Samurai Ale - Great Divide Brewing Company

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.4/5  rDev -31%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

On tap at Great Divide. Pours light. Fizzy head. Rice and dry. Slight bitterness. Not a big fan of this one. Not a fan at all.

Serving type: on-tap

01-09-2013 03:48:32 | More by Thorpe429

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.75/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed on tap at the Great Divide brewery and taproom. Pours out one of the lightest colored straw yellows you will ever see. Very nice white head on the top of it, just under the 1" range, pillowy appearance. Mild fruit like aroma probably coming from a lager yeast and having nothing really to get in its way. Miniscule noble hop aroma.

Taste, refreshing, slight country twang to it, enjoyable, especially on this hot day in August that it was sampled. High carbonation, low malt and hops. Appreciable astringency that actually melds with the lemon and rice like qualities. If you've had Stone's 16th anniversary, this tastes like a small beer made from its wort runnings. Really good stuff to convert people who drink a lot of Coors Light. Its better, and a lot more flavorful. Will make you think of sunny days in the grass, with a wedge of lemon. The bitterness might be a little more than some can handle at first, but get beyond that, and you're in light beer heaven, relatively speaking.

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2012 18:45:51 | More by Beerandraiderfan

WhiteOak

Connecticut

3.25/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Light yellow color with a white moderate head and bits of retained lace.

S- Light citrus aroma.

T- A delicate sweetness, a hint of mysterious spices, a clean graininess, and faint banana.

M, D - Light bodied, good CO2. Crisp, just barely off-dry.

Sushi anyone?

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2011 02:23:42 | More by WhiteOak

kylehay2004

Florida

3.55/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed at the brewery

A: murky straw color with a mild golden hue

S: some grain, not much else.

T: very herbal and earthy. Not getting the fruity notes. Very grainy.

M: high carbonation and light bodied

Overall: very drinkable but also light. The flavors are tough to pull out for me.

Serving type: on-tap

09-30-2011 14:12:34 | More by kylehay2004

gueuzer

Colorado

4.35/5  rDev +25%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On tap

App- Thick hazy straw pour with a fluffy white head ringed by sediment. Reminiscent of the great Belgian Saisons.

Sm- Slightly fruity with a uncooked rice dust smell hanging around. A little but of musty mushrooms.

Ta- Crisp malt character that is played off of by the dry rice character. Very delicate with nice yeast phenols lingering. No noticeable hops.

Ov- Who would have thought a rice beer coudl be this good. i swear this beer has made Budweiser more drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2011 18:18:23 | More by gueuzer

ThaCreep

Belgium

3.48/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Fruity nose with exotic enough including passion fruit and pineapple. Beer is easy to drink a fruity flavor and worthy of a fruit salad spreads in the palace once swallowed the last sip. Hint of rice style rice pudding. Finish still quite low what's a little problem.

Serving type: on-tap

07-03-2011 20:47:29 | More by ThaCreep

UCLABrewN84

California

3.48/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Great Divide Tap Room in Denver, CO.

Pours a slightly hazy light yellow color with a 1/2 inch white head that fades to an oily film. No lacing whatsoever. Smell is of malt and rice aromas. Taste is rice and malt/biscuit. This beer has good carbonation with smooth mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good but I wouldn't get it again most likely.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2011 19:04:31 | More by UCLABrewN84

rtepiak

Poland

4/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

i would not intend to have this one out of the bottle. Seems like a beer that would easily go stale as fantastic as it is on tap. A american blonde? This is an unfilter rice ale. Pour is cloudy yellow. Rather small head but the protein gluten is sort of complicated when it comes to rice. Palate is a great subtle bitter initial. And a milky cream note that cuts off into something brink and milky somehow at the same time. Very gradual mineral transition. Some sea weed notes. Great for summer alternative.

Serving type: on-tap

05-10-2011 01:32:38 | More by rtepiak

spree92

New Brunswick (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

GD calls this a rice ale. Notes taken on 4/17/11

A- A murky hay-yellow with a white head. Has the color of a lot of hefeweizens I see. A layer of sediment/yeast gathers at the base of the glass.

S- Really have to sink your nose in to get anything. Yeast, grain, a touch of lemon grass and slight honey notes round this out.

T- Smell is duplicated. Nothing really jumps out and most of the flavor is a little weak.

M- A light beer that is very easy to drink. I would think this is a good hot weather beer.

O- Good enough that I would try other rice beers if the chance arose.

Serving type: on-tap

04-19-2011 11:11:00 | More by spree92

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

sampled on-tap at PING in Shirlington, VA:

A: super hazy straw with a tannish rice hued 1.5 finger head. Small streaming carbonation bubbles.

