Pisgah American Style Pale Ale - Pisgah Brewing Co.

cosmicevan

New York

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to my bro in law for nabbing a growler of this for my visit. I am assuming this is the same as their pale ale currently on tap. Enjoyed from a pint glass.

a - brew poured a soft brown orange that was semi transparent when held to the light. Head was thin and fizzy.

s - nice pale malts, some earthiness, but very appetizing.

t - extremely balanced pale ale. Not hoppy at all, just a classic American pale. Fresh and crisp. Clean and malty. A bit grainy, but nice overall.

m - crisp and light bodied. Could toss them back all day.

o - overall a really nice American pale ale. Malt forward and not hoppy. Classic. Solid.

Serving type: growler

11-10-2012 22:05:20 | More by cosmicevan

drabmuh

Maryland

3.63/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Random beer gift from a friend, served in a snifter. Beer is amber and clear with a nice off white head of small bubbles, some lacing, moderate retention.

Aroma is a little hoppy, earthy, floral, nice.

Beer is medium in body and a little buttery, slightly creamy in the mouthfeel, decent but not great, not a repeat for me.

Serving type: growler

06-17-2012 15:52:30 | More by drabmuh

mrfrancis

Kentucky

3.78/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a hazy amber with a thin, creamy white mousse.

S: Faint aromas of ripe peach, nectarine, tangerine, caramel, cream, mandarin orange, and biscuits are present on the nose. Not nearly as assertive as I would like, but still very pleasant.

T: Notes of caramel, cream, vanilla, biscuits, nectarine, peach, tangerine, mandarin orange, lemon, and lime wash across the palate. The finish is gentle and fruity with a wealth of peach, nectarine, orange, and tangerine flavors.

M: Medium in body, smooth, and much creamier than I would expect from a beer of this style. Not all that crisp or dry. Very easy to drink.

O: This is a highly unusual APA, but is very appealing in its own way. The flavor profile is intriguing. I would love to sample this again, either out of the bottle or on-tap.

Serving type: growler

05-22-2012 12:55:01 | More by mrfrancis

Cheesemoose

Florida

4.45/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Picked this baby up on a recent trip. Heard about it here on the forums and thought, why not.

1/2 growler between my co-homebrew father-in-law and myself. As I was picking up some other locals at the EarthFare, the cashier mentioned this beer to me. When I asked what it was like, all he could say is that it tasted like "melted angels". I knew I had to have some.

A rather deep yellow, near orange, but with a nice appearance, very reminiscent of a sunny afternoon. The white head is minuscule, and with a heavy pour it is hard to even get a solid 2 fingers. Regardless, there is a solid film that forms, with a substantial lacing that lingers throughout both pours.

The nose is rather complex, given that I am getting earthy malt, yet citrus and floral hops, all in one. With a nice malt backbone, bringing the more earthy tones it is rather nice and inviting, without being overly bitter.

Unlike most other Pale Ales, the hops are not in the forefront, but rather at the end. Starts with a nice almost caramel sweet malt base. The citrus notes are played against a floral hop base, giving a nice crisp finish. If it was fresher, as there was no date, I could only assume the hops would better served from the brewery.

So dang drinkable. This could be my new water, because the smooth nature to it is addictive. Mouthfeel is rather syrupy, but enjoyable.

Melted angel's? Near, as this could be one of the more enjoyable drinking beers to date. Damn fine beer

Serving type: growler

12-12-2010 02:44:14 | More by Cheesemoose

beer2day

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a near perfect gold with just the right amount of haze. Frothy two-finger head giving way to a thin rind in retention. Very nice evenly distributed lacing left behind on my glass.

The nose is light. Apricot comes out first. Slight bread, almost toast, quality present after that.

Flavor is maltier than expected up front and the hops are not as strong as I would have liked. Still finishes well with a light wood texture.

Feel is very good with a good mix of cream and fizz. Slightly fizzier than I would have liked, but the growler version is better than the bottle imo.

Easy drinker and a nice one to share.

