Holy Cow! Original Pale Ale | Big Dog's Draft House
Brewed by:
Big Dog's Draft House
Nevada, United States
bigdogsbrews.com
Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.60%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
Our original GABF Gold Medal-winning recipe! Brewed in the tradition of early West Coast ales, it is light amber with a distinctive Northwest hop character.
Added by UncleJimbo on 03-02-2004
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 31 | Reviews: 16
Reviews by Vigilante:
4/5 rDev +9%
Vigilante, Jul 26, 2013
More User Reviews:
3.23/5 rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
I had this on tap at the draft house in Las Vegas, NV. This is light amber/yellow/golden in color, strong hops smell and taste, not very complex, not much other flavor than hops, but pretty drinkable nonetheless. KK's comment was "yut" and DC had nothing to say. I stopped asking their opinions.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
I had this on tap at the draft house in Las Vegas, NV. This is light amber/yellow/golden in color, strong hops smell and taste, not very complex, not much other flavor than hops, but pretty drinkable nonetheless. KK's comment was "yut" and DC had nothing to say. I stopped asking their opinions.
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3.97/5 rDev +8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
this poured a clear golden/amber with a medium size bubbly white head. ok. the aroma was def. hoppy, think floral. crisp in the mouth with good carbonation, the taste is very similar to SNPA. good bitterness with a strong focus on the the hop character, once again this is very comparable to SNPA. solid and refreshing, hoppy but not overly so. overall, good.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
this poured a clear golden/amber with a medium size bubbly white head. ok. the aroma was def. hoppy, think floral. crisp in the mouth with good carbonation, the taste is very similar to SNPA. good bitterness with a strong focus on the the hop character, once again this is very comparable to SNPA. solid and refreshing, hoppy but not overly so. overall, good.
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3.83/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Surprisingly good blind-buy. Nice, shining, golden color—and, indeed, in many respects this nominal pale ale more resembles a golden ale or real Bohemian pilsner than a typical APA. The nose is a bit oddly funky, even slightly malodorous in a yeasty way (and I usually like all things yeasty or funky, when it comes to beer), but this is luckily followed in the flavor profile but a pleasant tinge of funky tartness, which foregrounds more flavors to come. And they come along subtly but satisfyingly: touch of grapefruit and lemongrass, some marjoram-like herbaceous textures, and a refreshing light-malty bite at the finish (which is the aspect most reminiscent of traditional European pilsners).
Definitely worth the sale price ($4 per bomber) that induced me to pick this up, but irrespective of the cost coefficient it's still a pushes the needle past where I'd suspected.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Surprisingly good blind-buy. Nice, shining, golden color—and, indeed, in many respects this nominal pale ale more resembles a golden ale or real Bohemian pilsner than a typical APA. The nose is a bit oddly funky, even slightly malodorous in a yeasty way (and I usually like all things yeasty or funky, when it comes to beer), but this is luckily followed in the flavor profile but a pleasant tinge of funky tartness, which foregrounds more flavors to come. And they come along subtly but satisfyingly: touch of grapefruit and lemongrass, some marjoram-like herbaceous textures, and a refreshing light-malty bite at the finish (which is the aspect most reminiscent of traditional European pilsners).
Definitely worth the sale price ($4 per bomber) that induced me to pick this up, but irrespective of the cost coefficient it's still a pushes the needle past where I'd suspected.
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3.75/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Served in a pint glass at The Draft House in Las Vegas.
A - Clear pale yellow coloration, lots of suds racing to the top. Thin bit of head that lasted a short while before disappearing.
S - Not a lot going on here, just a mildly sweet aroma, something like clementines.
T - Nice hop blast up front, but it quickly disappears and is washed away by a citrus wave. Fruity, but well balanced. Finish is mildly dry.
M - Sharp, crisp, thin bodied, almost feels like a lager.
