LA-31 Bière Pâle | Bayou Teche Brewery

3.7/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A very pale ale with a solid malt backbone with evergreen and citrusy undertones and a boozy finish. Big head that diminishes quickly.
Very balanced and quite delicious.

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3.64/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a becher pint glass, the appearance was a semi-murky pale amber color with a finger's worth of white foamy head that slid off at a mild pace. Some stringy lace ran here and there.
The aroma had some biscuit clean malts, some sweetness and muted dried citrusy hops.
The flavor was moderately sweet with a drying hoppiness underneath. Bitterness seemed fairly displaced and it had a biscuit-like aftertaste.
The mouthfeel was between light and medium bodied with a fair sessionability about it. Carbonation felt fine. ABV felt appropriate. Finish leaned into the malts.
Overall, almost seemed like a cross between an English and an American pale ale. Maybe again.

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2.83/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

Bottle: Poured a dirty amber color ale with a large excessive foamy head with average retention and not much lacing. Aroma of dry caramel malt with fruity ester is OK. Taste is a messy mix of dry caramel malt with some fruity ester and light herbal hops with quite a bit of residual sugar. Body is full with excessive carbonation. I’m not even sure what to make of this beer but not something I will need to re-visit anytime soon.

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3.32/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

More malt than hop. Almost a pale amber. Many will like this beer for its obvious lack of hops in both the nose and on the palatemaybr this beer should be reclassified.

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4.41/5  rDev +26.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Taste develops from first opening til end of bottle, super fruity like driving in country spring day, slow and quiet enough to hear bees buzz, a fine one to turn French Canadians on to while visiting the region. Picked up at Whole Foods, ugh, have kombucha in three different places. The kind of beer that would be sold in biergarten at Willie Wonka’s factory. Mid life aroma, like a sophisticated perfume developed over many seasons in the heat. Sultry voice lays a heavy breath on back of neck, a whole other wave of aromatics as her hair dangles around your face, hitting olfactory delights seated in childhood candy shops, cloudy with a silt laden atmosphere waiting to spring into moss. Goes down easy as a nap in a hammock, next to a brook cooling the air with droning tribal chill upstream evaporating into natural air conditioning. Picking this up worth the work day trip to Whole Foods no matter how convoluted their shop is.
Part 2, Instacart took me to Whole Foods again, took a while to find it, as with everything else in that store, seems like it’s the same batch as earlier, a bit older tasting. The cap has a big role in the aroma and flavor drunk out of bottle. Whoever is making this seems like the kinda country Cajun chef who can make armadillo taste great and gator tail tender enough to eat with a minimum of dental care. Foam quiet as night on bayou where even the crickets and frogs know better than to make their presence known to the swamp folk who will use the former as a spicy batter addition when frying up the latter. Smells like a good old beer that someone in overalls would recognize as such, yet please the inner epicure responsible for the large belly despite lack of fast food and even grocery stores. Copper color precious like that of some treasured trinket kept under the bed in a special box by some kid who does not have tv to substitute for imagination. Grateful the fine people of Bayou Teche share this creole of sorts between modern west coast pale ale but with Belgian malts and German lager style Liberty hops.

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3.93/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Appearance - Good looking apa here. Pours a foggy deep golden amber color 3 fingers of foamy off white head and lively carbonation replenishing that head very well. almost couldn't ask for more.

Aroma - Aroma's of grapefruit, pineapple lemon rind and a hint of orange up front, followed closely by some sweet caramel malt and strong bready malt on the back end.

Taste - Grapefruit and orange and pineapple head up this beers flavor profile and are followed by salted caramel and some cracker malt on the back end. The malt and hops are balanced beautifully here. This beer really comes together.

Feel - Medium bodied and spritzy with a very crisp finish. Not bad for this style.

Overall - This was my first beer from this brewery or the state of Louisiana and I've gotta say I'm pretty impressed. I would love to try an IPA from them as this was superbly balanaced and drtinks super easy. Definitely worth the try!

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3.5/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Cloudy orange/apricot colored pour with a white one-finger head. Mild malty aroma. Big flavor with a nice balance of bready malt and herbal and spicy hops. Medium bodied. Finishes with some biscuit and spicy hop flavor.

