Pale 31 California Pale Ale | Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Brewed by:
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
California, United States
firestonewalker.com
Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.90%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by Todd on 08-23-2002
Ratings: 1,955 | Reviews: 569
4.16/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a pint glass.
A: Clear golden yellow with two-finger, off-white, creamy head that lasted a long time and left a nice film. Great lacing.
S: Bright citrus aroma. Caramel malt.
T: Light to moderate sweetness and light bitterness. Bready and toasted malt. Citrus hops. Matches the nose.
M: Medium bodied with soft carbonation. Very smooth.
O: I really like this pale ale. It looked phenomenal, and tasted really good too.
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look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a pint glass.
A: Clear golden yellow with two-finger, off-white, creamy head that lasted a long time and left a nice film. Great lacing.
S: Bright citrus aroma. Caramel malt.
T: Light to moderate sweetness and light bitterness. Bready and toasted malt. Citrus hops. Matches the nose.
M: Medium bodied with soft carbonation. Very smooth.
O: I really like this pale ale. It looked phenomenal, and tasted really good too.
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3.98/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
I've been enjoying indulging in the Firestone Walker lineup lately. Next up, Pale 31. Enjoyed in my Firestone Walker tulip glass. Review is from notes.
Appearance (4.25/5): An aggressive pour yields a thick and creamy two-finger white head. Copper-yellow colored beer, clear, tons of spider web lacing on the sides of the glass as the head dissipates. Good retention. Holding the beer up to the light, it turns a bright dandelion yellow color. Very nice looks for the style.
Smell (3.75/5): Big green hoppy lemony aroma. Fresh and slightly sweet, slightly grassy, and quite citrusy. Light malt does a nice job of cutting through. Outsized nose for a beer of this strength.
Taste (4/5): ...And outsized flavor for a beer of this strength! Very lemony, citrusy, and grassy green from the hops. Light and sweet pale maltiness makes itself known, adding some nice backbone to the beer. This is a hop-forward APA, for sure. Firestone really squeezed a lot of flavor out of this one–much better than some beers I've had modeled on a similar concept, Green Flash's Extra Pale Ale, for instance.
Mouthfeel (4.25/5): Nice light body, beautiful medium-high carbonation. Nice and prickly on the tongue. Quality dryness. The mouthfeel on Pale 31 really makes it a great easy-drinking, session-type beer. You could easily have 3 or 4 of these and not get tired of them.
Overall (4/5): Pale 31 has a lot going for it: easy-drinking, refreshing, and very flavorful given its ABV. Not too expensive for a sixer, at least by Chicago standards–$10.99 for a six-pack. I would recommend this beer to anyone looking for a hop-forward beer that they want to "session". Can't go wrong with this one for the purpose. Probably even better in the summer.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
I've been enjoying indulging in the Firestone Walker lineup lately. Next up, Pale 31. Enjoyed in my Firestone Walker tulip glass. Review is from notes.
Appearance (4.25/5): An aggressive pour yields a thick and creamy two-finger white head. Copper-yellow colored beer, clear, tons of spider web lacing on the sides of the glass as the head dissipates. Good retention. Holding the beer up to the light, it turns a bright dandelion yellow color. Very nice looks for the style.
Smell (3.75/5): Big green hoppy lemony aroma. Fresh and slightly sweet, slightly grassy, and quite citrusy. Light malt does a nice job of cutting through. Outsized nose for a beer of this strength.
Taste (4/5): ...And outsized flavor for a beer of this strength! Very lemony, citrusy, and grassy green from the hops. Light and sweet pale maltiness makes itself known, adding some nice backbone to the beer. This is a hop-forward APA, for sure. Firestone really squeezed a lot of flavor out of this one–much better than some beers I've had modeled on a similar concept, Green Flash's Extra Pale Ale, for instance.
Mouthfeel (4.25/5): Nice light body, beautiful medium-high carbonation. Nice and prickly on the tongue. Quality dryness. The mouthfeel on Pale 31 really makes it a great easy-drinking, session-type beer. You could easily have 3 or 4 of these and not get tired of them.
Overall (4/5): Pale 31 has a lot going for it: easy-drinking, refreshing, and very flavorful given its ABV. Not too expensive for a sixer, at least by Chicago standards–$10.99 for a six-pack. I would recommend this beer to anyone looking for a hop-forward beer that they want to "session". Can't go wrong with this one for the purpose. Probably even better in the summer.
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4.2/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.
All the rest have 31 and seem to be getting drunker by the day... ...Wow, sorry... Anyway, this stuff pours a clear brass topped by a finger if lightly off-white foam. The nose comprises bright grapefruit zest, light orange zest, light honey, and a bristling of pine needles. The taste brings in more of the same, with the citrus blending together into a tasty little tropical smoothie, the parts indistinguishable from the whole. In a good way. The body is a rather light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fluid feel. Overall, a very nice pale ale, highly drinkable and even more highly enjoyable. Good times.
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look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.
