Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Pale Ale - Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Large rocky head that leaves plentiful lace. The color is orange, copper. There is the slightest of haze.

Sweet caramel aroma; no noticable hop.

Full bodied with a low amount of carbonation. There is a smoothness to this beer. Lots of berry-like flavors. Nice hop finish. The aftertaste is a combination of light hop and sour milk.

This is what I would call a mellow pale ale. There is none of the in-your-face hop that is common in the American versions of pale ales.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2008 01:53:04 | More by smcolw

Wasatch

Utah

3.85/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a very nice brown color, nice carbonation, nice two-finger foamy off-white head, nice sticky lacing to follow. The nose is sweet, malty, with some caramel. The taste follows the nose pretty much. Medium body. Drinkable, a nice brew, but I still like the American version better.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2009 20:39:02 | More by Wasatch

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cream, one-finger head that vanishes quickly leaving no lace. Slightly cloudy amber color. Medium-strong carbonation and medium bodied. Nose is faintly sweet. Starts on the sweet side with some hops hiding in the background. Clean finish, this is a good pale not loaded with hops. $3 for a 550ml bottle from Northend Superette Manchester, NH.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2005 23:30:10 | More by jdhilt

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a nonic)

A- This beer pours a warm brown crystal clear body with a light tan head of thick creamy foam and a strong carbonation of big bubbles.

S- The slightly earthy aroma of pale grain has a soft green finish with a pine hint to it.

T- The green softly pine snap of hops has a light watery taste to it with a note of lightly toasted dry malt and some biscuit malt qualities to follow.

M- The medium-light mouthfeel gets a bit thinner as the head dissipates. There is a tight clean fizz in the finish.

D- This beer has a smooth clean flavor with a soft hop flavor that is very soft on the bitterness. It is not to exciting with little complexity but I think it has great potential on cask or draft as it is a well built beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2009 16:52:45 | More by rhoadsrage

Jason

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 12 oz clear bottle that has gold foil on top, no freshness date to be found.

Appearance: Bright and copper colored with sea foam like off white lace.

Smell: Hint of hops with a light jolly rancher candy like fruitiness.

Taste: Medium bodied and a dryish mouth feel show on the palate, subdued fruitiness and a malty sweetness holds the front with a mellow biscuity malt taste. Hop bitterness and a slight husk flavour help to balance. A little grainy in the finish with a true pale ale dryness in the end.

Notes: Clean to the tongue with lots of complexity, perfect quaffing material ... A Pale Ale to reckon with.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2002 21:42:47 | More by Jason

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured this into the complimentary flared out Samuel Smith pint glass.

A: A nice 1.5 finger frothy head develops on the pour that slowly dissipates. Brilliantly clear amber toasty maple brown color that shows all the little bubbles rising up in the middle. The rich head faded to a semi thick head covering over a minute or so, but stays around there with all the little bubbles rising up.

N: An interesting creamy malt like aroma really starts, with some fruity aromas, almost fruit punch, very light. A rich juicy hop aroma billows out. A slight earthy hop aroma also tangos with the juicy and is accompanied by a light toasty amber malt like aroma.

T: Starts very juicy with a nice hop flavor. That is followed by lots of varying malts, some toasty crystal and amber like malts. A slight earthy juicy hop flavor really hits. Its pretty pale, but not really bitter. A slight fruit flavor also comes out, very light. A slight roasted malt quality comes out, that gives a slight hint of a porter or brown ale.

M: Pretty good body, very lightly creamy, good carbonation.

F: A little bitter, but slightly fruity and sweet actually. Pretty pale and a little tangy. A slight juicy hop flavor sticks around with that fruit punch taste. A little bit more of the earthy hop qualities as well.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2009 01:16:30 | More by jlindros

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.53/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

550mL bottle, with foiled cap, part of the Samuel Smith's Selection Box, purchased at Yankee Spirits, Sturbridge, MA

Poured into an imperial pint glass, a creamy off-white head forms on top of a deeply golden liquid. The head has staying power, and leaves thick lace all over the glass. Pleasant hops aroma, which couples with the tastes of an optimal amount bitterness and a bit more malt than most pales ales, which is a plus in my book. Not particularly a pale ale fan, but this one does it for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2004 14:10:00 | More by ppoitras

Zorro

California

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

Pours a clear fiery copper brew.

Smell is malt and light fruit, mild grain smell too.