S: clover, grassy. cooked rice.

T: a touch of sweetness, touch of bitterness. sour twist at the end that makes this beer that much better than similar beer from asian breweries.

M: mild puckering aspect caused by the rice.

D: I just got out of the gym and this beer is doing a great job quenching my thirst. my only complaint is that i dont think the style should be listed as an american blonde. japanese rice ale (new catagory) perhaps?

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2011 22:34:06 | More by Jimmys

ThirstyBird

Germany

3.7/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours golden yellow with a off white head that fall to a mottled skim. Aroma is grain, sweet pale malt and some grassy notes. Taste follows node with the addition of crisp aftertaste. Definitely get rice, light citrus. A mild yet tasty brew. A wonderful mouthful for a light ale. Creamy and round. Medium carbonation with pretty fine structure. Overall a tasty easy drinker....smooth.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2011 22:33:01 | More by ThirstyBird

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Grat divide tasting room. A natural bitterness, and yes I am getting a rice sweetness to counterbalance it. An average plus mouthfeel. Yellow colour and a bit of lace. A yeasty aroma. Not as complex as I would imagine.AN average beer overall.

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2011 05:06:22 | More by northyorksammy

tzieser

Arizona

3.5/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

taken from notes. had on tap at the pour farm tavern in new bedford.

pours a hazy golden color with a very thin head. surprised at how quickly the foam settled. not impressed.

surprising nose. sweet malts are there, but there's another interesting note...some kind of spice? not quite sure what it is, but the rice does add an interesting dimension to the nose.

surprising flavor. i'm used to rice ales having a flavor profile similar to american adjunct lagers (rice is an adjunct, so that's not surpsing), but this one has a nice, sweet honey-like character to it. the bready character keeps this from being like a sapporo or whatever. good stuff.

somewhat slick mouthfeel; good drinkability.

not bad. not something i'd have all the time, but i'd definitely take it to the sushi place.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2010 20:03:50 | More by tzieser

Spider889

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +21.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Another beer that was on tap from Bodega as I plow through a mountain of notes. This beer is listed as an American Blonde? Not sure that's quite correct but whatever; I was comparing this to the Japanese rice lagers the whole time drinking it.

A hazy golden straw color, this beer had a foamy white head on it and left minimal lacing (though I felt that had it arrived in anything but a pint maybe it would have done better there).

The smell is a spattering of sour grains and wild rice. I was torn over whether I felt it smelled intriguing or slightly 'off.' I fell somewhere in between, I suppose.

The flavor was much more layered and complex than I was anticipating. Steamed white rice is the heavy hitter here, mixed with a mild lemon character and sweet bready barley.

Well carbonated and pillowy bubbles rush across the tongue. This beer is super light and drinkable.

Not a beer I'd go out of my way to track down, but a solid beer nonetheless. In comparison to the macro Japanese rice lagers, this beer wins out on complexity and body. However it feels much less balanced than its counterparts, and is less refreshing.

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2010 10:25:33 | More by Spider889

alleykatking

Indiana

3.28/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from tap.

A- Pours a hazy straw colored yellow. One finger white head that shows light retention. Some light streaky lacing on the sides of the glass.

S- Tons of grassy notes in this beer with some light overall earthy aromas. There is light grassy hops with a kind of sourness in the ending of the overall aroma. A little off putting to be honest.

T- Nice grassy hop flavor starts off this beer. Lemon and a almost banana flavor comes into play then. Someone said this tasted like a light farmhouse ale and to be honest I have to agree with this statement. There is a light malt sweetness as well that makes this a little off putting in that aspect.

M- Lighter mouthfeel. Carbonation is good for the style. Grassy hops and lemon left on the palate. Sweet malts and a funky alcohol is left on in the aftertaste. Not really clean tasting but the times I have had it they all taste the same which makes me think that is how it is clean suppose to taste. The alcohol is actually more drying than I thought for the style.

D- This is a light enough drinker that I could do a sixer of it. There is a off putting backing flavor in this that I can't stand but I don't know what it is. A good offering from Great Divide but I'll stick to their other things before I got to this one again.

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2010 05:04:52 | More by alleykatking

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-Tap at Hulmeville inn, pint glass style.

Samurai comes in the pint looking quite bright yellow well might as well call it blond. A white head up above. Smells include small apple, apricot, slight pale malt, a dash of lemon and earthy hops. Taste is a light beast. Mainly small fruits mixed in with brady yeast and a touch of hops at the end. Not bitter, pretty smooth and light bodied. I could drink a few of these, it's simple beer and a simple style, but I could fo sure tell it was a american blond.