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3.94/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Veiled golden color with weak activity. Thick white 2 finger head, lasting around 10 minutes, with some sticky legs.

Aromas of caramel, sweet grains, and a floral bouquet. Flavors of strong roasted grains, caramel, lemon, orange, floral and herbal spices. Nice sweet bready feel with a pleasant sharpness.

Slick medium to heavy body with perfect carbonation. Medium strength finish ending with sugary roasted malt, slightly spicy, lemony and a lingering biscuity feel.

Overall a very good craft offering complex tasty flavors, good freshness, well intensified and balanced. I really enjoyed the malt quality and the nice bread taste it produce.

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3.6/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Golden Amber. Minimal head. Minimal lacing.

Smell hints of floral. But not a strong smell overall.

Taste is almost overpoweringly metallic. Almost, but not quite. Finishes well. A complex taste from start to finish.

Feel is good for the style, but not great. A little light.

I like this beer a lot, but I don't love it. Not my favorite APA, but I would still drink it again, and moreover, enjoy it.

Cool label, cool bottle cap. More power to breweries from states like LA. The south needs more craft breweries. Keep up the good work, gents.

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3.29/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Pours amber with a thin head. Some lacing sticks.

The smell is of caramel. A bit of metallic herbal notes.

The taste is of caramel, some candy and a touch of metallic floral/herbal notes. Leans malty. The subtle, floral hops almost clash.

Lighter-side of the APA spectrum.

Something about it almost clashes, as noted above. Mild caramel with some herbal notes. Even if I wanted a malt-leaning APA, I doubt I would choose this one (unless it was a limited selection.) The overall character didn't make me want more than the one.

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3.91/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle with pry-off cap poured into a pint glass. Best By date of 04/04/2015

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazy amber with 1 finger of head

Smell: Mild notes of caramel, toffee and some slight floral hop aromas

Taste: Similar to the aroma but stronger with an underlying hop bitterness

Mouthfeel: Medium with a crisp finish

Overall: A great pale ale for someone looking for balance. All the right notes are here including some caramel malt flavors, hop bitterness, and some yeast esters all with a good clean finish. Pairs very well with LA cuisine. A solid offering, but this will seem underwhelming to those who prefer the highly hopped APAs.

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3.32/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Appearance: clear orange in color with a short 1/4" head thats breaks down quickly.

Smell: light caramel and a hint of floral hops are soft on the nose.

Taste: caramel, orange citrus, and a mild floral hop presence are the main flavors. Very simple and straight forward pale ale.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer. Lightly crisp throughout. Relatively clean aftertaste.

Overall: a mild pale ale that won't overly excite you but it is mildly refreshing.

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3.58/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a dark golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is kind of malty, a bit of hops. Taste is light and refreshing. Well balanced bready malts and piney hops. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall an easy drinking and quality beer.

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3.21/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Amber color with a thick beige head with medium retention.
Mild aroma of caramels, bread and yeast.
Flavor with notes of caramels, herbal hops, papaya, butterscotch, spices and yeast. Just a hint of pine that gets stronger once it warms up. Dry aftertaste with a medium bitterness.
Light to medium body with appropriate carbonation.
A malty English Pale Ale going towards an Amber, don't expect an APA with citrus flavor and its bitterness.
Ap.3.5 Ar.3 Sab.3,25 Sens.3,25 Cj.3,25

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3.5/5  rDev +0.6%

Served on draft in a shaker pint glass.

Dark copper in color, white head. Earthy hop and sweet malt aroma. A bit of caramel in the taste, herbal hops, okay flavors . Medium body and carbonation.

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3.71/5  rDev +6.6%

Poured from the bottle into a stemless wine glass. Best by Nov 16th 2014.

Lots of cola sticking bubbles on the sides of the glass. A white simple head of three fingers forms, but disappears quickly into a thick bubbly collar and thin puck. Body color is a cloudy orange amber, somewhat hazy as well.

An interesting perfume and floral sweetness, coupled with a mild sugar brown sweetness. Kind of minimal and not really that impressive, but a good decent malt backbone aroma. A little bit of sweet clove character as well. A bit subdued.

