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First Drop
Upper Pass Beer Company


- From:
- Upper Pass Beer Company
- Vermont, United States
- Style:
- American Pale Ale
Ranked #101 - ABV:
- 5.9%
- Score:
- 92
Ranked #5,288 - Avg:
- 4.13 | pDev: 6.78%
- Reviews:
- 67
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jun 24, 2023
- Added:
- Jul 06, 2016
- Wants:
- 10
- Gots:
- 81
First Drop is a hop-forward, Vermont-style pale ale that gets its cloudy amber hue from a balanced base of Golden Promise and Pilsner malts. At 65 IBUs, it's hoppy but not overly butter. The fragrant aroma and juicy flavors showcases grapefruit, pineapple and peaches, and results from the synergy between two unique East Coast ale yeasts and a line-up of American hops that include Azacca, Centennial, Mosaic and Citra.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by flgimp from Pennsylvania
4.33/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.33/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Had a pint at Killarney Pub near Okemo. Ask for a hazy this was on tap…. Excellent! A well rounded American Pale Ale! I will look for this one again.
Feb 27, 2023Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York
3.94/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.94/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at Jeremiah’s Tavern in Rochester, NY.
This one pours a semi-hazy golden yellow color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.
This smells like marijuana, orange, pine, grapefruit, and some pineapple, with a touch of malty sweetness.
This is pretty solid, a fairly prototypical Vermont hoppy beer. There’s a pleasant bitterness, just a hint of maltiness, and a nice juicy but semi-dry hop character.
This is light bodied, and pretty drinkable.
This is a pretty solid choice. It’s mid-tier for Vermont, but the competition there is quite high.
Nov 21, 2022This one pours a semi-hazy golden yellow color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.
This smells like marijuana, orange, pine, grapefruit, and some pineapple, with a touch of malty sweetness.
This is pretty solid, a fairly prototypical Vermont hoppy beer. There’s a pleasant bitterness, just a hint of maltiness, and a nice juicy but semi-dry hop character.
This is light bodied, and pretty drinkable.
This is a pretty solid choice. It’s mid-tier for Vermont, but the competition there is quite high.
Reviewed by brewme from Massachusetts
4.25/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Picked-up a four-pack of cans at Bradford's in Plymouth for about fourteen dollars. My second brew reviewed from these guys. Canned on date of 3 weeks ago. Solid LAB.
Sep 08, 2022Reviewed by Ocalafox from Florida
4.24/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.24/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Pours an opaque dark amber with a coarse, persistent head. Initial impression is a surprisingly clean grapefruit, pine, mango, and orange experience. Smells of tropical and citrus fruits and pine. Tastes of pine, grass, pineapple and mango, tangerine, grapefruit rind. Very earthy with a lingering dry and bitter mouth feel. Light to medium bodied and lightly carbonated.
Mar 15, 2022Reviewed by Sheppard from Massachusetts
4.08/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.08/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a golden with some white head. Lots of candied tropical fruit and heather on the nose. There's a bit of potpouri to it. The flavor is somewhat of a similar experience. This is truly a classic pale ale with some old world sensibilities, despite the new world hops. The new world hops provide some tropical character, but there is definitively restrained and balanced about this that make it a really solid pale ale that I'd pick up again.
Sep 25, 2021Rated by Pablo35 from Pennsylvania
4.25/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Liked it a lot!
Aug 20, 2021Reviewed by smcolw from Massachusetts
4.09/5 rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.09/5 rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
This beer comes out very cloudy. The head, while decent for a bar poured pint, is brief, but it leaves great blanket lacing on the glass.
Distinctive pine resin and citrus rind. There's a light fruitiness after the second whiff.
Short lived and relatively dry pale malt start. Strong bittering hop flavor which comes early and finishes the aftertaste. Full bodied with enough carbonation to cut the richness. The swallow features a brief fruity touch. Otherwise, it's all straight up bitterness.
Aug 14, 2021Distinctive pine resin and citrus rind. There's a light fruitiness after the second whiff.
Short lived and relatively dry pale malt start. Strong bittering hop flavor which comes early and finishes the aftertaste. Full bodied with enough carbonation to cut the richness. The swallow features a brief fruity touch. Otherwise, it's all straight up bitterness.
Reviewed by DuaneL from Delaware
4.5/5 rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Makes me want to visit this brewery next time we visit Vermont! This is a first class New England style (hazy) pale ale, meaning of course it is not "pale". More like the hazy IPAs in Vermont, and in taste, not far off from Fiddlehead . Very nice!
Aug 02, 2021
First Drop from Upper Pass Beer Company
Beer rating:
92 out of
100 with
296 ratings
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