Caldera Pale Ale - Caldera Brewing Company

syrupjoe

Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into pint glass.

Pours a slightly hazy deep gold color with off-white head.

Nose gives off notes of mango and grassiness with honey maltiness.

Taste is mellow and spicy with notes of date and dried plums. Grassy and green hop presence with smooth bitterness.

Moderate carbonation with a dry finish and lingering bitterness.

Overall a nice pale ale that has a well-rounded (albeit bitter) flavor profile. Not as full-bodied as others, but good nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 21:55:49 | More by syrupjoe

u2carew

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz can.
A) Pours with a finger thick, white head that takes awhile to settle. Slightly hazy body. Active carbonation. Gold in color. Nice sticky lacing on the drink down.
S) Pink grapefruit. A hint of evergreen.
T) The initial flavors are washed out by the fizz. Once beyond that some dry nutty-ness liken to walnut. Grapefruit rind. A mellow sweetness throughout but not the main stay. A nice hop bite in the finish, but seems a bit too much for a pale ale.
M) Quite fizzy. Medium body. Dry.
D) A decent brew. I'd have another.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2011 03:21:28 | More by u2carew

SpdKilz

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - Pours an almost clear, light golden color with about a finger of relatively slow dissipating head that leaves decent lacing on the glass.

Smell - Toasted bready malts up front with a slight hop profile. I mainly get the bready malt aroma from this, not much else.

Taste - As with the nose, I get heavy bready caramel malt flavor, light floral hops, and just a hint of citrus. Reading some of the other reviews perhaps this is an older can? I do not get nearly the amount of hop profile as others are describing here; mainly light floral hops. Also, I do get just a tinge of honey at the end.

Mouthfeel - Medium to light Mouthfeel, decent carbonation.

Drinkability - This is a good "lawnmower" beer in with flavor. Did not present itself to me as anything special, however, it is a easily quaffable beer that would be great on hot summer days.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2010 03:13:07 | More by SpdKilz

RoyalT

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - This is a light and bright orange in color with a modest head that showed great retention.

Smell - This is an even combination of nice grain and fruit-juicy hops. The citrus hops are very intense and at first appear to be overtaking the nose but then the grain proves to be a bit more stubborn. Together they form a fair balance and a beautiful APA bouquet.

Taste - The hops are more forward at the taste but the grain holds its own. It's easy to wax on about the hops because they are big and exceptional, but I'm going to talk about the grain here a bit. They are light for sure but show a sharpness not often found in the style. This IMO allows the hops to stand out without being overbearing.

Mouthfeel - This is bigger than a light lager but not medium-bodied. There's a bitterness here that is somewhat mild but forceful in that it finds its way throughout the mouth from beginning to end.

Drinkability - I was very impressed with this Caldera can. The style usually is not one to stand out but this effort is an exception.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2009 01:01:48 | More by RoyalT

philbe311

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - A finger of compact fizzy white head... Moderate retention gives way to a full rich lacing which is slightly thicker in the center and slightly lighter around the edges... Loads of moderate paced small carbonation bubbles rise throughout... Light golden color with a slight orange hue... A very modest haze throughout...

S - Distinctive citrus hops aroma is unavoidable... Also present are faint hints of caramel, saw dust, honey, lemon zest, and sea side fresh air... A wonderful, but slightly subdued aroma...

T - A metallic tinge to start... This gives way to a fairly assertive piney hoppiness... A quick malt burst of bread and caramel followed by the return of the metallic hoppiness... There was also the slightest hints of rye and wood detected...

M - Sturdy... Clean and crisp... Goes down very easy... A modest chalky texture...

D - Quite sessionable... Another solid offering from Caldera, a very underrated brewery all the way around... I will gladly keep exploring there brews and will quickly jump at the chance to revisit this terrific brew...

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2009 02:17:54 | More by philbe311

wchesak

Virginia

3.73/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into pint glass.

A - reminiscent of a pilsner more than an APA, 2 fingers of white head, head lasted a while, just kinda floated there

S - light hints of citrus, mostly grapefruit and lemon, maybe a little bready

T - hop blast, pretty bitter and dry, follows the smell closely

M - good carbonation, good body for the style, not too light and certainly not heavy

D - great for a canned beer, cant beat the portability and taste, just started to get the caldera brews in my local beer store, will continue to try new ones

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2009 01:15:40 | More by wchesak

Wetpaperbag

Washington

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A- Nice golden color. Looks what a pale ale should. There is very little head, which resembles that of something that is going to have a lot of hops. We will see...

