Pilot Mountain Pale Ale - Foothills Brewing Company

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.68/5  rDev +24.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Barley's and Must say a very fine ale indeed. Poured a deep orange amber with a white frothy head with great retention and a sticky layer of lace to follow. The smell was huge, big hop profile. Lots of citrus hops with a deep resin vibrant aroma, Cascade are very evident here. The flavor is a huge hop bomb, and coming from Foothills you know its good. Very big dry bitter finish and damned if that sweet orange blossom flavor did not hang around forever. I could swear this was 8%abv or more, realy quite a strong brew I was feeling afterward. Overall hell yeah, this was awesome. I would drink this anyday, absolutly wonderful and a great addition to any bar!

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2007 23:32:11 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes.

Pours a moderate copper color with a white head and a pretty good amount of lacing. Nose is light citrus and herbal hops. The taste brings some pale malt as well as a slight bit of citrus. A light bitterness in the feel. Easy drinking but somewhat lacking.

Serving type: on-tap

11-11-2010 13:01:53 | More by Thorpe429

BEERchitect

Kentucky

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

Standard Pale Ale. Little to fault, but tough to celebrate. Opens with a more amber-malt character, but still highly attenuated for clean malt aromas and flavors. Hopped for balance, but allowing the citrus, pine character to shine over the malts at times. Hops come across with a metalic bite and is noticed because of a body that is a bit lighter than prefered. Finishes quite clean are refreshing, but with a mild huskiness and bite in the end. A good standard Pale Ale.

Serving type: on-tap

10-17-2007 21:26:07 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear copper with a nice bead with a rather thin head,nice mingling of aromas of biscuit malt and a little caramel with some herbal/grassiness really showing thru as it warms a little.Extremely well balanced biscuit malt and a touch of caramel up front finishing with nice spruce,pine flavor rounding this one out nicely.A real sociable pint to be had if with friends this is the one to order I think.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2005 20:18:23 | More by oberon

drabmuh

Maryland

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

Served on tap at Foothills paired with my chicken sandwich. This is your classic American Pale ale, moderately hopped, medium body, go to beer for your everyday drinker, and it's a decent one.

Beer is orangish with a soft white head of small and tiny bubbles, lacing is a plus and carbonation is steady. Looks good.

Aroma is mildly piny but mostly earthy hops.

Beer is medium bodied and has a nice hop presence, not overly bitter, not at all. Beer is "well balanced" between the light malt backbone and the presence of the hop flavors and bitterness. This would be a good football beer to have around on the weekends. Although there is nothing too special about it.

Serving type: on-tap

02-01-2011 15:47:33 | More by drabmuh

avalon07

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a growler to a pint glass. Had an amber color and a mostly clear consistency. There was a quarter inch of fairly long-lasting, foamy head and excellent lacing.

S: A sharp hoppy smell, along with malt.

T: Tasted of malt and bitter hops. Neither overwhelms the other. A well-balanced flavor.

M: A well-carbonated beer with a dry finish. Light-bodied.

D: A very easy to drink beer. Definitely one that wouldn't leave you with much of a hangover.

Serving type: growler

05-14-2009 14:01:07 | More by avalon07

blackie

Virginia

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

appearance: The beer is golden in color with a white head of which a small amount remains throughout the experience.

smell: Crisp, herbal American hop aromas with a light, balancing sweetness of pale malt. Nothing special, but easily "good."

mouthfeel: The carbonation is just over medium, and the body a lighter medium.

taste: Nice blend of fresh hop flavors and pale malts. The hops taste pretty green and give a great bitterness level that cleans up the finish.

drinkability: easy...great balance of character and drinkability

Sampled at Foothills on my way back from Linville

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2006 22:34:00 | More by blackie

tdm168

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at World of Beer at North Hills

A - copper with a thin lacing of white, soft head

S - piny, earthy, toasty, bready

T - toasty, bready, citrus, pine, bitter finish

M - light bodied, smooth, well carbonated

I'm a bit disappointed in the malt character here. The toasty notes were note welcomed, but the hop character was solid. I would probably avoid this in the future.

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2012 00:51:50 | More by tdm168

Durge

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had this at Tyler's Tap Room in Durham, NC. It was a clear copper color with solid head and good lace. The aroma is weak, but shows wheat and grapefruit hops. The flavor brings out more of the malt mixed with the hops bite, but it is a very mild blend. Pretty drinkable. It is a tad watery but there is a nice charcoal finish. I would like to try this again as it got mixed results as I made my way through the glass. Definitely worth a try no matter what.

Serving type: on-tap

10-01-2007 01:41:54 | More by Durge

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served on tap at Foothills Brewing Company in Winston-Salem, NC.