Serving type: growler

08-05-2009 00:51:03 | More by beer2day

taylorhamrick

South Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Pours a golden-amber color with an enormous fluffy white head. The bubbles stay around like giant clouds and laces the sides of the glass. The beer is also perfectly clear. It looks wonderful. The smell has faint hops and a bit of sweetness. It's not bad, there's nothing off-putting, just nothing very powerful. The taste more than makes up for the smell. Very crisp, with a light floral hoppiness. You get a bit of citrus, like sweet lemon juice. Overall, it's really a great tasting beer. The mouthfeel is a bit watery. I mean, I don't expect it to be full and chewy because its a pale ale, but I feel like the hops and sweetness could be a bit more full as it finishes. The carbonation level is great. This beer begs you to take the next taste, and it may not be as easy to drink in a session at 5.5% ABV, but really worth a try.

Serving type: growler

01-13-2009 00:53:09 | More by taylorhamrick

Kadonny

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Received a growler via trade with greenvilleguitar. Poured into a nonic pint glass.

A: A hazy amber orange color with a nice tight one finger off white head. Nice lacy glass lacing.

S: Floral earthy hops with grainly malt. Not overly fragrant.

T: Floral hops with tones of earth, grass, and a hint of pine. Sweet malty fruits come through with some grain flavors and biscuit flavors. Finish is smooth with a twinge of hop bite and a tinny metallic flavor. Not an overly hoppy beer.

M: Fairly thin mouthfeel and nothing really lingers. No hint of alcohol.

D: Good drinkability, they go down smoothly and it is very sessionable.

Overall I am really glad I finally got to try a Pisgah beer and I thank greenvilleguitar a ton. But something left me wanting more in this pale ale, more hops, more malt, something. A solid beer but not a standout in my eyes, even as pale ales go.

Serving type: growler

11-15-2008 21:04:58 | More by Kadonny

ByTor2112

North Carolina

3.85/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Purchased fresh from Greenlife in Asheville
Pours a pale almost orange color with a beige one-finger head that is hanging steady. Spotty lacing is left behind after initial sips.
Aroma-sweet,whiffs of caramel, hops are light but a deep inhale gets some piney hop essence.
Mouthfeel-medium bitterness, malt flavors are tasty, but the malt profile is not that sweet or full. A froth on the palate gets the hops activated and finishes with some medicinal, almost astringent hop bitterness. I can not claim to know what organically grown malts taste like but this pale ale has a unique malt flavor profile. This is a solid pale ale and actually quite sessionable. Anything Pisgah makes is always choice.

Serving type: growler

10-17-2008 12:28:47 | More by ByTor2112

dashirey

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Thanks to Deuane for filling and bringing this beauty back from NC for me!! This is my third different Pisgah offering and I cannot wait for more.

A - Caramel colored beer. The beer pours from the growler with at least a finger of head that really doesn't last too long, but there was plenty of lacing.

S - Mostly earthy and grassy hops come through. There is just a faint maltiness that follows the initial hops.

T - Taste is great, but fairly straightforward. Hops aren't overpowering (it is a pale ale after all). There is a balance that I haven't found in many beers.

M - Close to medium bodied, low carbonation (which fits the beer). Smooth drinking.

D - 5. Not much more to say - easy drinking, great flavor, session beer. I split the growler with my wife, but I could have drunk the whole think easily. I only wish this one was regularly available!!

Thanks again Deuane, you the man!! (Enough props?)

Serving type: growler

10-02-2008 23:20:26 | More by dashirey

jraycee

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Pouring from a growler into my pint glass it has a short head that leaves slight lacing above the beautiful hazy amber beer. Big smell of flowering hops, fruits, and malt. Taste is almost perfectly balanced. Subtle sweet fruitiness, full lingering hop bitterness, with great tones of fresh grains. Nice mouthfeel with a slight bite from the carbonation. This is one of my favorite regular session beers, worth the trip to Black Mountain every week.

Serving type: growler

09-09-2008 19:33:50 | More by jraycee

atsprings

North Carolina

4.7/5  rDev +23.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A hard pour from the growler produces a nice frothy one-finger head that slowly diminishes and leaves very spotty lacing on the glass. Aroma is earthy citrus hops and sweet biscuity malts, quite fragrant! The taste is a wonderful balance with citrus hops just barely overpowering the sweet malt backbone, extremely tasty! The beer is light to medium bodied with low carbonation and is quite refreshing. This growler is making for a great session as I enter in other reviews from notes from earlier this week. This is one I will surely seek out whenever I'm in the Asheville area.