S- Why yes I can smell those wonderful whole flower cascade hops.

T- There is a nice maltyness with this beer. Not so much of a hop taste, but it is there.

M- Feels a bit slimy, or at least makes my mouth become slimy.

D- I can drink it with the greatest of ease.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2008 02:51:24 | More by Wetpaperbag

deltatauhobbit

Maine

4.05/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to flexabull for this in the UGLY BIF. Gotta love craft canned beers.

Pours a pale yellow color, slight opaqueness, good sized head with a little retention layer and a little bit of lacing.

Smell is stronger than I would expect from a pale ale, strong citrus and grapefruit aroma with hops, makes me think it could almost be an IPA if some more hops were added.

Taste hits with the hops and citrus first, leaves an interesting bitterness in the mouth, not quite good but not quite bad, carbonation is just right and it goes down crisp and smooth, I could see this being an easily sessionable brew if it was available in Maine.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2008 00:52:07 | More by deltatauhobbit

IntriqKen

California

4.18/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Wow...when was the last time I drank a beer that came in a can.
As tempting as it was to drink from the can, I poured it into a glass instead.
Pretty crystal clear pale yellow with a half finger head that melts to respectible side sticking lacing.
Aromas are bright and floral...with a little of the sweet malt coming through.
Taste is amazing...although a bit thin....there are lots and lots of fresh citrus and pine hops in here. Not a NW Hops flavor...more of a German or Czech hops flavor. A nice peppery bite on the tale end that finishes to a pleasant clean drying.
Wish this was available in So. Calif...would love to pick up sixers of this for the beach, river, lake, park, neighbors bbq, etc.
For me, it is very deceiving being in a can and then poured into a glass I am looking at something that should have a BMC feel or taste.
It doesn't.
This is a wonderful summer craft beer.
Thanks David for the opportunity to try this.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2006 00:24:03 | More by IntriqKen

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.84/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: clear, orange, bright white finger of head. Some sporadic lace.

Aroma: light floral and pine notes, biscuit malts, light sweetness.

Taste: medium bitterness, floral and citrus, pale malt sweetness, well rounded.

Mouthfeel: crisp, slick, clean.

Not bad. Quite decent canned pale.

Serving type: can

06-15-2013 03:46:46 | More by EgadBananas

dbossman

Nebraska

3.99/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: Brass colored hue with a large foamy head--great retention and decent lacing

S: A pretty balanced grain and hop profile in the aroma--lemon, pine, tea leaves from the hops and toast and sweet bread from the malts

T: Lemon and tea leaves up front--actually really dominant lemon tea hop profile with a malty, bready backbone that really balances out the bitterness

F: Medium body; creamy--though a bit too thin on the back end

O: A very solid, balanced pale ale--nice work Caldera

Serving type: can

06-11-2013 20:32:19 | More by dbossman

TheSixthRing

California

3.86/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

No freshness date, but there's a Total Wine sticker which dates this as arriving at the store on 02/13/13

Appearance - Pours a clear golden orange with a white, 2 finger head and good retention. The head dissipates to reveal a broken layer of microbubbles, while a fair amount of lacing clings to the side.

Smell - Huge honey notes in the aroma; smells awfully close to the localized wildflower honey I bought recently. Light touches of caramel. Slight citrus and floral notes.

Taste - Much less honey in the flavor, though it still contributes greatly to the profile. Floral and spice with touches of citrus. Moderate caramel and bread malt backbone. Nicely balanced. Faint citrus pith near the finish.

Mouthfeel - Medium in body with light to moderate carbonation. Smooth throughout, going down with great ease.

Overall - A smooth, well balanced and approachable pale. Interesting flavors. Not your typical west coast APA, with all that honey sweetness, and it's a nice change from the norm.

Serving type: can

05-25-2013 04:17:24 | More by TheSixthRing

Bosoxfan20

Missouri

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

A delightfully surprising beer that I tried at a local bar having never heard of Caldera before. I was given no glass to pour the beer in (This wasn't a classy establishment), so rating is based off drinking straight from the can.

Wondeful fresh hop citrus smell. Juicy, wet hops all over the nose. Grapefruit, mango, orange. The 3 Cs of NW hops brewed well here. Biscuity malts do a wonderful job of standing up to the hop presence. Mid body with nice drinkability. A perfect session style pale for someone who enjoys a hoppy, yet balanced beer while out drinking all night with friends.