A: Pours a crystal clear medium copper in color with some orange highlights and light to moderate amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a finger tall dense foamy beige head that slowly reduces to a very thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer with a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of citrus hops with a lighter amount of pine/resin and earthy hops.

T: Upfront there is a moderate amount of pale and caramel malts with very little sweetness. That is followed by moderate to strong flavors of pine/resin and citrus/orange rind hops. Just a touch of some earthy hops in there are well. Light to moderate amounts of lingering bitterness.

M: Just shy of medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Light amounts of dryness in the finish.

O: Pretty enjoyable and easy to drink - sessionable due to the moderate amounts of bitterness and low ABV. Definitely one to get again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2012 01:45:57 | More by dbrauneis

nickd717

California

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

Draft at the brewpub.

A - Copper color with a nice lasting one-finger white head.

S - Caramel malt and citrusy hops with a little resin detectable.

T - Well-balanced and pretty good with caramel malt, bread, earth, and citrusy/piney C-hops. A good, but not great, example of the APA style.

M - Body medium for the style with medium carbonation.

D - Above average for a pale ale.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2009 18:41:11 | More by nickd717

argock

Virginia

2.8/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served on-tap in a clear pint glass at Boylan Heights (Charlottesville, VA).

A: Light amber with cap of off-white head with skimpy lace at the top of the glass.

S: Herbal, earthy hops and some light pale malts, but the aroma is way light and not distinctive.

T: The flavor is a big let-down, as I enjoyed FOothills' Hoppyum IPA a lot. THis brew is like a glorified homebrew but after you've just tasted a really good homebrew or craft beer. Hops are flat and herbal with no brightness and the malt load is far below the necessary level. A messy brew that doesn't really push any flavor forward and thus is left with a lot of low-impact flavors.

M: Feel is thin and subpar for the style. Aftertaste is cardboardy and not pleasant.

D: Skip this one and buy pretty much any other ale on the menu. This brew is unrefined and needs more finishing to recommend as too many messy flavors and off-flavors are present with no dominant flavor taking charge. Maybe it's the draft lines, and since their other brews are good, I will give this another try elsewhere and see if there is a difference.

Serving type: on-tap

04-03-2010 04:19:31 | More by argock

atsprings

North Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a crisp amber with a thin diminishing head. The aroma is dominated by earthy hops. The taste is a wonderful balance of earthy pine hops and rich caramel malts. A smooth well balanced flavor lingers very well into the aftertaste. The beer is light and crisp with just a slight stickiness. This is an extremely enjoyable pale ale.

Serving type: growler

05-10-2007 00:56:36 | More by atsprings

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.45/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had this on tap at Foothills.

A: It poured a very hazy orange which was on the darker side of the orange spectrum. The head was about 1/2 finger and retained itself throughout.

S: Not much on the nose at all.... maybe some muted citrus and fresh H2O.

T: Despite what I got on the nose, this one had a substantial citrus bite with lots of orange peel. Very fresh!

M: Not uber sweet, but quite bitter, especially for a Pale Ale. There was a slight bit of lace left on the glass.

O: This was a nice, bitter American Pale Ale that was definitely up to par with their other yummy beers.

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2012 19:55:34 | More by Chaney

mentor

Colorado

3.33/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle was a 2006 GABF left-over that was given to me as a reward for my volunteer efforts. Thanks a million to GABF and to Foothills for the opportunity. Entered as category #37 (American Pale Ale).

Pours a massive tan head. I won't hold against the beer, as I suspect this one is normally not bottled. Crystal clear amber rust with very tiny particulates. Fairly attractive. Smells grassy pine and oranges. Flat. Musty and earthy.

Tastes brutal rough grassy hops. Not co-humulone, but earthy gritty. Oranges. Dry. Sort of toffee mixed in with the oranges. very earthy hops. Floral, but not overly bitter. Drying caramel from malt. Also some darker malt that comes across almost as an iron character.

Md body and overly carbonated. Too hoppy and not the right kind for the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2006 04:51:42 | More by mentor

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Stopped by the brewery itself for lunch and had this brew. Came out a light copper/orange color with about a half-inch head. Pretty good retention with some spotty lacing.

Smell the hops right away. This beer smells good. Some citrus scents in there as well.

First thing I notice about this beer is the nice crisp hop bitterness. A little more bitter than most APAs, but very good nonetheless. Some caramel malt taste tries to balance this one out, but the hop is king here.