D - Not bad at all, but nothing to get excited about either. Average APA with some nice characteristics, but it lacks something that could make it stand out. Decent session beer I suppose.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Served in a pint glass at The Draft House in Las Vegas.
A - Clear pale yellow coloration, lots of suds racing to the top. Thin bit of head that lasted a short while before disappearing.
S - Not a lot going on here, just a mildly sweet aroma, something like clementines.
T - Nice hop blast up front, but it quickly disappears and is washed away by a citrus wave. Fruity, but well balanced. Finish is mildly dry.
M - Sharp, crisp, thin bodied, almost feels like a lager.
D - Not bad at all, but nothing to get excited about either. Average APA with some nice characteristics, but it lacks something that could make it stand out. Decent session beer I suppose.
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3.2/5 rDev -12.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Poured on-tap at the Ale House in a pint glass. The beer has a lackluster gold coloring with a thin, filmy head. Smells of hops on initial sniff. The beer has flavors of bitter hops in the middle of the tongue, with a bitter, light aftertaste. The beer is smooth and sharp on finish, and maintains a light sensation in the mouth. Easy to drink, but the flavor is lacking.
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look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Poured on-tap at the Ale House in a pint glass. The beer has a lackluster gold coloring with a thin, filmy head. Smells of hops on initial sniff. The beer has flavors of bitter hops in the middle of the tongue, with a bitter, light aftertaste. The beer is smooth and sharp on finish, and maintains a light sensation in the mouth. Easy to drink, but the flavor is lacking.
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4.07/5 rDev +10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Copper in color and a very thin head. The aroma was very nice as the floral aroma was easily detectable. The flavor seemed to remind me of a slightly less hoppy SNPA. The malt and bitterness levels were well balanced and some very light fruitiness arrived late in the taste.
Medium bodied with decent carbonation levels. Smooth and mildly dry mouthfeel with a relatively clean finish. The bitterness lingered lightly for a brief moment after swallowing. Great drinkablility.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Copper in color and a very thin head. The aroma was very nice as the floral aroma was easily detectable. The flavor seemed to remind me of a slightly less hoppy SNPA. The malt and bitterness levels were well balanced and some very light fruitiness arrived late in the taste.
Medium bodied with decent carbonation levels. Smooth and mildly dry mouthfeel with a relatively clean finish. The bitterness lingered lightly for a brief moment after swallowing. Great drinkablility.
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3.83/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
On tap at the Draft House.
A: Served a golden color with a good head and nice lacing.
S: Aroma of citrus with fresh grain.
T: Taste is slightly sweet, with some malt and fresh grain. Nice bitterness and a dry finish.
F: Medium body, smooth and well balanced.
O: Easy drinker, good for a few. Nothing fancy here just a beer with a little character. Worth checking out if you're ever in Las Vegas.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
On tap at the Draft House.
A: Served a golden color with a good head and nice lacing.
S: Aroma of citrus with fresh grain.
T: Taste is slightly sweet, with some malt and fresh grain. Nice bitterness and a dry finish.
F: Medium body, smooth and well balanced.
O: Easy drinker, good for a few. Nothing fancy here just a beer with a little character. Worth checking out if you're ever in Las Vegas.
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3.55/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
On tap at Pizza Port Carlsbad
A: Golden color with a thin off white head.
S: Huge hit of wintergreen with a little weed in the background.
T: Some pretty big piny hops upfront with a little malt backing it. Not a terrible pale ale but not anything too special either.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
On tap at Pizza Port Carlsbad
A: Golden color with a thin off white head.
S: Huge hit of wintergreen with a little weed in the background.
T: Some pretty big piny hops upfront with a little malt backing it. Not a terrible pale ale but not anything too special either.
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4.3/5 rDev +17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Another awesome brew from Big Dog's that my buddy Dave in Vegas scored for me.
