PGA (Perfectly Great Amber)
Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company & Taproom

PGA (Perfectly Great Amber)PGA (Perfectly Great Amber)
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From:
Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company & Taproom
 
Washington, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
ABV:
4%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.62 | pDev: 12.98%
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
28
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 09, 2015
Added:
Jul 16, 2002
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by flagmantho:
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

3.55/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Poured from 22oz bomber into a pint glass.

Appearance: slightly hazy medium amber-orange hue with two fingers of creamy ivory head. Not exactly amber, but not bad.

Smell: malty aroma with a light touch of citrusy hops. Malt is right about the middle of the dry-sweet spectrum. Not bad.

Taste: just exactly what you'd expect from the aroma. Very light citrus-flavored hops, though with a bit more in the bitterness arena. Malt is, once again, midway between dry and sweet.

Mouthfeel: medium to medium-light body with a good helping of carbonation. There's a nice creaminess to this brew which I enjoy.

Drinkability: a pretty tasty beer overall. I might not go for this every day, but I'd order it down the pub again.
Aug 01, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by stratusjeans from Washington

Aug 09, 2015
 
Rated: 3.59 by NickThePyro from Washington

Jun 17, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by tastymug from Washington

May 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Beerme5 from Oregon

Mar 25, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by jmccraney from Washington

Sep 03, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by t0rin0 from California

Jan 28, 2013
Photo of ElGordo
Reviewed by ElGordo from Oregon

3.45/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from the 22oz bottle into a pint glass. Body is a bright orange-amber color with a small amount of creamy white head on top. Aroma of lightly sweet bready malt and a touch of mildly fruity hops.
Palate is well-balanced and a bit malt forward. Pale and lightly sweet caramel malt and a light hoppy bitterness combine for a pleasantly mellow brew. Finish has a bit of husky bitterness, but isn't particularly unpleasant. Body is lively but slightly chalky on the swallow. A serviceable beer, but not a best effort.
Mar 30, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by twelveinches from Washington

Nov 20, 2011
Photo of vande
Reviewed by vande from Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
A pretty amber colored pour that leaves a nice lofty looking layer of head a float. Smells some sweeter w/ a little nuttiness. A fairly well balanced taste of malt - hops. Bit of caramel mixed nicely w/ a little fruit. A clean and clear drinkable ale. Definitely session-able! Well done -
Sep 04, 2011
Photo of Bookseeb
Reviewed by Bookseeb from Washington

3.2/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Appearance has a dark copper amber color leaving a thin head with minimal lace. Smell has not a lot there, maybe some light honey malt, bread and floral hops. Taste is light in bready/nuttiness with a balanced citric hop. Mouthfeel is light with good carbonation. It's nothing complex, but refreshing. I do remember having this on tap and tasted so much better.
Mar 12, 2011
Photo of BeerAdvocate
Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland

3.7/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
From BeerAdvocate Magazine Volume II, Issue VI:

Crystal clear amber color, head retention is pretty amazing with a crowning of white lace and a few rings down the glass. Malty aroma, nutty with toasted grain and a light bready component. A little yeast and fruit in the nose as well. Moderate yet fluffy body, extremely smooth from the light carbonation. Nice mellow toasted bread flavor with doughy undertones. Hint of caramel and ripe pear in the middle. Slight buttery tone is pushed down by a quick smack of hops which comes off a bit passive after bringing the beer balance. Clean all around, finishes a little sweet with a long trail of malt flavor.

Wow, this is great. Balanced and packed with flavor. Chalk this one up as another stellar American session ale. While we love extreme beer a ton, we actually love it more when a brewer can put out a great session ale.
Sep 10, 2010
Photo of barleywinefiend
Reviewed by barleywinefiend from Washington

3.18/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
On tap at SAFECO Field

A: Poured a amberish red color with good carbonation and a small white head.

S: Hops, toffee, caramel but faint

T: Some sweetness, malts, caramel and syrup

M: Medium bodied with too much hops for this style.

D: Did not finish, pass
May 23, 2010
Photo of BBThunderbolt
Reviewed by BBThunderbolt from Kiribati

3.48/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Served in straight pint glass. Poured a clear copper-amber color with a half-inch of just off-white head that had good retention and lacing.

The aroma was a little on the malty-sweet side, otherwise was fairly neutral. The taste was pretty much the same, malty, a little sweet, just a trace of hop on the finish.

Body was good, smooth, even and well-rounded. Drinkability was very good, the beer went down smooth and easy, the low ABV makes a true session beer, and while the flavor won't thrill most BA's, it's got enough taste that if there's a keg at a cookout, you could easily drink it all afternoon.

