Pale Ale
Cloudwater Brew Co.

Cloudwater describe this as their everyday pale ale, which at a mere 3.7% ABV it certainly is, but it’s an absolute corker of an everyday beer. A tremendous session strength American-style pale ale. Soft, fragrant, extra juicy, dry and refreshing. Even the body, with its fizz of carbonation, is more than acceptable. A next-level, modern bbq beer.

440ml can from Curious Liquids (£3.75):
Pale, hazy amber with a fairly large, 3cm head that's foamy white & holds fairly well with some lacing on the sides. The nose is muted hops & pine with orange, citrus, mango & touches of pineapple; it's quite dank smelling & slightly zesty too. The taste is slightly more tropical with the mango, pineapple & pine strongest then the orange/citrus flavours following but again its quite dank & slightly bitter towards the end. It's juicy with a medium body that's moderately carbonated with a sharp finish.

 

A 440ml can, canned on 2nd March 2020, and a freshest flavour before date of 22nd May 2020. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.

Appearance: A hazy darkish orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left some nice lacing.

Aroma: Sweet mandarin, orange, with notes of mango, pineapple and grass.

Taste: Orange, biscuit, malty, with notes of tropical fruit, and a lightly bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate spritzy carbonation.

Overall: Light and refreshing for a hot day. Maltiness is a bit strong and the fruit kind of gets lost in this.

Pours a cloudy, deep, dark golden coloration with a medium, frothy head. Smells of light biscuity malt and citrus hops, with tangerine standing out, as well as lighter tropical notes of mango, passion fruit and a light grassiness. Taste follows the nose, although the tropical notes stand out a little more. Some light biscuity malt there as well as hoppy notes of tangerine, mango and passion fruit, along with a pronounced, herbal grassiness that increases towards the aftertaste. Finishes with a medium bitterness, light hop bite and some tropical notes and a strong grassiness lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

I had expected more from their signature Pale Ale, to be honest, their signature IPA is absolutely amazing. While this has a great aroma, body/mouthfeel and quite a nice flavor profile for such a low-ABV Pale Ale, it turns somewhat harsh in the aftertaste, with that certain too green and somewhat chalky, grassy hop burn sensation that is somewhat unpleasant.

L: Very hazy, thick, juicy amber/orange color, one finger white head, messy lacing, no visible carbonation.

S: Tropical fruits, hops.

T: Tropical fruits, malts, hops.

F: Medium bodied, plenty of flavor. Amazing for a 4% ABV beer.

O: A masterpiece of a session Pale Ale from Cloudwater.

 

Hazy peach color with a thick head.
Nice aroma with notes of stone fruit, passionfruit and green resin.
Flavor with notes of dank hops, mango, peaches, passion fruit, grapefruit drops, green resin, wheat and yeast. Dry and bitter aftertaste.
Light to watery body with appropriate carbonation.
Tropical, citrusy and dank APA. It would be perfect it had more body.

Pours a hazy pale yellow with fine, fluffy head.

Smell is crisp and citrusy, with notes of grass and peaches.

Taste is very crisp and refreshing with notes of citrus, grass, biscuits, peaches and a hint of corn. Soft bitterness and eminently drinkable.

Mouthfeel is thin to medium, well carbonated.

Overall, a superb low ABV APA from Cloudwater. I could drink this all day.

i think its pretty rad that for all the experimental, robust, and ambitious beers these guys make, especially with hops, that there is still just a basic pale ale, called pale ale, for drinking. its such an understated sort of thing, like, a nameless beer in a style everyone makes, but the beer is remarkable, and i am glad i got to have it. its decidedly modern, hazy and mostly dry hopped, surprisingly low alcohol for how flavorful it is, and really incorporating a cool hop profile, likely a mix of several varietals to get such a dynamic taste out of it. soft hazy golden color with a full and fluffy pure white head. aroma is juicy and dry hopped, citrus and kiwi and white wine notes, a little oily pine too, and some greenness even though it remains delicate, simple cereal grains underneath. the flavor is awesome, subtle i guess, at least compared to some of the other hop forward beers they do, but with an awesome juicy tropical fruit profile, soft grain balance, and just enough bitterness to stand out in the very dry finish. i expected a much more minimal beer at this low abv, but really its quite satisfying and layered and even substantial in its overall vibe, the world needs more beers like this, i thought it was awesome!

 

 

Hazy golden color with yeast floaties and white head. Aroma is bright, floral, citrusy and slightly grainy. Taste has really nice floral hops with some ripe pink grapefruit flavor and wholegrain crackers in the background. Medium to light body, crisp carbonation. For 3.5% ABV this packs a lot of flavor.