Golden Leaf Pale Ale
City Brewing Company, LLC

Golden Leaf Pale AleGolden Leaf Pale Ale
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
City Brewing Company, LLC
 
Wisconsin, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.58 | pDev: 8.94%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
11
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 02, 2011
Added:
May 26, 2007
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Chaz:
Photo of Chaz
Reviewed by Chaz from Minnesota

3.45/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a brilliant pale amber in color. A medium-firm pour produced a dense two fingered head, off-white in color and with excellent duration and lacing. Nose is equal parts sweet pale and dryer, biscuity malt, but with little hop presence (and much less than I was hoping for.) There's a bit of caramel and a light touch of diacetyl, but this one seems a bit tepid for a contemporary APA. Smooth, creamy and moderately sweet on the first sip, it seems to have all the right moves. Fuller in body and with a mouthfeel to match, this one even finishes clean and dry, so what's not to like? One, right on the label this brew advertises it's citrus bouquet, which is noticeably absent from this sample. Two, this is apparently a single-hop varietal (it's all in the name "Cascade" on the label), and I'm expecting just that, a big rush of cascades, but no such luck. Given this lack of cascade hop love, what's not to like? It's still a solid drinking pale ale with a lot to recommend it, there's just none of the hoppy goodness we might like from the style (or expect from the label.) Fact is, this one reminds me a *lot* of the old Point Pale Ale recipe, before they tweaked that brand with a huge floral hop presence. I hear that City Brewery is canning the Golden Leaf Wheat (perhaps the new company that owns the brands has a hand in this?), and maybe this one will see a can as well. As such it can only improve the view of canned beer here in the Midwest; sure this is ain't a hop explosion, but it's solid, sessionable pale. Worth trying once and even re-visiting.

[Served chilled, in a vintage pint glass.]
Oct 31, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3 by gio540 from Wisconsin

Dec 02, 2011
Photo of madtowndmb1
Reviewed by madtowndmb1 from Wisconsin

3.27/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
We just got this beer in our store and I thought I'd try it.
A:pours a straw yellow color with a small head.

S: I really seemed to get alot of floral hop scent and I really enjoyed the scent.

T: I liked it! Nothing offensive, but nothing stood out either. Floaral hops, citrus buried deep in there.

M: It was smooth and tasty. Lingered for about a minute then cleared the way for your next taste.

D: It's a very drinkable pale, but the price has detered alot of people.
When it's over $8 a sixer, it's on par with the likes Ale Asylum, Lake Louie and New Glarus, which I think are better.
Oct 27, 2008
Photo of Ragingbull
Reviewed by Ragingbull from California

3.3/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Dark amber or light brown in color. Wispy head. Faint hoppy nose with floral traces like soap. Fresh full attack. Early presentation of hops but a mellow flavor. The beer finishes clean. All of the power in the flavor is upon presentation as the initial attack suggests a very robust beer but it mellows out very quickly and is all but gone when it slides down your throat. I called it a B-.
Jul 25, 2008
Photo of wheatyweiss
Reviewed by wheatyweiss from Wisconsin

3.97/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a bottle into a standard pint.

Pours a clear honey with a moderate head that doesn't dissipate right away. Leaves clinging sticky lace.

Aroma is cascade and crystal malt. Green fresh hops that give a slight citrus aroma.

Flavor is hops followed by malt, the balance is very nice here. There is a nice deep malt flavor with a very significant hop presence for this style. A fresh citrus hop is balanced very nicely by malty caramel flavor. Deep on both fronts, very tasty.

Mouthfeel is crisp, bubbles are a little harsh but this is a refreshing beer.

I like it, recommend.
May 23, 2008
Photo of tgbljb
Reviewed by tgbljb from Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured a hazy apricot colored beer with sparse white head.

Smell is light with some delicate fruit characteristics present.

Taste is moderately sweet, and very refreshing, if not overly flavorful.

Left a light fruity taste in the mouth, but also very understated.

A pleasant beer that is easy to drink. Would make for a good hot summer afternoon beer.
May 18, 2008
Photo of Phocion
Reviewed by Phocion from Minnesota

3.8/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bright, clear gold with a ton of fine bubbles racing towards the short but stubborn bubbly white head. Excellent lacing.

Huge hoppy aroma. Considering this was from City Brewery maybe my expectations were a little low coming in, but it smells like I'm going to be surprised for the better. Mostly floral hops with a slight hint of grapefruit -- the label claims it is brewed with cascade hops. Caramel and biscuity diacetyl in the background, though as it warms the malts come out a little stronger.

Very citric taste with a hint of caramel. Dry, bitter mouthfeel but very crisp. All in all it's a pretty decent APA even if nothing to write home about. I definitely got a lot more than I expected out of City, but I guess you should never judge a beer by its brewer.
Jan 24, 2008
Photo of morimech
Reviewed by morimech from Minnesota

3.71/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a clear copper with a nice one fingered white head with good retention with large amounts of sticky lacing. A really good looking pale ale.

The smell is largely sweet malt. A touch of biscuit, a bit of citrus hops, and just a hint of diacetyl. Wish the hops stood out a little more.

The taste is solid if not unspectacular. A balance of malt and hops leaves a nice crisp finish. I would bump up the score if I didn't get a trace of diacetyl in the aroma and taste which I find mildly distracting. It has a light body with abundant carbonation. It is a lively beer long after the pour.

I didn't have high expectations for this beer but I was pleasently surprised. A good, solid pale ale for a decent price. If they did distribute this in cans, it would be a hit in my opinion.
Dec 07, 2007
Photo of catalysis
Reviewed by catalysis from Wisconsin

3.58/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
A- Golden Leaf pale ale is a deep honey colored beer with a light tan, frothy head that retains nicely for a few minutes after a hard pour.

S- Fresh citrus fruit is the dominant fragrance with the hops clearly noticeable, coming through as pine and a slight grassy scent.

T- A very mild malty sweetness first hits the tongue followed by hoppy flavors characteristic of the style. Finishes a little bitter and astringent, but overall it is pretty well balanced.

M- Light to medium body, average carbonation.

D- This is a very refreshing and drinkable beer.
Aug 30, 2007
Photo of drpimento
Reviewed by drpimento from Wisconsin

4.18/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I really enjoy this beer! It was served in a 12 oz mug, Had a nice light tan head with plenty of lace. Head dissipated to a light cover, but lasted all the way down. Lovely copperish amber color. Citrusy, hoppy, floral, malty aroma. Very drinkable. Good carbonation and mouth. Dryish with body. Short to medium finish that leaves me with a desire for another ( this is my third). This beer is an evolution from the previous City Pale Ale. It's a little hoppier. And much better! Great effort.
Jul 05, 2007
Photo of slyke
Reviewed by slyke from Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Golden Leaf Pale Ale pours an amber color with a finger of white head that reduced by half, then stuck around for most of the beer.

Smell was fairly balanced with a floral citrus note of (Cascade?) hops.

Taste was just what I expect from the style, a bit of malt and the note of hops. As the beer warmed it took on more of a malty character.

Mouthfeel was good with a crisp finish.

I was pleasantly surprised by this beer. Not my favorite example of the style, but one I would easily order in a bar. I recommend you try it.
Jun 24, 2007
Golden Leaf Pale Ale from City Brewing Company, LLC
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 11 ratings