Smuttynose Shoals Pale Ale - Smuttynose Brewing Company

FanofHefe

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into a Duvel tulip; best by June 2012. Surprised how dark the body is on this one, hazy dirty yellow body with a bit of red tint. One finger tan head that has decent retention and leaves a little streaky lacing.

Light aroma of citrus hops, mostly grapefruit. A little sweet bready malt in the background.

The flavor steps it up a notch over the aroma. The citrus hop flavor is, again, primarily grapefruit but a touch of orange and lemon lend a hand. The sweet malt comes through with enough balance to give a decent assist to the hops.

Medium to light mouthfeel that is very drinkable. Solid APA for sure.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 20:46:12 | More by FanofHefe

SirWalkAbout

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice red color with a perfect head that stays with it till the end.

Citrus smell along with a strong hop smell.

Taste is light and pleasant. Not as much of a hop bite as expected. Grapefruit. Very clear.

Rolls off the tongue cleanly, no aftertaste.

Overall, solid pale ale. Would get this again.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 23:28:09 | More by SirWalkAbout

Kendo

New York

4.2/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Best by date of 5/16/12. Consumed on 1/5/12, so I'm guessing this one's real fresh.

A: Poured from the bottle into a pint glass. Body is slightly hazed dark golden/light copper color, turning more orangey when backlit. Small ecru-colored head on top leaves behind some decent lace.

S: Nice nose - definitely citrusy C-hops in this house. Strong enough in the hop department to smell like an IPA, but there's also a touch of underlying malt.

T: This is a very solid APA. Malt is there and imparts an almost English-like taste with a light taste of crackers and caramel malt. Hops are the star of this show, however, as I get the grapefruity, citrusy stuff I sensed in the nose. Finishes with a slight metallic/minerally taste that competes with lemony bitterness. Torn between a 4 and a 4.5 here - will give it the 4 due to that metallic taste and up the "overall" score to offset a bit. But this is close to deserving that next level.

M: Medium in heft with a slightly resiny, slightly slick feel to it. Carbonation is active but not offensive.

O: Good stuff. I was surprised to see I hadn't reviewed this before, and now I'm disappointed that I hadn't.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 02:27:48 | More by Kendo

Crossmd

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured probably 38 degrees into a wine glass. No born date.

Pours a hazy amber with a copper rim, 1.5 finger eggshell head that dissipates into a cap after about 90 seconds, good lacing.

Smells of some heavy brown malts, some toast, a bit of spiciness underlined with a hint of booze.

Taste is a nutty, robust maltiness, with a touch of hops at the beginning of the finish, that dry out nicely and clean up just slightly. This leaves a just slightly dirty drydown that lingers well. Mouthfeel is one of the heaviest I've ever seen in a pale ale, with a considerable weight for the style.

Overall, a fantastic and robust offering from a favorite producer. Puts countless other PAs to shame and raises the bar in an excellent way.

93.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 20:41:46 | More by Crossmd

champ103

Texas

4.15/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a hazy burnt orange/red color. A two finger white head forms with excellent retention. Sticky spiderweb looking lace is left behind.
S: Very floral up front. Grassy, herbal tea like hops. Followed by an excellent balance. Sweet caramel, bread and biscuit. Very nice.
T: Follows the nose. Floral and grassy hops. Some grapefruit bitterness in there. Great balance with toasted and lightly sweet caramel malts.
M/D: A medium body with near perfect carbonation. Crisp, clean, and refreshing. So easy to drink. All day with this.

A great pale ale. So enjoyable and easy to drink. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 01:58:14 | More by champ103

Pintofbrown

Iowa

4.25/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had this one in a tulip.

Appearance- A quite dense, off-white and orange tinged head is nice to look at. It grew to about two-fingers and has very good retention. There are some bubbles on the smooth lid popping lazily.

The body looks like melted caramel in the glass.

Smell- There is some grape fruit and lemon present, even a little biscuit malt in the background. It is not "big", maybe the foam is making it hard for the smells to escape.

Taste- Really, just incredibly drinkable with citrus notes being prominent. You have some grape fruit and some passion fruit in there to lead things off.

The malt balances really well, and you can easily tell it is of the biscuit malt variety, and pretty sweet too. There is just a bit of resin oil in the finish to accompany the malt. Delicious.