Serving type: on-tap

09-20-2010 04:26:26 | More by onix1agr

champ103

Texas

3.05/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a very murky yellow color. Way to much suspended yeast floating around. A small white head forms, with light lace.
S: Not much is here. Some sweet malt, grain, and light yeast.
T: Mainly a grainy sweetness. Light floral hops and yeast.
M/D: A medium body and carbonation that is fairly crisp. Easy to drink. I could put a few away if I had to.

Another blah and bland beer from Great Divide. Not much is really here. I can't recommend this.

Serving type: on-tap

07-24-2010 05:05:11 | More by champ103

garuda

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - A cloudy golden color with a thin white head that has good retention, but no lacing down the glass.

S - A little faint and simple, with some cooked rice and faint grassy hops.

T - Like the nose, the taste is simple, but it is refreshing and works well. Tastes of rice is backed up by a clean grassy hop finish.

M - Light body, medium carbonation, perfectly creamy across the palate with a clean dry finish.

D - I had this paired with sushi and a hibachi dinner, and it was an excellent choice. I wasn't expecting much from this one, but I was pleasantly surprised and would not hesitate to get it again.

Serving type: on-tap

07-10-2010 14:25:18 | More by garuda

david18

New York

3/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I didn't think I'd love this but it was part of a mixed 12pack. I'm also surprised that Great Divide calls it a Rice Beer and BA calls it an American Blonde. Anyway, it was pretty much as I expected. Very light in color with a very subtle aroma and taste. It could be good on draft on a very hot day but in general it's too light and i'm not sure what the rice contributes.

Serving type: on-tap

05-30-2010 16:03:41 | More by david18

emmasdad

Colorado

3.15/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours from the tap a very light, almost straw, yellow color, with a good-sized rocky nearly white head. Aromas of wheat, rice and fruit. This is a very crisp and refreshing beer, light bodied, well carbonated and easy to drink. Not a whole lot going on flavor-wise, but it does go down easy.

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2010 02:10:00 | More by emmasdad

kshankar

District of Columbia

3.63/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy yellow with a decent foam.

Aroma is mild, but what I do get is a yeasty and bready aroma, and some fruitiness.

Taste is similar, very yeasty and bready. Nothing too complex here.

Mouthfeel is light and crisp, and very drinkable. A good spring/summer beer.

Serving type: on-tap

04-12-2010 04:46:52 | More by kshankar

nickd717

California

3.28/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewery. This beer is really standard and unexciting and gets completely average marks all around.

A - Pours slightly hazy yellowish-golden with a small white head.

S - Aroma is rice and pale malt, slightly sweet and very unpronounced.

T - Pretty mild all-around with rice, pale malt, light fruits, and a slightly alcoholic sake note.

M - Crisp and fairly light on the palate. Some dry riceyness, like Budweiser almost (although this is not nearly as awful as Bud).

D - It is drinkable. Not sure what they were going for here, but it is refreshing I guess.

Serving type: on-tap

10-09-2009 20:28:22 | More by nickd717

praufs01

Pennsylvania

2.35/5  rDev -32.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance - Clear Yellow with a frothy white head.

Aroma - Very faint herbal aroma.

Taste - Very, very light on flavor with a tangy aftertaste.

Overall - The beer has a very strange flavor that I just can't place. It must be the rice... The beer is OK, but not great.

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2009 18:53:36 | More by praufs01

BeerSox

Virginia

3.78/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap into pint glass. From notes.

Hazy orange hue with a light tan one finger frothy head that settles to a thin rim. Rings of lacing along the glass. Very light and crisp malt aromas with no hops to speak of. The malts in the flavor are lightly toasted and bready with some mild sweetness. Light bodied with a very clean finish. Recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2008 17:26:49 | More by BeerSox

andreasmwatt

Colorado

2.8/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - VERY LIGHT STRAW COLORING. SUDS DO RISE TO THE TOP VERY FAST. HEAD NOT AS BIG AS I WOULD HAVE ORIGINALLY THOUGHT.

S - NON - DESCRIPTIVE. I COULD NOT SMELL A THING. MAYBE I JUST CAN'T SMELL.

T - NICE SMOOTH BEER. COMPLETELY ABSENT FINISH THOUGH.

M - VERY LIGHT. CAN FEEL A DISTINCT RICE HOPS.

D - A LITTLE BITTER. NOTHING OVERLY EXCITING.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2008 23:49:33 | More by andreasmwatt