Taste is mildly sweet malt and a small sour tang too. There is a mild caramel and nuts taste here too. Nice mellow brew.

Mouthfeel is good.

Very drinkable, a beer for all year long.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2004 02:31:10 | More by Zorro

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.18/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

550 ml bottle from the Christmas pack.

Pours a clear light coppery orange, thin big bubbled off white head forms, quickly settles down to a thin collar, not really any lacing, looks okay. Smell is malty, quite sweet and bready, some caramel, biscuits, brown sugar, light raisin, some fruit, not too bad. Taste is similar, light flavour, bit of caramel and raisin, quite toasty, a bit of fruit, light floral hopping, nutty in the finish, weak and watery. Mouthfeel is light bodied with low to medium carbonation, goes down like water. I really remember this one being quite a bit better, weak watery pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2008 02:01:22 | More by Viggo

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.33/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Weird appearance, a red and copper color, not seen too often, if ever in a pale ale. Aroma is not apparent.

Taste, a little earthy grassy minimal hop presence. Tastes mild and balanced. Easygoing. Smooth mouthfeel. Approaches the nut brown ale in that characteristic. Tea flavor. Toffee too.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2010 16:34:22 | More by Beerandraiderfan

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.85/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Perfectly clear amber, with a nice small but solid head of beige foam. No carbonation visible. Looks syrupy and still in the glass. Lacing is good. Looks pretty tasty.

Copper and malt on the nose, quite sweet, with a hint of preserved lemon citrus character. There's a good backbone of solid caramel/candy sweetness, but it's not huge. Nice characters, but not particularly powerful.

The caramel malty richness is present on the palate too, but there's a good firm English hoppy bitterness to balance it here. Green and sharp and quite robust. Nice, it just cuts through the malt the way you want it to. It leaves the sweetness as the canvas, but the hops as the striking contemporary design swished over the top.

Mouthfeel is quite smooth, perhaps not as creamy as a good real ale could be - and this would benefit from a little of that.

A very drinkable brew, well balanced and well made. If it seems a tad on the sweet side at first, it manages to balance itself out by the end.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2009 23:14:27 | More by lacqueredmouse

Gusler

Arizona

4.1/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The color on the pour a translucent burnished copper, the head mountainous in size, the consistency is that of butter crème frosting with thick glutinous sheets of lace to envelope the glass, both a light tan color. Nose malt, and sweet black walnuts, pleasing to the old nose. First taste is ambrosial, top is fair to middling in mouth feel, the finish is enchantingly hopped, charmingly acidic, delightfully dry aftertaste. What a “Wonderful World” it would be if all beers were as masterfully brewed as Samuel Smith’s “Bravo” to the brewers of this most exquisite line of beers, a regular on my “Beer Shopping List”!

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2002 13:40:37 | More by Gusler

DoubleJ

California

3.78/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I found the organic version to be impressive, so I have high standards for this one. On to the beer:

As I might have expected, it looks equally impressive as the organic counterpart; a chill hazed orange with a sticky white head. Soft buttered bread and diacetyl make up the aroma. Moving on to the taste, it's a little cleaner than I was expecting, but still has some diacetyl that coats the palate. It's a simple balance of malt and hops. Smooth and quaffable.

Not nearly at the same level as the organic ale, but this is still worth a look. For the optimal experience, give it some time to warm up.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2008 06:30:27 | More by DoubleJ

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

3.8/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

550ml clear-bottle presentation, BB Feb. 2007, served cool in a straight imperial-pint glass.

A: light copperish hue, very bright and clear, with an off-white reasonably foamy and superbly sustaining head that is constantly supported by a lively fizzy body throughout the drink.
S: a classic "pale-ale" like biscuity as well as lightly-caramely maltiness leads the aroma, against a moderately spicy, aromatic tea-ish hoppy and a mildly salty note (the work of malts plus hard water?) in the background. A mild flow of intriguingly stinky-sock edge of malts+yeasts AND semi-fermented apples lies low but hovers well.
T: slightly caramel-malty and metallic(?!) at the same time, pretty solid-bodied with a restrained flavour of salty-sweet, marinated berry-fruits with an unfresh, tart edge (like preserved prunes)... Chewy, roast-tea-ish hoppy at the back, more in mouthfeel than flavour esp. on the deep ends of both wings of the tongue... leaving a rather "neutral" aftertaste, and more and more leafy-hop bitterness to chew in the finish.
M&D: almost fullsome for an English pale ale, it's quite easy to quaff thanks to the lightly-carbonated body and a sort of balance achieved b/w bitterness and sweetness... There's no beer in my brain's database to compare with this ale (esp. when I'm "merry" now...), but it's definitely a good pale ale or premium bitter with some added fruitiness to its advantage. I could only imagine the taste of the cask-conditioned version, which, alas, does not exist. Samuel Smith really should cask-condition more of their brilliant beers~~

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2006 21:03:30 | More by wl0307

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Clear amber/red colour topped by a thin, off-white head. Both retention and stickage were pretty good.