Overall, a solid "training wheel" beer for people just getting into craft beer and an acceptable, easy drinking beer for us more experienced beer geeks. Worth a shot if you see it.
Apr 14, 2010
Photo of FishScales
Reviewed by FishScales from California

4.3/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Really good beer. I liked how smooth it was and the color it held in the glass. It had wonderful aromas as you take each drink. Very smooth beer. Highly recommend it with a steak or ribs. We had it with BBQ steak and a nice bourbon sauce, it complemented our dinner very well.
Dec 04, 2009
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

3.23/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Appearance: Pours a hazy amber! color with a modest head that quickly becomes a ringlet, leaving a few splashes behind

Smell: An odd, almost rotting orange aroma wafts up

Taste: Bready, at first, with the rotting orange flavor developing by mid-palate; somewhat herbacious, too; after the swallow, there is some sweetness that joins the other flavors

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation; sits a little heavy on the tongue

Drinkability: A different take on an amber, for sure, and it took me a while to decide my views on it; ultimately, I decided I just didn't like it all that much
Jun 20, 2009
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.46/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pellucid Golden Amber would have been a great way to describe the color... except that it isn't. The beer is more bright tangerine topped with two fingers of pale orangish ivory foam. A better than respectable array of lace helps the cause. This is pretty much how an American amber ale should look.

The aroma lacks personality, a common shortcoming in beer of this style unless plenty of hops are used. Unfortunately, it doesn't smell as if the brewers were heavy-handed with the little green cones. There's a modest amount of lightly toasted malt and very little else. It looks like the flavor profile has an uphill climb ahead if it wants to impress.

It's obvious that PGA is well-brewed beer (all Snoqualmie beer is), but it suffers because the flavor fades into the woodwork. There's no hook here, nothing to interest the drinker while the beer is being consumed and nothing to bring him/her back for a second bomber.

Three word summation: simplicity, subtlety and sessionability. Those of us who like their taste buds to be engaged aren't that impressed. PGA is lightly cereal grain sweet and faintly toasted bready. A faint smack of herbal-fruity hoppiness enters at the midway point, adds balance... and manages to salvage the beer in the end.

The mouthfeel is part of the reason why the beer seems so well-crafted. It's medium-full for the style and is more plush than any 4.0% ale has a right to be. Warming delivers even more crushed velvet smoothness.

PGA (Perfectly Great Amber) is a perfectly great opportunity wasted. All beer doesn't need to be chock full of aggressive flavor and boundless complexity, but this one goes too far in the opposite direction. It shouldn't take too many tweaks for this Snoqualmie brew to be true to its name.
Sep 30, 2008
Photo of RedDiamond
Reviewed by RedDiamond from Oregon

3.3/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
I don’t imagine you can legally get away with naming a beer after the Professional Golfer’s Association, so of course, this beer isn’t. We wouldn’t even THINK of making such an association, would we?

PGA is a modest and unassuming ale that delivers a gentle flourish of delayed sweetness followed by a flat, lingering tail of yeast attitude. It is ochre-bronze and suited to the style with a watery, yeasted aroma and tiny yet determined bubbles. Its prominent yeast profile may not appeal to some, yet the beer is still clean and balanced and reliably functional as a carefree session ale.
Jul 30, 2007
Photo of RJLarse
Reviewed by RJLarse from Washington

3.31/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
I bought a bomber of PGA "Perfectly Great Amber" at the brewery when I was passing through on a business trip. Poured in to a pint tumbler.

Pours a rich amber color and is clear for the most part, with some sediments in the bottom of the glass. Foamy off-while one-finger head is chunky and quite resilient.

The smell is faintly floral. There is a sharpness about the aroma, like a hint of vinegar.

The taste average, and bit one-dimensional. There is a bitter malted grain flavor, along with a sweet-acerbic flavor I can't quite place. SSweet vvinegar maybe?

Mouth feel is light, clean and sharp.

This is a drinkable beer, maybe not the best tasting amber I've ever had. 4% ABV makes it very sessionable, but light in many ways. I'd call PGA "Perfectly GOOD Amber." I'm not much on the style, but I wouldn't say "great."
Apr 29, 2007
Photo of DogFood11
Reviewed by DogFood11 from California

4.74/5  rDev +30.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Poured the contents of this 22oz bottle into a tulip. Thanks to reebshorts for pointing me in the right direction on my recent trip to the Seattle area. Snoqualmie was high on my list. This brew forms a decent, Ivory white head that leaves behind some evidence. Bright orangeish hue with high level of carbonation that tends to cling to the side of the glass.

Pretty hoppy in the nose, mostly a citrus type zest aroma. The taste is a bit more subtle as the hops are definately there and the beer does lean in that direction but I truly fell in love with the orange citrus flavor that is cut slightly by a very laid back malt presence. Malts really don't come into play until late in the ballgame. Smooth, and crisp just the way I like the mouthfeel for smaller beers.

Notes: Between the Porter and this offering Snoqualmie has my interest...
Jul 21, 2006
PGA (Perfectly Great Amber) from Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company & Taproom
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 28 ratings