Palate hits interestingly. Aftertaste has a good thick caramel finish, with a hint of pine like hop and coating. Mild sense of treacle and molasses, with a tight and crispy like finish. An interesting balance and almost toffee crisp but fleeting, with a good thick and controlled coat in the palate, hitting every crevice of the palate.

Overall seems disappointing at first, but actually improves. Worth exploring, and a for a second drink someday.

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3.02/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

I saw LA 31 at a liquor store in Florida and it intrigued me. I was excited to try it, but the excitement left when I opened the first bottle. The beer had a good smell and look, but it's taste was lacking. The initial taste was decent but the after tast was no good. It was too bitter. Overall, it was a decent beer but I would not buy it again.

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3.48/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle. Pours a translucent golden yellow color with an inch of thick head. Lots of lacing. The aroma is cut grass with a hint of pine and honey. Some bready malts. The taste is the malts with some honey and some grass. Pine hops and cut grass towards the end with a cereal finish. More malt flavor than hops. Mouthfeel is slightly creamy. Fairly drinkable. Overall, not a bad beer but nothing special. No need to buy this one again.

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3.77/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

On tap in Brookhaven GA.
Flavor: Has a nearly equal malt/hop balance. Rather malty for style although the hops come out in the finish and aftertaste.

Feel: Medium body and carbonation.

O. More like a brown ale than an APA. Well crafted if unexceptional.

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3.23/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Pours a mild amber color with a golden hue and thick white head into my glass. I don't think that I've any of their offerings.

Just a touch of pine bitterness in the nose. Not much else to write about.

Drinks like an English pale ale. Buttery malt but with enough bitterness to differentiate it from such.

Sweet, buttery malt lines the back of the throat.

It's certainly drinkable. Not sure if I'd pick it up again though.

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3.58/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a bottle into pint glass. Thank you shan8454 for this one.

Appearance: Golden amber with a thin white head. No lacing on the glass.

Smell: Hops, citrus.

Mouthfeel/Taste: Smooth medium bodied. Bitter hops and pine notes. Some mild citrus.

Overall: Good brew. Glad I got to try this one out.

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3.77/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

LA 31 Bier Pale at the Bayou Burger bar in NOLA served in a goblet!

The beer is a dark copper with a clingy tan-beige head.

Beer has an aroma of caramel, nuts and spice. I found it inviting and fresh.

Taste is mildly bitter with lots of sweet malts. Slightly nutty with some low levels of spice and citrus. I like how this one hangs together.

The mouth is good. Nice carbonation over a medium body.

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3.9/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Dogfish Spiegelau glass. No freshness date.

A- Pours a light amber color with a 1/2 inch off-white head that retains well before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a full sheet of surface foam. Resilient lacing trickles down the glass leaving clots of lacing behind.

S- Sweet cereal grain from the malt, mild hop aroma and a surprising amount of effervescence. Also an odd buttery smell as multiple sniffs are taken.

T- Good balance between the malt and hops with a pleasant bittersweet duality. Very drinkable but I don't know if it's a given that it's like that since there's no ABV listed.

M- Has a crisp bite with medium carbonation and a body leaning toward the lighter side.

O- I don't know why this beer has such a low score. Yeah, it doesn't have that "wow" factor, but it's a decent pale ale with plenty of good qualities.

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3.62/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is relatively clear yellowish amber in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a half finger high off white head that died down, leaving a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and lots of lacy rings of bubbles down the sides of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of herbal hops and biscuit malts are present in the nose. It becomes a little maltier as the beer warms up.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of biscuit hops along with notes of earthy yeast and hints of herbal hops, the latter of which also contribute a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little dry on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I found this beer to be rather interesting as it's quite different compared to typical American Pale Ales and seems a little reminiscent of a Bière De Garde.

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3/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75

First off, this is way more English pale ale than American to me. There is a minimal hop influence that should be a good bit more. I'm not talking that I want an obnoxious slap to the mouth. I just want something. Or, something more. Nice toasted tone to it, if I'm going to be positive about something.

This was an expensive single, even by NYC standards. I would expect more for the price. Though I am happy to support a brewery out of a state that doesn't have a robust brewing scene.

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