Epic Pale Ale - Epic Brewing Company

StJamesGate

New York

4.08/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear pale brass with lumpy eggshell head that fades to film but rims and speckles.
Big fresh herbal hop nose with lemon zest, underneath is oily flowers, tangerine and some caramel - deep.
Cookie dough and maybe apricot jam then clean grapefruit, evergreen and lemon sorbet hops.
Grapefruit zest finish with slight catiness and tingly linger. Light but chewy, salty, some oil.

Clean and bright APA. Nothing overpowering (or overly impressive) but the hops are layered a bit and it's all very well balanced. NS gives a bit of musty fruit, but nowhere near overpowering. Not much of a malt backbone together with the mineral content makes this lean and a bit unforgiving, very much of the San Diego out-of-balance-on-purpose school. Promising, for my first taste of Epic.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 09:45:10 | More by StJamesGate

ngeunit1

California

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

A - Pours a fairly clear golden-orange color with a finger of frothy white head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of sweet caramel malts with pineapple, grapefruit, mango, and spicy hops.

T - Starts off with a mix of sweet caramel malts with pineapple, grapefruit, and mango hops with some bitterness. Through the middle, some spicy and floral hops come through with some more bitterness and a touch of biscuit malt. The finish is a mix of tropical and spicy hops with some bitterness and some sweet lightly bready malts and a bit of pepper.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a dry and bitter finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nice balanced APA with a good hop profile and bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 02:43:02 | More by ngeunit1

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle at Beer Deluxe. From notes.

A - Poured bright with a light copper colour and a one finger white head. Decent lace and good retention.

S - Tropical fruit, grass, fresh fruits.

T - Tropical fruit, grass, pine.

M - Good carbonation, medium body and a nice bitterness.

O/D - A decent Kiwi pale ale. Odd twang to it but good stuff while being easy drinking too.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 12:15:29 | More by tbeckett

Offa

California

4.15/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is a great pale ale with nice well-rounded character.

Dark gold/pale amber, it has a big off-white head that steadily shrinks to a foamy ring and a little lace.

Aroma is pine, hint of grapefruit, pineapple, hint of leaf and grain - it's very hoppy and yeasty-juicy and has a mineral hint as well.

Taste is leafy-spicy-peppery hop with juiciness, mineral, bread. It has a nice, well-rounded juicy, lively, spritzy character. It's light but characterful.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 06:50:24 | More by Offa

alameda5

Massachusetts

2.9/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Saw this at my local package store, plus read about it in "Brewed Awakening," so I had try it. Love the label design, I'm a sucker for good design.

Ok let's get into it. Poured into a pub glass, head faded quickly, beer itself is a nice orange color, typical of pale ales.

The nose of this beer is hard to detect. Very subtle, floral.

The taste of this beer is balanced between the hops and malt flavors but could use more punch.

The mouthfeel is very smooth, lightly carbonated, but I'm left feeling its to watery?

Over its. Of a bad beer, but nothing I was wowed by.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2012 22:33:32 | More by alameda5

speter

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from non-dated bottle into nonic.

A: Coppery gold with a two-finger fluffy off-white head that quickly fades to a virtual wisp with no lacing to speak of.

S: Slightly buttery toffee with a thin overlay of lemon. The hops have really faded on this one.

T: Well balanced between the malt and hops, but there is little development from front to back. The aftertaste does have a nice (aged) hop presence. I guess it's fitting that Epic describes this as an American Pale Ale, given that the original India Pale Ales were designed to be shipped across the sea to India, and this was shipped across the sea to America. Just as in principle the hops in an original IPA were designed to fade to the level of a standard bitter by the time the beer reached India, so too here have the hops faded.

M: Spot-on for a pale ale. Smooth, slightly bitter with a light tongue coating of hop resin in the finish.

O: I hate to factor price into my reviews, but it's reality. Given the price tag of this beer ($7.49/550ml), I can't say I'll be drinking another (not unless I visit NZ, in which case I'll seek out all the Epic I can find). This beer clearly has skill and passion behind it, but alas the trans-Pacific journey is too unkind.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 19:01:32 | More by speter

Brad007

Vermont

3.03/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Epic Lager was an Epic Fail. Will the Pale Ale out-do it?

Bland gold with a thin, almost non-existent head into my glass. Ok, it did fade.

Buttery malt and grassy hops. Smells the part. A little harsh still. I liken it to the big boys trying craft beer.

Ditto for flavor. Hops are ok, malt is ok but the overall feel is harsh/bland.

Lingering flavors mix with the aftermath of the carbonation. Too strong for my liking.

Another epic exaggeration.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 01:38:15 | More by Brad007

nickfl

Florida

4.13/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours with two fingers of white foam on top of a perfectly clear, golden body. The head settles slowly and leaves nice lace.

S - A nice, spicy/floral hop aroma with notes of pine.