A very underated pale ale here that is certainly one of the best i have had.

Serving type: can

05-19-2013 22:12:34 | More by Bosoxfan20

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.81/5  rDev -1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A finger and half of head on a cloudy, medium straw colored body.
The aroma is a nice grapefruit and lemon.
The taste has a lightness to it. Lemon bitterness with a decent malt backbone.
The texture is crisp with moderate carbonation.
An enjoyable APA.

Serving type: can

02-07-2013 04:06:18 | More by Fatehunter

Clydesdale

District of Columbia

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

A: Pours a mostly clear, pale orange color. The off-white head is medium-sized, with a moderately dense texture. Retention is solid, as is lacing.

S: Some pale sugar cookie malt aromas. Hops are vibrant, with big grapefruit/orange notes and some resinous tartness. A bit of tropical fruit and some herbal/grassy hop character also lurks in the background.

T: A bit of caramel malt flavor up front. Mostly pale malt flavor up front. Hop bitterness is moderate. Hop flavors are primarily citric, tropical, and herbal, but there's an unusual vinous note along with the more expected characteristics. Some pine in the aftertaste.

M: Medium-light body. Carbonation is light as well. I'd prefer a heftier mouthfeel. The hops add a moderate dryness to the finish.

D: This might just be my personal preferences getting in the way, but the weird resiny/vinous hop notes in this one don't vibe particularly well with the rest of the beer. I don't dislike it, but it is distracting. The mouthfeel is also a bit more wilting than I'd like from a western pale ale.

Serving type: can

01-26-2013 00:24:31 | More by Clydesdale

vashooter

Virginia

3.98/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from a can , great looking can, poured into a pint glass and it made a nice two fingers of head. When head subsided nice lace on glass sides when taking first taste. Beautiful honey gold color, sparkling clear and clean in pint. Not a heavily carbonated beer which is what I would expect from a nice craft beer. Bready smell mixed in with Cascades hops I believe or Northern brewer, possibly Simcoes. Pine notes are subdued but evident as well as some slight citrus notes. Taste was amazing, what it lacks in nose it makes up for in taste. A very well balanced ale. When the ale is cold it was slightly biting on the sides of the tongue, which is to be expected from the carbonation and cold perception. As the ale warmed it became more complex, less biting, Yeasty notes, still a bit of bitterness but not unpleasant at all. Warming to the mouth but not overly alcoholic or astringent. Light caramel infused with a careful balance of hops. Light on the tongue but leaves your mouth wanting another one. Great example of a well done American Pale in my honest opinion. I have bought it twice now and will recommend it to friends as well as keep in my stable.

Serving type: can

01-11-2013 05:48:43 | More by vashooter

BucannonXC5

California

2.85/5  rDev -26%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12-oz. can into pint glass on Nov. 27, 2012 (purchased for $1.79 at BevMo (with card) in La Mesa, Calif. (San Diego) on Nov. 27, 2012). Hazy honey orange with about a finger of fluffy white head. Pretty good retention on the sides - wet, foamy and white; pretty thing on the top.

Smelled a strong whiff of cascade fruity hops right away. Also some lime, light pine, mango, honey and sour fruit.

Tasted about what I expected after the smell. Got that sour fruit with a bitter aftertaste. Still think it was cascade hops. Also got grape, mango, more tropical fruit, kiwi and a bit of bitter pine hops.

Light body. Thin texture. Average carbonation. Abrupt bitter finish.

Just really didn’t get along with this beer. I don’t think I’d have it again.

Serving type: can

11-28-2012 04:20:39 | More by BucannonXC5

Dope

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy golden with a huge frothy white head. Fades slowly, leaving a nice island of foam in the center. Lots of fluffy lacing all over the glass.

S: A bunch of grapefruit up front with a bit of resin. Some tropical fruit in there too, mainly mango and pineapple. Sweet caramel malt comes through in a strong way.

T: Hops not nearly as strong as in the aroma (which is fine, otherwise this would be a big IPA). Tropical fruit and grapefruit up front as in the aroma, just a lot more mellow. Nice caramel and bready malt. In the finish there is some resin to round it all out.

M: Medium bodied, quite nice for only 5.5%. A bit of sticky hop oil in there.