Mouth feel- A medium body that comes off pretty fizzy on the tongue. I actually like that it has some zest here to go along with the flavors.

Overall- I think this pale is a little maltier than it needs to be. Dial that back a bit and let that citrus really take over. Meh, I feel awfully nit picky. What a great pale!

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 22:57:29 | More by Pintofbrown

schoolboy

Ohio

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

I know I had this once before, maybe a year or two ago on a trip in New England. It's a passable APA, but not a great one. It has a funky yeasty taste underneath a good hops taste and aroma.

It isn't quite a clear but looks good in the glass. The taste and aftertaste both have that funkiness that I don't like. This is generally a good brewery but this one is not excellent like some of their others.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 01:21:58 | More by schoolboy

TheMultiYeast

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle ---> Pint glass. Dark brown with a large white head and bubbly lacing.

Smell is mildly sweet with lemongrass, cereal, orange peel and mellow citrus.

Subdued citrus-grassiness combines with yeast, grain and crackers with

This is a refreshing pale ale with prickly carbonation. Enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 07:01:40 | More by TheMultiYeast

Bendurgin

Maine

3.63/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass. This one pours amber with a finger of beige head. A nice cap sticks and leaves soapy lace.

Hints of orange in the aroma with a nice bitter hop finish. A little bit of caramel malts linger in the background. The pallet gives off a little bit more of a malt presence than the aroma leads on. Big caramel flavors with a good finish of bitter citrus hops.

Light bodied with sharp carbonation. Solid offering, but not my favorite from these guys. I usually just go with Finest Kind, but this does the trick.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 05:44:18 | More by Bendurgin

LeoPanna

New York

4.15/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

bottle with no date...picture w/ caption under it "The Samuel Haley House on Smuttynose Island"

nice butterscotch amber...looks clear at first, but the cloudiness reveals itself under the light... the head is a buttery vanilla custard color, this is a nice looking beer.

sweet, grainy butterscotch in the nose.. very clean hoppy aroma

toasted grain, diacetyl is at a reasonable level providing a nice butterscotch taste, hops are present but not bitter, they balance well with the toasted malts. no fruitiness to this beer

great mouthfeel, nice alcoholic and medium hops aftertaste.

nice beer! perfect for a sunday afternoon watching football. it's filling too.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 19:49:00 | More by LeoPanna

Cresant

Kentucky

3.28/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured this 12 oz. brown bottle into a Geordie Schooner. Best by Feb. 12. The body was a hazy dull orange/amber. The off white head was modest and faded to a spotty film.

The smell was lightly fruity. Fresh grains here too.

The taste was also fruity. There was more grainy sweetness here than bitterness - pretty balanced - as it should be in an APA.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied and finished smooth. Easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 15:19:05 | More by Cresant

rlee1390

Indiana

3.88/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A-Cloudy deep orange, one finger head

S-Lots of hops, very earthy with some pine.

T-Earthy pine, some citrus and decent amount of bitterness.

M-Light however it is a little flat.

O-Had about a year ago and thought it was a great APA and it still is, not the best out there but a a great go to.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 21:38:36 | More by rlee1390

JohnnyChicago

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Blue Point shaker pint.

A: Pours an amber/light red colour with two fingers of white head.

S: Juicy grapefruit and lemon hop aromas with some bready and slightly English smelling malts.

T: The citrus aroma of the hops mixes with a more medicinal flavour and balances out the sweetness.

D: It is refreshing and quaffable and is fruity and balanced.

Overall: I tend to like my APAs on the dry side, but this one, with its sweetness and balance is very enjoyable as well. Its a solid APA and would make a great lawnmower beer or a more neutral pairing with dinner.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 15:20:29 | More by JohnnyChicago

barleyroad

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance is amber in color with a slight cloud to it. Smell is right hoppy in a good way. Mouthfeel is nice, this beer leave the mouth well and has the right hop for a Pale Ale. Taste is, well, good for this style of beer. They got it right, your standard Pale Ale. Over all we like this and feel it is the right beer for some good wings.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 23:14:16 | More by barleyroad

Crundy

Ohio

3.4/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Hazy amber color with a thin cream colored head