Pours a nice clean/clear golden yellow color, nice carbonation, very nice two-finger plus foamy white head, which settles down to some nice sticky lacing through out the drink. The nose is malty, hoppy, floral, slight citrus, with some caramel. The taste is slightly sweet, malty, with a nice bitter hoppy finish, and some caramel notes. Medium body. Very drinkable, a true gem to drink.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Another awesome brew from Big Dog's that my buddy Dave in Vegas scored for me.
Pours a nice clean/clear golden yellow color, nice carbonation, very nice two-finger plus foamy white head, which settles down to some nice sticky lacing through out the drink. The nose is malty, hoppy, floral, slight citrus, with some caramel. The taste is slightly sweet, malty, with a nice bitter hoppy finish, and some caramel notes. Medium body. Very drinkable, a true gem to drink.
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2.7/5 rDev -26.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
This came poured as a pale light gold color with a mild hop aroma. Medium hop flavor, but still light even for an APA. Nothing special, but very drinkable and crisp bubbly carbonation. Didn't get a lot of interesting flavors out of this one, but it went down pretty easily.
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look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
This came poured as a pale light gold color with a mild hop aroma. Medium hop flavor, but still light even for an APA. Nothing special, but very drinkable and crisp bubbly carbonation. Didn't get a lot of interesting flavors out of this one, but it went down pretty easily.
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3.83/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Sampled on tap at The Draft House.
This pale ale poured a clear, amber color (perhaps a touch of chill haze) with creamy, white foam that settled but left some lace. The smell was mild: malt and hops. The taste was malty with some bitter hops in the finish, and perhaps a bit of floral hops throughout. The mouthfeel was smooth with medium body and moderate carbonation. This was an easy to drink pale ale, with a rather modest flavor.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Sampled on tap at The Draft House.
This pale ale poured a clear, amber color (perhaps a touch of chill haze) with creamy, white foam that settled but left some lace. The smell was mild: malt and hops. The taste was malty with some bitter hops in the finish, and perhaps a bit of floral hops throughout. The mouthfeel was smooth with medium body and moderate carbonation. This was an easy to drink pale ale, with a rather modest flavor.
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3.24/5 rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at the draft house. Served in a 23 oz glass.
Pours a shiny pale gold color and is clear. Small frothy white head. Many bubbles are seen rising in the glass.
Smell is faint and hard to sense in the smokey pub.
Taste is fairly typical of the style. A hint of malt with a light pine and citrus flavor.
Mouthfeel is light and zippy. The beer is well carbonated.
A nice drinkable pale.
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look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at the draft house. Served in a 23 oz glass.
Pours a shiny pale gold color and is clear. Small frothy white head. Many bubbles are seen rising in the glass.
Smell is faint and hard to sense in the smokey pub.
Taste is fairly typical of the style. A hint of malt with a light pine and citrus flavor.
Mouthfeel is light and zippy. The beer is well carbonated.
A nice drinkable pale.
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3.59/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A hazy orange-yellow pour, visible carbonation and 2 fingers of fluffy white head causing great amounts of lacing.
Smells of metal, sweet malt and grassy/floral hops.
Taste is slightly bitter up front with lots of nutty sweetness from the grains. Slight metallic taste in the finish.
Medium body with a creamy mouthfeel, high amount of carbonation.
A nice pale ale from a brewery I didn't know existed! I'll have to check out some o their other bottled offerings for sure!
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look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A hazy orange-yellow pour, visible carbonation and 2 fingers of fluffy white head causing great amounts of lacing.
Smells of metal, sweet malt and grassy/floral hops.
Taste is slightly bitter up front with lots of nutty sweetness from the grains. Slight metallic taste in the finish.
Medium body with a creamy mouthfeel, high amount of carbonation.
A nice pale ale from a brewery I didn't know existed! I'll have to check out some o their other bottled offerings for sure!
472 characters
Holy Cow! Original Pale Ale from Big Dog's Draft House
3.67
out of 5
based on 31 ratings.