Smell: Nice maltiness with plenty of caramel and a hint of toastiness. Some light fruitiness and a soft floral/perfumy hop character.

Taste: Moderate bitterness with a pleasant malty sweetness. A bit buttery, perhaps a touch of diacetyl. There's also a bit of fruit character present. The finish is on the dry side, with a harsher bitterness. Still, quite enjoyable.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation was higher than expected. Medium/light body and some slickness. Very creamy texture aided by fine CO2 bubbles that appear on the palate.

Drinkability: Basically a mellow and inoffensive beer that's great for a session. Great aroma profile and mouthfeel, along with decent flavour, keep it interesting.

550 mL clear bottle with no freshness date.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2005 01:53:30 | More by DrJay

plaid75

New York

3/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a deep copper/amber hue with a thin lacing of head. There was decent lacing.

The smell had a stong malt sweetness, similar to molasses or corn syrup. Little to no hop profile.

The taste was a bit more balanced than the smell. A clean rich sweet malt foundation, featuring subtle hop highlights.

The mouthfeel was clean and smooth. Nothing really exciting here.

Certainly a drinkable ale, but nothing that really holds my attention.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2006 21:00:21 | More by plaid75

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Nobody panic! My avatar recently changed and I am not drinking beer from a CAN, bottle be getting back to The CANQuest (TM) real soon. For now, I want to concentrate on the Samuel Smith's oeuvre.

Mine is a heavy brown bottle, vice the clear one in the picture. My pour created a finger of tawny head with decent retention. Color was a slightly hazy orangish-amber. Nose was highly malty, underlain with grassy hops. Mouthfeel was silky smooth with tastes of honey and raspberries on the tongue. Great goshdarn! How have I overlooked this beer for so long?!? Finish was very fruity with a little butteriness, to boot. How do they do that? I gotta make a mental note of this one.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2011 00:25:48 | More by woodychandler

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Gemstone amber with blazing orange body and lemon yellow bottom. It has a really nice glow that to the light showcases its full range of tones. Soapy white head slowly evaporates until it becomes shaved down to no more than a thick, glinty outside ring.

The aroma is quite concerning. I wasn't expecting much in the means of hops, but there seems to be none. What was initially a pleasant enough hint of butterscotch became a full blown load of buttery diacetyl after warming a little. Very concerning indeed.

The diacetyl is a little less apparent in the taste. Instead of cheap scorched caramel, the flavour better resembles its pale malt bill, lightly toasted and now sugary sweet and coated with just a dash of toffee. It's still not exactly a taste you want lingering but it's passable.

This certainly isn't the most quenching pale ale either. The texture is chalky and mineral-harsh. The bitterness lingers as well. It dries out the palate; I might actually be more thirsty after every sip. It must be the suspected diacetyl that is making this astringent with the taste of scorched butter.

Old Brewery Pale Ale is a much simpler rendition than the American reinventions, make no mistake. It could even be considered dull in comparison. But still, this was for me, as I'm sure it was for many, one of the first beers to turn me onto new styles, craft breweries, and an overall standard for better taste.

Although this particular bottle may (or may not) have been a little off, I still think really highly of Samuel Smith. They do a great job at producing a range of styles and most importantly, their beers make a great starting place for those looking to expand their palate.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2008 21:36:07 | More by biegaman

Brad007

Vermont

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Color: Copper/amber color with a generous head of foam.

Aroma: Bread/biscuit aromas make their presence known upfront. A bit of hop bitterness shows through as well.

Taste: Bready/biscuity taste. Very mellow. Very mild hop bitterness. More buttery than I expected (outdated?).

Mouthfeel: Bready/biscuity. Smooth. Goes down ok.

Drinkability: Still quite drinkable but not impressive beyond that. A typical british pale ale.