Smell: Slightly malty, citrus perhaps lemon or orange hops, some pine and yeast and alcohol

Taste: Hop bitterness, pine, some citrus, very slight sweet malt

Mouth feel: Light bodied, smooth, very little bite, slight bitter aftertaste

Overall: It doesn't wow and its a little bland, there is an initial burst of flavor but it dies quickly. not terrible but not good either.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 07:39:22 | More by Crundy

rel

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Really not much to say about this beer. It's pretty much an american style amber, on the hoppy side. For me this experience was more about pairing the beer with dinner. I was surprised to find the confusion online regarding pasta/tomato sauce and beer pairings. My find, amber beers with a good balance of hops and malt work perfectly.

To the beer.

Pours a nice amber color with a little head and no retention or lacing.

Smell is of flowery hops and toasted malts. Some caramel.

Taste is of flowery hops and toasted malts, well balanced with a slightly dry bitter finish.

Light to medium bodied with a good tingle.

Like I said, right down the middle, amber... not pale.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 01:30:13 | More by rel

TobiasGoth

Sweden

3.23/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

An amber ale, pulling towards the orange and red part of the spectra. Topside there’s a finger of frothy light tan collar. In the liquid I see a few lonely bubbles making their way to the top. The label on the bottle asks you to please take heed to any yeast remains at the bottom of the glass container, though I see none of it here.

Smell There’s a fowl odor, kind of like a sour, old and smelly kitchen cloth. May-hap like a stainless steel kitchen coutertop wiped with one of those clothes. There’s also an acidity, that of citrus. I pick up some flowery and perfumed notes too. The nose also contains some bread and yeast notes. The odor hits me like when dropping an effervescent tablet of vitamin or paracetamol into a glass of water.

Taste Doesn’t come forth as head on as many other pale ales I’ve had. In fact it doesn’t come across as an APA at all. Very musty and earthy, something like Nils Oscar Kalasöl (a cereal/grainy lager). Not much aroma hops present which is usually typical of the style. A metallic/gassy taste bringing back the kitchen cloth and counter-top. Also acidic and citric flavors. A short and mild bitterness appears half way through.

Mouthfeel A surprising body with a great carbonation that grows and changes, only improving with time. Rich and smooth liquid. The after taste is sweet, fizzy, dry and not completed balanced, but I like it.

In conclusion Hm, me and Joao discussed the beer’s label while reviewing it and realized that the label and beer do have some distinct similarities such as being a rural, dirt brown, wood grey and grassy green in the way it looks and tastes.

This is an okay pale ale with maybe too many acidic, earthy and metallic elements. Thinking about it, if this was labeled as an English Pale Ale I would’ve approached it differently and perhaps given it another rating altogether.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 07:52:29 | More by TobiasGoth

perrymarcus

Massachusetts

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

12oz bottle served in a pint glass.
best before notched Feb. '13

pours a medium to dark amber tone while yielding a beige finger of foamy head. respectable retention and lacing. good looking beer.

nose delivers notes of citric / floral hops with secondary notes of caramel malt and maybe a touch of pine.

more of the same going on in the flavor. moderately hoppy with some balancing malts. there's also a subtle fruity element to it, almost a dark fruit like quality. medium bodied on the palate with average carbonation.

overall a fine pale ale, no wow-factor but relatively tasty and enjoyable. might not necessarily seek it out but would be more than up for a revisit.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 00:42:18 | More by perrymarcus

Schneic8

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a mug. Best before date of Nov. 2011.

Appearance: Nice deep copper color that poured a nice off slightly off white head. It has mild carbonation.

Smell: Has a deep smell with caramel and bread tones. I also get citrus and floral smells as well.

Taste: Good balance of hops and caramel flavors. I also taste fruit and floral flavors, similar to the smell. It is not too bitter and has a great taste.

Mouthfeel: Good crisp feel that sits well. It goes down smooth with little after taste.

Overall: A very good beer that I will drink. I am a big fan of the Smuttynose beers I have tried and this one is as good as the others. It is easy to drink and has a good tastes and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 22:48:24 | More by Schneic8

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle purchased from Piccadilly in Champaign, IL.
Best before November 2011.
Poured into a standard US pint glass.