Serving type: growler

09-28-2007 02:09:30 | More by atsprings

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.68/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: Vaguely hazy ambery body with a foamy, white head.

Smell: Caramel malt mixed with fruity notes of grapefruit and melon. Somewhat woody.

Taste: Though the hops lead the way in the aroma, they're mostly mild and light in the taste, with the caramel malt sweetness picking up the slack. Still, the hops bring flavors of grapefruit and citrus. Again, there's that forest-like woodsiness. The sweetness and bitterness cancel each other out for a fairly light, neutral finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Mild carbonation.

Drinkability: A solid, delightful, easy-drinking APA.

Serving type: growler

07-01-2007 04:05:19 | More by ChainGangGuy

jwc215

New Jersey

4.18/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to jcwattsrugger for sharing a growler from his trip to the South:

Pours a murky amber with a swirling patch that almost covers the top.

The smell is lemony, tea-leafy and herbal. Some citrus.

The taste is of lemon/orange citrus. Amazingly hoppy - almost an IPA, but a sweet brown-sugar-like malt supports it and brings it all together. It's hoppy, but balanced in the finish.

Medium-bodied with just the right amount of carbonation.

This is a nice APA that comes close to an IPA, but the balance in the finish keeps it in style. Nice brew here!

Serving type: growler

03-12-2007 03:37:36 | More by jwc215

Enola

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pre-packaged growler bought at Greenlife.

This beer is a llittle more yellow than a typical pale ale. And the head was a bit more foamy than I prefer so this appearance score was lowered just a bit. The smell is fairly good. It kindly smells like inscence. Citrusy and hoppy. The taste is bitter but not ovebearing. Grapefruit as one earlier reveiwer mentioned. The mouthfeel is fair, just a bit of twang to it. The drinkability is good. A sessionable brew for sure. I could try this beer again.

Serving type: growler

09-26-2006 21:07:34 | More by Enola

Avlbrewer

2.78/5  rDev -27%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pisgah is a favorite stop while touring asheville, the pale ale (flagship) was a little underdeveloped or green. It's a great beer to enjoy with dinner but I'd prefer something fresher and refined for a daytime brew. The recipe seems to have changed in the years I've been drinking it, but it's always a good standby.

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2012 20:46:48 | More by Avlbrewer

plaid75

New York

4.1/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at the brewery.

Poured a hazy orange hue with a half finger foamy white head. There was good retention and lacing.

See my review of the IPA and know that the profile is essentially the same except that the pale ale is cleaner with a touch less sweetness (duh).

The mouthfeel was toward the fuller side of the style.

Overall a tasty hop driven pale ale.

Serving type: on-tap

11-10-2012 20:42:21 | More by plaid75

VaterRoss

North Carolina

3.8/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at the brewery as part of a flight.

Pours and orange/amber with a small white head. Pretty dark for an APA. Smell is piney hops with a bed of grapefruit poking through. The taste has lots of orange citrus with the pine as a secondary flavor. Malt presence is very weak and I think it could use a bit more carbonation.

Solid APA, but I think they can do better.

From notes, Mar 17, 2012

Serving type: on-tap

10-30-2012 15:45:31 | More by VaterRoss

wedge

North Carolina

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

@ Barley's (Asheville)

Clearish amber body, appearing well-carbonated with a ridiculously long-lasting, super fluffy, frothy white head. Lightly floral, spicy hop aromas with some pale fruit. Spicy, fresh floral hops upfront in the flavor...fresh grain and leafy/herbal notes. Fairly earthy overall - not much in the way of citrus. Medium bodied and satisfactorily bitter. While it's not something to get too excited about, it is a solid, pleasant Pale Ale that I enjoy whenever in the Asheville area.

Serving type: on-tap

07-21-2012 18:06:02 | More by wedge

tdm168

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On tap at Barley's Taproom in Asheville.