All the rest have 31 and seem to be getting drunker by the day... ...Wow, sorry... Anyway, this stuff pours a clear brass topped by a finger if lightly off-white foam. The nose comprises bright grapefruit zest, light orange zest, light honey, and a bristling of pine needles. The taste brings in more of the same, with the citrus blending together into a tasty little tropical smoothie, the parts indistinguishable from the whole. In a good way. The body is a rather light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fluid feel. Overall, a very nice pale ale, highly drinkable and even more highly enjoyable. Good times.
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4.01/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A: It is a golden yellow/orange with a lace white head.
S: The is a nice subtle hop aroma with some caramel notes to it.
T: The is a nice sharp hop flavor. There is a dry Belgian character that adds nice flavored to the secessionible beer.
M: Very thin and has a great carbonation bite.
O: Good, not great. Get it if you can but there are better pale ales out there.
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look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A: It is a golden yellow/orange with a lace white head.
S: The is a nice subtle hop aroma with some caramel notes to it.
T: The is a nice sharp hop flavor. There is a dry Belgian character that adds nice flavored to the secessionible beer.
M: Very thin and has a great carbonation bite.
O: Good, not great. Get it if you can but there are better pale ales out there.
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4/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
(Served in a tulip glass)
Bottled on 12/17/12
A- This beer pours a crystal clear deep copper body with a slow carbonation that trails up to a sticky antique white head that fades to a thick ring.
S- The pale green hops have a papery but pungent aroma to them.
T- The hint of sweetness to the pale malt stays soft even though the pale malt flavor grows and some hints of toasted malt come though in the background. There is a full pale green papery hop flavor in the finish that has a mellow pungency in the dry finish.
M- The medium-light mouthfeel has a nice gentle fizz and no alcohol heat.
O- This beer has a nice fresh malt flavor that grows to over take the hop flavor. This beer is very sessionable and it would be nice to try this on cask to see if more nuances come out.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
(Served in a tulip glass)
Bottled on 12/17/12
A- This beer pours a crystal clear deep copper body with a slow carbonation that trails up to a sticky antique white head that fades to a thick ring.
S- The pale green hops have a papery but pungent aroma to them.
T- The hint of sweetness to the pale malt stays soft even though the pale malt flavor grows and some hints of toasted malt come though in the background. There is a full pale green papery hop flavor in the finish that has a mellow pungency in the dry finish.
M- The medium-light mouthfeel has a nice gentle fizz and no alcohol heat.
O- This beer has a nice fresh malt flavor that grows to over take the hop flavor. This beer is very sessionable and it would be nice to try this on cask to see if more nuances come out.
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3.98/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
12oz, bottled 12/17/12. Pours a brilliant, crystal clear golden with a frothy, white head, good retention, amazing thick sticky lacing on the glass. Aromas are floral hops, citric, plenty of grassy hop, biscuity malt in the background but hops dominate the nose. Tastes are grassy hop, floral, biscuity malt, lemongrass, so freshly dry hopped, moderate bitterness with some astringency on the finish. Thin-to-medium bodied, ample carbonation. Overall, not my favorite choice for hops, but they make it work with this well-crafted American Pale Ale.
After reviewing this beer I went to FWBC's website. I am very surprised to see the hops are Fuggle, Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook. Some of my favorites. This is why I love beer - so many different ways to accentuate flavors.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
12oz, bottled 12/17/12. Pours a brilliant, crystal clear golden with a frothy, white head, good retention, amazing thick sticky lacing on the glass. Aromas are floral hops, citric, plenty of grassy hop, biscuity malt in the background but hops dominate the nose. Tastes are grassy hop, floral, biscuity malt, lemongrass, so freshly dry hopped, moderate bitterness with some astringency on the finish. Thin-to-medium bodied, ample carbonation. Overall, not my favorite choice for hops, but they make it work with this well-crafted American Pale Ale.
After reviewing this beer I went to FWBC's website. I am very surprised to see the hops are Fuggle, Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook. Some of my favorites. This is why I love beer - so many different ways to accentuate flavors.
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3.07/5 rDev -20.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Bottled 15NOV12
Golden with a loose quilt of light cream foam. Smells of grapefruit, grass, light caramel malts, some sweet malts - a touch of lactose. Flavor is bready, bitter (lightly), hints of grapefruit pith, some pine and a touch of woody malts. Light body with low carb and a semi dry finish. Decent beer, nothing special.
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look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Bottled 15NOV12
Golden with a loose quilt of light cream foam. Smells of grapefruit, grass, light caramel malts, some sweet malts - a touch of lactose. Flavor is bready, bitter (lightly), hints of grapefruit pith, some pine and a touch of woody malts. Light body with low carb and a semi dry finish. Decent beer, nothing special.
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Pale 31 California Pale Ale from Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
3.86
out of 5
based on 1,955 ratings.
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured two fingers of head on a medium straw colored body.
The aroma is a wonderful mix of pine, whole cone hops and honey.
The taste starts with mild sweetness and then goes to pine bitterness. The transition is abrupt.
The texture is soft with some fizz.
An enjoyable and drinkable ale at a low ABV.
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