This had a good amount of carbonation that gave it a nice crisp feeling. This was a good APA, but not my favorite of their offerings for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

10-16-2008 18:00:54 | More by Onenote81

daliandragon

North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sampled today at the brewery after hiking all day in Pilot Mountain State Park so it seemed appropriate. Arrived at my bar stool with a bright orange/amber color and clear as a bell to peer through. Almost no head at all, just a few bubbles. The smell was just some light hop aromas, nothing strong or particularly interesting.

The taste is solid, with a nice round flavor, supported entirely by hops. Not aggressive or piney but more the gentle bitterness of an English pale or an ESB. Lasting bitterness in the aftertaste but also some undesirable astringency.

This is definitely a decent beer but I feel it's just a bit off. A little disappointing for Foothills but still above average.

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2008 02:59:07 | More by daliandragon

MuddyFeet

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Solid APA. True to the style but I thought it leaned more towards an English style than an American due to lower hops than I am accustomed. Poured a dark wood brown and slightly translucent. The bar was dark so I was not able to tell just how much. Nose was earthy malts. Flavor waas heavy on the malts with just some slight spruce hops coming out. A bit overly carbonated but that may be the bar's fault more than the brewer's error. Medium to lighter body too. Nice APA that I would get again.

Serving type: on-tap

07-01-2007 11:52:05 | More by MuddyFeet

cvstrickland

North Carolina

3.78/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at Tyler's in Durham;

Clear, deep copper with a loose finger of foam with wimpy retention leaves wispy rings of lacing.

Smell is faintly malty.

Taste is dry, biscuity malt with a sting of bitter hops. Caramel flavors emerge as the drink warms.

Easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

06-26-2008 00:45:25 | More by cvstrickland

beer2day

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hazy orange pour with 1/2-finger of head. No retention. Not much lacing, but nice carbonation and an attractive coloring bring the score up.

Where is the nose here? Maybe I'm losing my sense of smell, but the current crop of pales haven't done much for me (amarillo hopped beers not included).

Huge citrus hit. Estery. Citrus absolutely explodes on your tastebuds. Slightly slick and oily, but fits the style.

Great drinker for a hoppy pale ale.

Serving type: on-tap

03-24-2010 17:15:15 | More by beer2day

AlexJ

North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pale amber with a fluffy white head that quickly settles into a thin ring, no lace.

Aroma is quite mild, hints of soft caramel and honey with very grassy and floral hops.

Flavor is much the same, clean golden roasted malts accented by floral, herbal, and light notes of citrus hops.

Body is just above light, could use some more oomph. Slick mouthfeel with a light, airey texture. A decent APA.

Serving type: growler

02-02-2006 14:04:18 | More by AlexJ

wcudwight

North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light amber color with a nice 1 finger sticky head with good retention.
Smell is a good combination of sweet and piney hops.
The taste is a well balanced hoppy taste. The hops are more floral in nature.
Sticky and oily in the mouth but somewhat thin.
This is a very drinkable session brew.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2006 21:58:04 | More by wcudwight

kkipple

South Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Foothills not 50 yards from where it was brewed.

A. Pale copper, 2cm white head, fizzy. Swirling the glass produces a bit of life.

S. I get some hop notes and a decidedly "English" smell, some mild sourness and a whiff of caramel malt.

T. Pilot Mountain is a light, well balanced, and mild all-around pale ale. Some grapefruit hops and toasty malt are about all I'm getting. Simple, but quite sessionable.

M / D. No complaints here. This is a basic and tasty Pale ale, and I suspect brewed more to the English style than not. Recommended if you like this sort of thing.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2007 00:56:53 | More by kkipple

rangerred

Tennessee

3.33/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured out of a growler into a 1L glass mug.

Appearance is a slightly hazy medium copper with a very tiny head.

Nose has plenty of earthy hops along with some caramel and toffee notes from the malt.

Flavor is a bit watery from the start with a quick shot of hoppy bitterness. Some earthyness from the hops quickly follows along with some caramel and biscuit. A pleasant maltyness lingers through the finish.

Overall this isn't a bad beer but the body is lacking. I also feel it is a little more hoppy than it should be and the malt kind of gets buried.

Serving type: growler

03-23-2012 00:49:03 | More by rangerred

Strix

Wisconsin

3.83/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On draft at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Surprisingly deep amber with minimal head.

Floral and grapefruit hoppy smell, but not strong. Something else in the mix too, dark bread I guess.

Taste is solid. Favors drinkability over a huge hop punch, but it's nice. A solid grapefruit hop base, and then a toasted bready flavor. Tends towards the English side of things, I get a bit of an ESB note, really.

A bit on the watery side for me, but all right.

Drinkability is good.

Overall, fairly basic, but I'd have this again. It wasn't particularly memorable, but went well with a dog and the game.

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2008 03:23:06 | More by Strix