O: A hoppy APA for sure. Not overly so, but definitely up there. Nice and mild, easy drinking and goes down well. Really nice APA if I say so, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Serving type: can

10-05-2012 04:31:54 | More by Dope

macrosmatic

Florida

3.78/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to dujayhawk for this one! Reviewed from notes. Poured from 12 oz. can into pint glass.

A: Hazy gold in color with a half-finger white head, nice visible carbonation and decent lacing on the glass.

S: Citrus, flowery and some pine hops, and 2 Row malt.

T: The hop profile strikes me as primarily bitterness with some grassy and pine notes. Cracker or light malt backbone. Finish is hop-bitter and grainy, but with a smidge of a tinny off-flavor.

M: Fairly light mouthfeel, good amount of carbonation sensation, no alcohol presence to speak of.

O: I thought this was better than I expected. It's certainly not a complex beer, but nice, simple & easy to drink. I'd pick up a six-pack (or whatever they come in) if this was available in a store around me.

Serving type: can

09-02-2012 17:13:57 | More by macrosmatic

klkatz

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

clear yellow... looks like.... "aaahhh" refreshing... like you'd want one after mowing the lawn...

smell - Good Pale Ale. Good beer. smells like you'd expect from a west-coast american ale... yum... yep. slight floral, grassy,

taste - initial palate welcome is good... will sit well, will stick with me... giving moutfeel a high rating... good bitterness... can't place the spice...

this is my first beer from this brewery, but I'm a sucker for west coast american hops, so I might be biased and give a standard deviation higher than normal...

gotta new can from the picture above... thinking of sending in a pic from me...

Serving type: can

08-30-2012 17:56:07 | More by klkatz

UCLABrewN84

California

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy honey orange with a 1 inch foamy orange-white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus zest, and some herbal hop aromas. Taste is of citrus zest and herbal hop flavors up front with a malt flavor on the finish. There is a mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is pretty tasty and easy to drink but I prefer the way this one tastes over the way it smells.

Serving type: can

07-27-2012 01:59:09 | More by UCLABrewN84

Uncle_Jimmy

California

3.98/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

poured from can in to a glass

A- Pale Golden Color , Fine light yellow head that lingers and decent lacing.

Smell- Lightly floral citrus, slightly metalic and soapy

Taste- Taste citrus lemon definately light but with a maltier finish. I could have mistaken this for a lager or a lighter IPA. Buttery in the finish like a white wine.

M- lingers on the palette slightly with a great deal of fiz. Refreshing not unpleasant.

O- I would say this is a good lawnmower beer for a craft ale fan. The can suggests a lot of activities that would accompany this beer I think all of them would be perfect.

Serving type: can

06-30-2012 15:01:04 | More by Uncle_Jimmy

avalon07

South Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a can to a pint glass. Had a yellow color and a clear consistency. There was an inch of foamy, fairly long-lasting head. Great lacing.

S: A strong citrus aroma, with some hops and malt in the aroma.

T: Tasted of hops (a fair amount), a good deal of citrus (grapefruit), and a little malt. A very solid, sharp, focused, well done flavor.

M: A high amount of carbonation with a crisp finish. Light-bodied.

O: While this isn't an overly complex beer, it's still very enjoyable and drinkable.

Serving type: can

06-20-2012 00:51:21 | More by avalon07

atomicbeer

New Mexico

3.1/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clear yellow-gold with a large rocky ecru head. Few bubbles rise. Citrusy aroma: grapefruit, orange, papaya notes Entry follows aroma followed by grapefruit skin and aspirin-like bitterness (Cascade hops, IBU 55). Single hop Cascade not my favorite but not a bad quaff, especially for a canned product. Needs some food - think that would make it better. Still have a few in the fridge to pair with a burger.

Serving type: can

06-17-2012 21:17:10 | More by atomicbeer

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Can from Beer Deluxe. From notes.

A - Poured bright with a golden colour. One finger of fluffy white head. Good carbonation, great thick lace and a film of retention.

S - Citrus, grapefruit, honey, touch of pine, mango.

T - Mango and citrus. Nice light citrus and honey note. Pine was fairly prominent. Toffee was there too. Really nice. Hop forward but balanced.

M - Very mildly bitter making the balance nice. Good carbonation, light to medium body.

O/D - Body and flavour make it good. Light body works well, making it go down smooth. Flavour hops were strong and not much bitterness. Good stuff.

Serving type: can

06-04-2012 04:22:32 | More by tbeckett