.394 San Diego Pale Ale
AleSmith Brewing Company

This is not a typical modern pale ale. Actually when this beer was first brewed, it was already a throwback to 20 years prior when pale ales tasted more like an English Bitter than a "Light IPA" as I would describe the modern style.

Honestly, I feel like the modern version is a lot easier to drink. This one drinks like a much stronger beer than it actually is. It almost tastes more like an East Coast style IPA, like Bell's Two Hearted Ale or Founders' Centennial IPA.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, if you want a beer that challenges you. The flavors here are good, just a little more intense than your average pale ale.

Pours an almost metallic orange amber color with a beige head of fine foam. Nice retention for a medium bodied beer.

Aromas of toasted walnuts, molasses, orange zest, sourdough bread crust, brown pear, white plum and a hint of juicy yellow grapefruit with a pinecone finish. Honestly, the best part of this beer is smelling it.

The malt comes though significantly louder than the hops here, with lots of bread crust and nutty grainy character. Hints of fruit come through nicely in the middle, but unfortunately it finishes in a slightly metallic dry woody taste that I just don't really love. The more I drink it, the more that aftertaste seems to accumulate.

The mouthfeel is medium-full bodied, a tad viscous for a pale ale, and yet it has a sharp, dry finish. Very unique mouthfeel. Not sure how I feel about it, honestly.

In my opinion, this is a model of a relic. If you wanna drink an actual relic, pick up Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It's slightly tastier imo as well.

 

 

*archived rating*

12oz can poured into a Unibroue tulip

Overall - tasty blend of melon, citrus zest, and resiny notes; clean, w/ great drinkability; exceeded my expectations; nicely done pale ale!

Consumption date: 05.08.17
Can date: not captured

Beautiful color and pour, mine was a tad foamy for my taste but could very well be user error. Smell is very citrus-centric but in a pleasant way. Where I got lost was the bitterness; for my pale ale preferences I found this to be quite bitter, in a way that detracted from the really nice flavor profile otherwise. Bonus points for a beautiful can though

Copenhagen 4/7 2018. 35,5 cl can from Kihosk, Sønder Boulevard, Kbh V. Brown can with baseball player Tony Gwynn waving his bat.

Pours hazy orange with a steady medium-sized white head. Settles as a 0,3 cm thick layer of foam covering the surface of the beer. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is intense, juicy an fruity. Sweet exotic melon, mango and peach. Strong citric grapefruit. Acerbic on the verge of being acidic.

Strong carbonation. Texture is medium thick, lively and prickly.

Flavor has notable sweetness followed by slightly stronger citric bitterness. Aftertaste is sweet with light bitter notes.

A lot of malty sweetness and a more moderate hoppy bitterness than I expected. Very refreshing and easy to drink.

Pours a crystal clear golden color with a foamy white head that lingers and coats the glass with a blanket of lacing. Gorgeous APA.

The nose features waves of resiny pine and citrus, especially grapefruit and ripe orange, and there’s also a substantial caramalt note.

The taste is likewise led by resiny pine and citrus flavors, but the star of this APA is that big caramalt backbone. So delicious.

The mouthfeel is medium and crushingly dry. This is a world class APA that is extraordinarily well executed, IMHO.

Exceptional and perfect for pairing with richer foods or cigars. Its probably too heavy for delicate stuff like sushi but it's not so heavy it couldn't be a session beer.

RB transfer

 

5/10/25 - (Can - Home) (Chicago, IL) Can Notes: Purchased at Beer on the Wall at Park Ridge at store temperature for $2.84 including tax on May 6, 2025. Refrigerated upon returning home until opening this morning. 16 oz canned April 17, 2025. 6.0% ABV Pale Ale. The collaboration with Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn that took San Diego by storm is now here for all to enjoy. This West-Coast style pale ale is packed with bright citrus and tropical fruit notes, subdued hop bitterness and a malty sweet finish creating ultra-smooth drinkability. Experience AleSmith’s 394 pale ale and put a little California sunshine in your glass! Proudly canned and brewed in San Diego, California.

Reviewer note: I’ve loved this beer over the years, but either lost my review or never wrote one, so rectifying this now!

Appearance: First pour about half the 16 oz into a shaker pint glass, yielding a crystal clear golden tan base, steady sustained carbonation, and a very generous and creamy rich bubbly bright white head, which looks great and lingers quite a while before finally leaving a creamy cover over the entire base. Quite excellent! 4.75

Aroma: Pine leads and is fresh and enticing, followed by citrus in a dual pole position. Backed well by light tangerine and caramel malt in the proper measure (light). 4.50

Taste: Consistent with the aroma though more bitter, with the bittering hops keeping everything in check like an owner holding an eager dog on a firm leash. Pine bitterness to be exact, with the citrus definitely playing second fiddle after the pine floored it at the start line. Tangerine and caramel malt very faint, but still there, with the malt a bitter heavier than memory of past attempts. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Bitter and quite dry. Drinks at the above, sustained lightly prickly carbonation adds depth to a light to mild body. Bitter and pine start to finish, mild citrus to provide contrast and enjoyable flavor mix. 4.25

Overall: This is a classic offering for good reason. West Coast all the way, as great as the San Diego Padre this beer was created with and mentor to honor, Definitely a home run and must try for someone seeking a pale ale packed with flavor but lighter than an IPA. Thank you AleSmith for brewing this all these years, and for distributing to Chicago so returning fans and new beer drinkers can experience greatness that only legends like AleSmith and Tony Gwynn achieve. 4.75

 

Picked up a six pack of cans. Date on can: 08/16/24.

Pours a slightly hazy golden copper in color with a lovely frothy finger thick head on top that slowly subsides to a thin layer of foam on top. Pretty decent retention, and lots of lacing as you drink, although it mostly slides down the glass. Carbonation looks below average with a few sporadic bubbles rising up. The haziness looks to come from hop particulates, probably from the dry hopping process. This looks slightly dark for a pale ale, but it also looks like it might pack a punch.

Not overly aromatic, but getting a lot of grapefruit pith and pine, some tea and a doughy maltiness to balance it out.

Wow. This one is quite flavorful for a pale ale. Lots of citrus up front; mostly grapefruit, apricot, nectarine, and a healthy dose of pine. The malts are always there in the background but they peek through a bit right before the swallow with some breadiness. Lingering grapefruit pith bitterness after the swallow.

This is solidly medium bodied with a lovely, smooth carbonation with a hint of zest on the swallow. Ample chewiness with a hint of cream. This is actually a bit of a palate wrecker as it coats the tongue. Very pleasant on the tongue, although it feels like a beer that you shouldn't drink too many.

This is a really good pale ale. It's got enough body, flavor and ABV to enter IPA territory. I wouldn't call it sessionable, as it sits a bit heavy in the stomach, but it is extremely flavorful. Another great offering from AleSmith that I would happily seek out again. Cheers!

 

 

 

 

Pours fairly clear amber/gold with a thick white head, generous lacing. Aroma is faint, citrus and pine. Flavor follows the nose, a nice balance of malt and hops. Feel is light with adequate carbonation. Overall, a real nice beer.

 

On tap into a standard pint glass in a bar in San Diego
Look: Clear amber yellow with about 1.5 fingers of white head with very good retention.
Smell: Citrus and hops
Taste: Very good combination of hops and citrus. Slightly more bitterness than I would expect from an American IPA, but very tasty nonetheless.
Feel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation
Overall: Very refreshing beer from great brewery.