A - amber with a hazy orangish hue; soft white head; great retention

S - earthy, piny, floral - decent hop character

T - toasty, burnt malt character; floral, faint grapefruit

M - medium bodied, light carbonation, smooth

This one has an odd malt character. The toasted malt is off putting. The hop character is good but doesn't redeem this one. I'll probably avoid this in the future.

Serving type: on-tap

05-26-2012 17:54:11 | More by tdm168

TheHopHeadGirl

District of Columbia

3.2/5  rDev -16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

6% pale ale from NC. Very cloudy orange color. At pizza paradisio a glass goes 6$. Glad i got a small glass cause its just comparing to thhe dogfish head saison du buff thats sitting on my table. Again, its ok. No aftertaste which is good. But it doesnt stand out either.

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2012 19:20:16 | More by TheHopHeadGirl

Apellonious

North Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at pisgah brewery

A - cloudy golden orange. Thin head that sticks on the side of the glass.

S - citrus, fruit, mild hops

T - it's all here, hops, clean finish, some mild sweetness, malts, some back of tongue bitterness.

M - spot on. Great balance.

O - defintiely one of the better apa's I have had. Organic and fresh makes a difference.

Serving type: on-tap

04-13-2012 19:27:26 | More by Apellonious

rangerred

Tennessee

3.9/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber

Pours a slightly hazy light copper with a half finger head. Good head retention.

Slight aroma of citrusy hops along with some caramel malt. Not as strong as I would have liked.

Earthy hop flavors come in first followed by a moderate bitterness that lasts throughout. Biscuity malt flavors balance out the hoppyness quite nicely. Finished relatively clean leaving a slight earthy taste.

Overall a nice pale ale that I could easily drink all day long. Nothing too special about it but a solid enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 02:44:28 | More by rangerred

mikem0487

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz beer pored into standard pint glass.

Appearance-Pours a golden brown with an orange hue. About a fingers width head with great lacing and good head retention.

Smell-Initial smell is a malt sweetness with a slight caramel notes. Not getting to much hop aroma at all which is disappointing considering the beer style. Even though it has a lack of hop aroma it still smells appetizing.

Taste-Taste is good. Get some sweet malty notes with slight orangey zest in there. Do not get really any bitterness until the swallow but is only there slightly.

Mouthfeel-Medium body with slight carbonation. Good overall for this style.

Overall-Very drinkable pale ale. Not my favorite but could enjoy drinking this all day. Would like a more aggressive hop taste and aroma to balance out the malt character this beer contains. Good but not as good as its IPA sibling.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 00:00:31 | More by mikem0487

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle split and poured into a Central Waters tulip.
31.8 IBU, Organic, no date.

Thanks to Beerwolf for giving me my first Pisgah. Boy that sounds awkward.

A - Pale golden yellow and hazed over with a low but dense cream-colored head. Good retention with an arch of lace reaching skyward.

S - Almost wheat-like pale malt behind a good floral hop nose, mild notes of resin underline the citrusy aroma hops. A bit average though.

T - Toasty caramel malt underlines the subtle hop flavor. Faint floral aspects pop out with a dab of honey and a pinch of lemongrass on top.

M - Malt balanced, hops don't add much more than dryness to the feel. Medium-light bodied and grainy-finishing.

O - Bland but not entirely without flavor, Pisgah's Pale is understated. The one-dimensional hop profile could use quite a bit of tweaking and additional dry-hopping. This one's an easy drinker though!

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2011 12:07:30 | More by BeerFMAndy

Avagadro

New Jersey

3.4/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: pours a light copper color with a touch of haze , and little in the way of head retention or lacing.

S: very light aroma, with only wisps of pacific northwest hops coming through.

T: a slight malty sweet front quickly succumbs to grapefruit and pine. A tad sweeter than I prefer, but definitely within the style guidelines.

M: light body, great effervescence, and a mostly clean finish. There is also a slight astringency that is typical with hoppy brews.

O: definitely a solid apa, but there are so many great ones out there that it is hard to give it a higher score. nonetheless, it is a hell of a great brew from one of the most impressive beer scenes in the us.

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2011 23:14:28 | More by Avagadro