Oro Golden Ale
El Toro Brewing Co.

 

 

 

A- What a head! That was unexpected, very frothy and almost three inches high. Color is a dark golden, kind of orange hued. Good lacing and head retention.

S- Lemon zest.

T- Follows the nose. Has a slight "fruity" taste. Refreshing if nothing else.

M- Crisp. Medium to medium-thin bodied.

D/O- No bottling date on the bottle. The fact that 10 reviews down from this one was written in 2005 concerns me. Overall, nothing terrible...just didn't stand out, at all.

I got this from a mixed 6-pack from Brennan's in Oconomowoc, WI.

A - rich golden color. Not too much head.

S - Ehhh could be better.

T - Good solid flavor. Slightly bitter at the end.

M - Refreshing, medium body, not too heavy.

D - Very smooth drinking beer.

I really enjoyed this beer. I like the bull on the label as well. I'll have more of these in the future.

Pours a surprisingly golden color....

Ample soapy head sits atop a somewhat chill hazed beer with a few floaties in it... A lace graces a patchy cloud cover down the sides...
What's this? A chemical, and familiar! The selfsame one that I found in mine own homebrew! Some sort of malty background, but this.... oh, this is metallic, medicinal... A tin biscuit perhaps? Soft! The lurking tin? Methinks it pondersome! The earth calls to my nostrils from the hops, but is muffled by its cardboard prison... Why? Must it be so? What have the hops done?
And then, amongst the palate whiles the slinking thing... Privy to elusiveness, this drug, this amphetamine, this chemical farm... Were it not so! For all that this brewer has spoken to mine lips! The IPA of the gods! An oatmeal stout! An oat meal stout! Forgive me. My mind is not what it once was. As I was saying.
Not poor, but not clean either... effervescent, to be sure, but filmy, almost as a fifties poster girl... My mouth seems coated with a lightness... menthol? Not the flavour, no, but perhaps the sensation?
No masterpiece, this. It stands down amongst its brothers, for it is not only weak and frail compared to their might... It is flawed... nay... diseased!

Pours a light amber/gold with a big frothy white head. Aroma is biscuity sweet corn, dough and lemon. Flavor is heavier than the nose would suggest with some pale malt and earthy hops. Finishes somewhat long and fruity bitter. Light to medium bodied, very vegetal texture.

Appearance: orange in color with a one finger head that breaks apart within a few minutes. Some spotty lacing develops for the session.

Smell: light biscuit aroma with some hints of fruit sweetness.

Taste: biscuits, honey, green grapes, hay, and a mild bitterness make up a straight forward blonde ale. The flavor is well balanced.

Mouthfeel: crisp thoughout. Aftertaste is short as the flavors stick to the tongue for a few seconds. Medium bodied.

Drinkability: very nice mellow session ale in which several can be quaffed. Blonde ales are usually not exciting, but this one is above average.

Appearance: Pours a golden body with a foamy, white head.

Smell: Aroma of dry, crumpled crackers with a light floral hop scent.

Taste: Stale, forgotten crackers with only a drop of sweetness. Floral hop flavor with a bitterness that grows into the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: I wasn't a fan of this at all.

The brew master and owner of El Toro considers this an English style ale and I agree. Deep gold with a nice head that laced decently. Fresh malt aroma with some hay and subtle aromatic hops. Very earthy and inviting. Malt dominated on the plate but finish while seemiing subtle on the hops at first sneaks up on you. There is a nice lingering hop bitterness. Slightly citrusy with some hay and honey notes. Excellent session ale.

I'd like to be able to say that Oro Golden Ale is 'oro' in color, but it isn't. It's pristine tangerine with butterscotch trim. The large cap resembles an orange-vanilla milkshake, except that it's incredibly bubbly. Thick sheets of BB-shot lace are beginning to grace the glass... and don't look like they'll be washed away any time soon.

I think both BA (American Blonde Ale) and El Toro (English Pale Ale) are incorrect when it comes to Oro's style. To me, it's a classic American APA because of the citric hops. There's plenty of pale malt as well, giving the beer a balanced aroma. I like the nose, I'm just not blown away by it.