Verdict: Drinkable and smooth. Not much else. Classic pale ale here. It would taste better fresh but because I can't decipher the production codes, I have no clue.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2008 23:39:17 | More by Brad007

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Copper-gold and very clear. Off-white head dissappears, but leaves some evidence of lace.

S: Mostly malt (bready & biscuity), with a hint of Nobel hop aroma.

T: Caramel & bready malt, good amount of bitterness, with only a little fruity esters (quite tame for British yeast). Only a little hop flavour (mostly earthy). Flavours are light, but well rounded. Could use a little more depth (fruity yeast & hop flavour).

M: Moderate body and carbonation, with a fairly dry finish.

D: Well rounded, easily approachable, very drinkable. Would be an excellent session beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2005 05:24:05 | More by Derek

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.2/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a reddish amber with a slight head that settles to a thin cap. Some sweet malt comes through first in the nose, followed by some copper notes that are typical for the style, and some bready notes on the finish. Tastes of classic biscuity malts, copper, crisp with a soft bitterness, bready on the finish. Crisp with late earthy hoppy bitterbess in the mouth. Very pleasant and a classic of the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2009 18:00:19 | More by Georgiabeer

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

2.6/5  rDev -32.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured into my Sam Smith Pint Glass

Pours a 1/2 finger slightly off white head. Fades down quickly. Carbonation bubbles stick to the bottom and a few float to the top. Color is a clear bright golden orange. Not the best retention. No lace observed.

Aroma: The main thing I smell is caramel. Not very hoppy. I haven't had a pale ale in a while, but I am definitely not liking this one.

Taste: Caramel and a lot of malts here. Some grassy hops. There just isn't a lot going on here and I am really not liking any of it. Has a nut taste to it as it warms.

Mouthfeel: A little bitter, nothing compared to an IPA though. Medium bodied. Lower-level of carbonation. Leaves a musky hoppy aftertaste. I am not liking this either.

Overall, I refuse to drain pour any beer, but if I were to do so, this would be the beer to do it. There was really nothing I enjoyed about this beer and I probably won't have it again. Maybe I got a bad bottle.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2009 22:38:48 | More by mothman

Dogbrick

Ohio

2.83/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

My bottle was slightly skunked (they love those clear bottles at Sam Smith's),but even that aside I was kind of disappointed at the quality, given how much I love their Oatmeal and Imperial Stouts. The aroma was malty and had a stale aspect to it. The flavor was lacking in hops but still managed some bitterness in the finish. All in all I expected better.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2002 10:56:48 | More by Dogbrick

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.65/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

18.7 oz brown bottle picked up a couple weeks ago at the Coop for $3.50 ... poured into my New Belgium snifter.

2 finger head lasts quite a bit and leaves very nice lacing... Brew is very clear copper amber... looks pretty for sure ... darker than one would think for a pale ale.

Aroma is low grassy hops with alot of traditional English fruity esters... Light caramel and pale malts are sorta eclipsed by the esters.

Flavor is a very satisfying mix of bready malts and more of the English yeast. Diacetyl is subtle but present in appropriate amounts. Floral hoppiness melds well. Slightly metallic mid palate with the caramels and very light butterscotch mixing in the finish. Middle of the road sweetness with a low bitter backbone.. Flavor is what I think of English as it warms. Palate is on the thick side for a 5% brew.. but persistent small bubble carbonation helps a bunch. Drinkability would be my only "complaint" ... I would need to be in a pub to have more than 1-2... I get bored easily.

Overall, I forget about the Samuel Smith brews because I always seem to have access to the main stable... I really should pick these up more often and I definitely will next time I am going to try and brew anything with an English profile.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2008 07:29:49 | More by JohnGalt1

ccrida

Oregon

3.53/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

550ml bottle into my Samuel Smith's imperial pint glass, the Pale Ale is a hazy, dull copper with a medium sized, orange tinged khaki head that leaves moderate lace.

Smell is grassy hops and sweet, sugary fruit.

Taste is heavy on the esters, sweet, biscuit malt, wet grass and a bit tinny, with a bitter, dry finish, with lingering fruity esters. I don't care for the watery taste of most english ales, which this one certainly has, but it has enough flavor to satisfy. Not my cup of tea, but a good example of the style.

Mouthfeel is really nice and smooth, with a medium light body.

Drinkabilty is ok, I don't care for the tinny, grassy taste, but it's pretty light and easy drinking. Nice to see they dropped the clear glass and started using brown bottles.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2008 00:49:45 | More by ccrida