Pours a 2cm head of very light tan, small and medium sized bubbles. Head dissipates to a 0.5cm cap on top of the body throughout the entire time beer is in the glass. Body is an opaque, fairly dark, copper-orange color. Carbonation still visible, supporting the persistent head. Lacing is in many different shapes, quite extensive. A little dark, but very nice overall.

Aroma of rich toasted malt flavors with some light pine and floral hop aroma combinations. Good, but would have liked to see a bit more hop from an APA.

Taste features strong presence of pine-y hops alongside a less-generous, but still present, caramel malt sweetness. Aftertaste is largely of lingering hop bitterness that extends for quite a long time. Maybe a bit too malt-forward and single-hop flavor for some, but I can appreciate this.

Medium to medium-heavy body, a bit excessive for the style. Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, a delight, carbonation not overpowering, just right for the body's heft.

A well-balanced APA, hoppy, but not too much so. Aroma could be a bit more complex, but it's well-balanced and I wouldn't want to jeopardize that. Body could be thinned just a bit for the style's sake, though I'm happy with it as is. Overall, very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 20:50:07 | More by falloutsnow

BigCheese

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle from a mixpack

A: Lovely pumpkin amber color with a thin head that leaves some lacing. Darker color than their IPA.

S: Some Pine Hop aroma, tad of raisins, pick up hints of booze surprising considering the alcohol content.

T: Nice, very well balanced. Some molasses from the malts, but a solid amount of pine-y hops. Hop flavor stays with you a lot. Good hop flavor thats pretty subdued.

M: For a pale ale its a tad heavy, not in a bad way, but the depth of flavor matches the drinking profile. Not quite a session beer but I could certaiinly put away a few of these.

O: Didnt expect a lot from this but for a low abv low price pale ale its one of the best I can recall. A bit hoppier than your typical PA and nothing wrong with that. A beer drinkers pale ale. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 01:22:39 | More by BigCheese

soju6

Missouri

3.85/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A:Pours a deep golden/copper color eith a moderate head that fades slowly. has nice lacing.

S: Mellow aroma of roasted malt, caramel and fresh grain.

T: Starts with a crsip bite with a mild caramel sweetness. Nice bitterness in the background with a dry finish.

F: Medium body, Crisp, smooth and well balanced.

O: Good Pale Ale. This is not a beer that will knock your socks off but a solid brew that hangs in there with the best.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 01:09:09 | More by soju6

flagmantho

Washington

3.55/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: hazy, deep amber-orange color; pretty dark for a pale ale. Head is a thin layer of frothy ivory foam. Not too bad.

Smell: bready, biscuity and slightly caramelly malt aroma. This beer seems way heavy on the crystal malt for a pale ale. Again, not bad, but not really style-appropriate nor is it really my taste. Hop aroma is light and floral, which is pretty nice.

Taste: caramel malt flavor with a pretty well-balanced bitterness. Hops are floral and a little bit earthy. Pretty well put-together but it just doesn't float my boat.

Mouthfeel: medium to medium-light body with a pretty decent carbonation. I like it.

Overall: this is a pretty "meh" beer for me. Totally decent, but really not my cup of tea.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2011 18:45:31 | More by flagmantho

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass. Reviewed alongside Full Sail Pale Ale.

A: Hazy medium amber color with tiny bubbles and a three-finger, off-white, rocky head that lasted a while. Great lacing.

S: Earthy and pine hops. Sweet caramel malt.

T: Light sweetness and fair amount of hop bitterness. Fruit flavors and gassy pine hops. Bitter aftertaste.

M: Light to medium bodied with fizzy carbonation. Pretty smooth. Not bad.

O: This beer looked great, but I felt the aroma and flavor were a bit too much earthy hops. I think this is personal taste though. I liked the Full Sail Pale Ale slightly better.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 01:43:10 | More by SolipsismalCat

Paincane

Georgia

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

A: Amber color with one finger tan head that leaves little lacing. Poured into a goblet.
S: Malt, earthy, sweet aromas
T: Malty with initial sweetness of dark fruits followed by earthiness and finished with mild hop bitterness.
M: Medium bodied with active carbonation.
O: Very enjoyable beer. Will definitely drink another.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 22:02:03 | More by Paincane