into very little lacing. Was a golden clear color.
S- European hops, floral, malt in back, some lighter fruits also.
T- This beer like others have said is a really unique beer. I for one really enjoyed it. Has a fruity flavor maybe bananas and some citrus hops. Bit of floral flavors come through too. The malt is very faint in background until it warms a bit then comes out a lot more and balances the beer very well. There is one flavor I can not pick out and I remember it from another beer (not of this style at all). Coats the tongue very nicely and has a nice little bitterness to it, that is also present in the after taste.
M- Medium carbonation, with a medium/full body. Crisp when first get it out of fridge then gets smoother as it warms.
D-I really like this beer truly unique (from my experience) and would love to be able to buy ReaperAle here which unfortunately I can not.
Sep 12, 2006
Photo of dhilltop2000
Reviewed by dhilltop2000 from Arizona

3.99/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Pours a hazy, pale golden color. Head is abundant at first, but then subsiding into a tight top layer over a large, sudsy bubbly bottom layer. Immediate aromas of lemony hops fill the air. Yumm. Tastes of clean, dry hops, lemon, grain and a hint candy. Good beer. Leaves a nice citrus/hop aftertaste memories of peach creme of oatmeal, but not to sweet or sugary. I could eagerly drink another.
Aug 23, 2006
Photo of bnutz
Reviewed by bnutz from California

3.11/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
This beer pours beautifully: a golden straw color with a good amount of head that lingers until you are almost finished with the glass.
There is an unusually skunky nose that once in the mouth reveals lots of great fruit flavors. Apricot preserves, tangerine peel overwhelm the mouth and persist on the finish, which hangs around awhile.
This is the kind of brew I think I'd have to be in the mood for. The overwhelming sensations are of skunky hops and fruit preserves- unusual for a pale ale- but great under the right circumstances.
Jul 09, 2006
Photo of blitheringidiot
Reviewed by blitheringidiot from Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Label states 7.1% ABV with the Grim Reaper eyeing up the book of souls.

This pours with a bright polished copper orange glow. Light hues a few scant bubbles rising to a settled khaki head cap that is a skim island on the surface.

Fruity blended scents of light peach and apple with a slight wheat like malt balance.

First swigs: Lightly fruity and a cream aspect. This reminds me of a touch of peaches an cream or like a peach oatmeal cereal. Dry and hopped with a decent amount of hops. A touch sugary with a thick tongue coating. Becomes a tad cloying in the finish.

Feel is foamy and frothy with a linger of residual sugars.

Last swigs: Lemon yogurt ale. Another lolipop beer. It's ok but not worth looking for. Another so-so Am Pale that is forgetable.

Beer is good. Happy (better) APA beering.
Jun 21, 2006
Photo of tonistruth
Reviewed by tonistruth from Nevada

4.13/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
A- clear straw color, off white two finger head, takes its sweet time settling, and leaves plenty of lace behind.

S- sweet, some kind of fruit scent in there, with a faint citrus scent in the background.

T- somewhat sweet and somewhat bitter, beer has a nice balance. Piney and citrusy hop flavor along with a crisp malt flavor (may be just a tad buttery). Malt flavor becomes very pronounced as the brew warms.

M- semi coarse, carbonation tickle when cooler, smooth with warmer. Both slightly sticky and dry throughout.

D- When the beer is warmer it makes for a very refreshing brew, when it cooler it has plenty of flavor to be enjoyable and drinkable. Very fun and complex offering, i hope to run into this again, and I hope that many others will enjoy this brew as well.
Jun 19, 2006
Photo of CarolinaCardinals
Reviewed by CarolinaCardinals from North Carolina

3.67/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Picked up a bomber at AJ's on Central for $3.99 in late February.

Beer poured a golden-orange with an OK head. Nose was nice as this is perfumed with a citrusy aroma. Taste starts off somewhat sweet and finished with a decent dose of hops. The first sip was very astringent in the finish. Mouthfeel is very lively and full for the style. Drinkability is pretty good although it is a bit more astringent than I prefer. This is worth a shot. The newer Reaper beers seem to be getting better than the earlier ones.
May 07, 2006
Photo of germaniac
Reviewed by germaniac from California

4.07/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured out a clear, shiny golden color. Lots of carbonation action, with plenty of foaming, frothing white head.

Yeasty and spicy smelling, with malt sweetness lingering just below the surface.

Starts with a crisp and clean hoppiness, then deepens into sweet malt thru the middle. The hops emerge towards the end for a mildly bittersweet sendoff. There's a tangy, woody, flavor overlaying everything, giving this brew some surprising complexity. Very drinkable, even weighing in at a tad over seven percent abv. This would be a great companion to a plate of spicy wings, or something along that line.

Prior to checking the database here on BA, I was leaning more towards classifying Inevitable Ale as some kind of twisted Blonde Bock. The parallels are still there, but there are too many style crossovers here to commit to just one label. Whatever it is, I like it.
May 03, 2006
Photo of scottoale
Reviewed by scottoale from California

4.2/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Wow, 22oz brown bomber with typical Reaper Ale graphics, pours a murkish gold with a white, bubbly foam 1/2inch head, that leaves thick, bubbly lace as you drink. It really looks like a Witbier, just not as murky.

Nice thick malty nose, with notes of dough, wheat, yeast and a strange sourness about it. Doesn't have much of a sweetness, nor a hop smell to it, different for sure. No real sign of alcohol in the smell either, yet it's fairly heathy ABV of 7.1% should yield something to the aroma... not to my sniffer though.

The taste however, is another story. Starts off malty but not sweet, then fills the mouth with a doughy, hearty, full malt roundness, with a yeasty twang and mild, and I do mean mild, hop bitterish finish. A very unique, complex ale that certainly grabs my attention in a most tasty manner...YUM !

Full bodied, with a balance that is nothing near sweet and a smooth, round mouthfeel, with the alcohol kicking in as it warms. I can definitely see this becoming one of my favorites and this is the first time I've seen this local brew. I think this is the BEST offering from reaper, no doubt.

Highly recommended, another nice, refreshing change from my usuals...Cheers !
Apr 30, 2006
Photo of Gueuzedude
Reviewed by Gueuzedude from Arizona

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
When poured vigorously into my tulip glass this beer produces a prodigious, 4-finger thick head that is frothy, and a creamy pale tan color. The beer itself is a brilliantly clear, light copper color. The aroma is hoppy up front with herbal notes and grass leading the way. A dry, malty note of toasted grain is also found up front in the aroma. When I delve in for a deeper draught of the aroma I start to get some hard, almost harsh herbal notes that almost remind me of dandelions or perhaps even a hint of urea. Some interesting aromas that I certainly was not expecting, could even be a bit off-putting if in the right context. I have yet to decide what the context of this beer is though, so on to the taste.

The taste is malty sweet, yet has a constant hop presence trying to keep it in check. The hops are certainly herbal, and even a bit astringent, with a lingering sharp bitter note in the finish. There are definitely notes here, especially in the malt, and even in the spicy smooth part of the hop profile, that make me think of a blond bock. Malty notes of honey, lightly toasted grain, along with a sweet graininess compete with the hops in this beer. The hops definitely win out, even more so because the hops can be a bit harsh at times. A bit of hot alcohol rounds out the finish

With all of my gripes about how harsh the hop character can be in this beer, I am actually enjoying this beer. I definitely like the malt component and there are certainly some nice parts of the hop profile. Even the harsh character is not enough for me not to enjoy this beer.
Apr 18, 2006
Inevitable Ale from ReaperAle
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 25 ratings