I'm still going with a grapefruit, orange and apricot pale ale. As the nose suggested it would be, the biscuity malt structure is more than solid. It provides a sweetness that matches the hoppy bitterness step for step. I'd like even more 4-C hop goodness, but then that's what El Toro IPA is for. A hard water, mineral-like character is the only negative.

The mouthfeel is appropriate no matter which one of the above styles one decides on. The generous amount of malt sees to it that the beer holds on well into the finish, slipping away only on the swallow. I'm onboard with the soft, understated carbonation too.

I consider El Toro to be one of the most underrated breweries in the state of California. Only their William Jones Wheat Beer failed to impress me. Oro Golden Ale is a pretty good little APA that succeeds because the brewers didn't skimp on ingredients. I'll take the IPA every time, but this one deserves a look.

Hmm...an American Blonde Ale that according to the bottle, took a medal at the 1994 Great American Beer Festival for English Pale Ale. I would have to agree with the judges. The carbonation produces a bright white head that falls slowly. The light flowery hop aroma and honeyish malt flavors, infused with just enough hops to describe the finish as bitter, remind me of a bit of Fuller's London Pride. There's a little tartness towards the finish, too, but this doesn't bother me. This is good drinkable ale, an excellent session ale, and is especially good on a warmer spring afternoon.

12 ounce bottle. This beer has a clear golden color with a white head. The aroma is grassy hops with a little skunk. Malt flavor with a little caramel. There is a little tangy fruitiness. The finish is very bitter, with spicy, grassy hops. Medium mouthfeel. Drinkable in great quantities. As others have remarked, this beer could be better described as an English pale ale than a blonde. Whatever you label this, it is a good beer.

07/27/05- Purchased at Fred's Market in Berkeley, CA

Presentation- 12oz bottle with a batch #923 imprinted on the front label. Poured into a random pint glass.

Appearance- Amber-light golden pour. 1/2 inch white head and nice lacing.

Smell- A bit musty and frankly a tad stinky. Maybe it's the type of yeast. Maybe a touch of bitter hops.

Taste- Very much a pale ale. High is the bitter hops department. A bit of fruit and a bit of pine. Also balances well with the malt end.

Mouthfeel- Average carbonation, suitable for a pale ale.

Drinkability- Not bad at all. Was scared after having the sub-par Poppy Jasper. All the others from this brewery have been exceptional though. Another fine offering from El Toro.

A Slight fog in this deep amber colored beer, the head is unboastful in size, creamy in texture and the color a light tan with the lace forming a thin curtain to drape the glass. Sweet malt nose, fresh and pleasing to the senses, front is malt laden and a cloyingly sweet, top is skinny in its feel. Finish is benign in its acidity with the hops complaisant; aftertaste is dry and long lasting, can’t say this beer inspires any praise, drinkable and might make a decent session beer, which in the grand scheme of things isn’t all bad.

Although the packaging is quite nice with a metallic golden label, green details, and a line drawing of a snorting bull, I probably should have looked a little bit closer. I was expecting a golden beer based on the fact that it says "Golden Ale" on the label, but it's actually much more of an English style pale ale... and lo and behold, there it is at the bottom "Gold Medal, Classic English Pale Ale, 1994 Great American Beer Festival".
It pours a hazy orange-amber body with a short head of off-white foam. The retention is good and it holds well, leaving some thin lace as it goes. The nose delivers a well-infused combination of yeasty fruitiness, sweet and mild caramelish malt, and grassy/floral hops. It's fresh and welcoming! In the mouth it's gently crisp with a fine, moderate carbonation and light/medium body. The flavor delivers a sweetish, lightly caramelish malt that's well balanced by firm bitterness and some noticeable but "in-check" grassy and piney hops. Well brewed, and quite enjoyable.

Beer is a hazy golden in color. A decent white head sits on top and retains nicely. Nose is perfumey, citric and acidic. Body is about medium. Carbonation level works. Taste is acidic and tart. Not a very good tasting beverage. I can pick up some faint hop notes. Citrus and pine. Nothing that overcomes the dominating and out of place tart and acidic quality. Not recommended.