T - Lightly sweet malt up front with some bread and toffee notes. Spicy hops in the middle with a bit of floral character. The beer finishes with more thick malt, spicy hops, and light bitterness.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, and a dry finish.

D - Well balanced and very drinkable, I enjoyed this but can't help but think that the hop character is only a shadow of what it would be when served fresh in the land of its origin. It is a nice pale ale, but as an obscure import its high cost limits it to a one time experience for me, which is unfortunate because this is obviously meant to be a staple beer and it probably fits that role quite nicely when it is available fresh and competitively priced.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 06:12:09 | More by nickfl

dansmcd

Australia

4.22/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Three fingers of soapy head crest the effervescent clear orange amber below. The head has decent retention and the lacing at first is in sticky clumps and then broad sheets.

S - Nice whack of hops here, pine, passionfruit, mango, orange and citrus peel. Beautiful.

T - Hops all the way with flavours of passionfruit, orange and pine accompanied with some faint caramel and bread like malt.

M - Nice and oily medium body with moderate carbonation. Dry moderately bitter finish.

O - Another standout from a burgeoning star of a brewery. Make sure you drink it fresh though.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 13:56:37 | More by dansmcd

vandemonian

Maryland

3.8/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Epic Pale Ale is a nice pale ale with a slight artificial fruit flavour to it.

A: Orange colour and a 5 mm head that lasts pretty well. 4.5

S: Piney hops with a grapefruit tang. 4.5

T: Pine and fruit/candy flavour. Like fake apple candy. The malt is there too. 3.5

M: Foamy. 4

O: 3.5

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 00:26:04 | More by vandemonian

heygeebee

Australia

3.65/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Hmmm, first review of a Epic beer, will it live up to its reputation?

Pours a light straw, dense cream head, which fades oh so quickly. Some lacing. Shame, not a good look.

Intense aromas of pine, citrus, passionfruit, all the usual hop suspects. Excellent so far. I suspect this might be what US Pale Ales would smell like if we got them fresh.

Taste is hop heaven, with serious bittering going on on my palate. Citrus and pine flavours are the go initially... but....

Mouthfeel, oh bugger. It's flat, non-carbonated, call it what you will, and as the bottle subsides I can see why the head didn't last. Not good.

Overall? Good experience, but, at 12 bucks a 500ml, compared to local brews, it's marked down 1 point, it just doesn't compete

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 10:17:20 | More by heygeebee

Teleweizen2

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - pours a crystal clear light orange. less than a fingers worth of white foam which leaves spotty lacing and has some staying power.

S - the nose is primarily spicy and fruity hops with notes of pepper, citus and apricot. the malt backbone has a light aroma of doughy bread and just a touch of caramel.

T - the flavors lean towards more of the malty side with notes of bread and caramel. as it warms on the tongue there is a bit of zesty hops for balance followed by a quick and dry finish.

M - on the lighter side of medium bodied with a slightly watery yet smooth texture. light yet zippy carbonation.

O - could use a bit more body but it it easy drinking while still being high on flavor. a nice offering from the southern hemisphere.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 03:34:22 | More by Teleweizen2

willjschmidt

California

3.63/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 16.9 oz bottle into a Sierra Nevada hop tulip glass.

A: Pours a light amber color, very clear, with a nice sized white head. Good lacing as well.

S: Herbal tea scents from the hops, pale grain.

T: Herbal, floral, tea-like hops well balanced over a pale grainy malt base. Just slightly bitter in the finish. A hint of sweetness throughout.

M: Medium bodied, very active carbonation.

O: A decent pale ale. Well balanced, very clean and easy to drink. I like my pale's with a bit more of a hop presence though.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 04:05:40 | More by willjschmidt

smakawhat

Maryland

4.08/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A great big light tan caramel colored very consistently made head is formed right out of the pour of this very long necked large bottle. Clumpy styro-foamy in appearance, with a cloudy orb orange amber glow. Stupid amounts of thick lacing and clumping on the glass. Looks great

Mild green and citrus hop. Fresh smelling, fantastic aroma, makes me incredibly thirsty smelling it. Hints of herbal tea as well.

Taste is fairly wet but brings the nose notes but only more subdued. Light bodied with next to no carbonation with a mild hop grass sense, but also little malt presence. A little thin in feel but easily drinkable, borderline English IPA tasting with less body and flavor.

Overall though still pretty darn good beer and a good simple Pale Ale. Looks and smells great!

Serving type: on-tap

07-13-2011 22:36:01 | More by smakawhat

July2Nov

Hawaii

4.38/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Burnt orange in color with a finger-width of white small bubbled head that went down to 1/4 of an inch afterwards.

Smell: Clean with a robust scent of hoppy pine and citrus.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Man that is one smooth Pale Ale...very impressed with the first sip. First of all I sense a malty stone-like flavor that also belies a smoked wood taste, that gradually melds into a sweeter and less hop oriented flavor. The end has a wet feel that combines with a numbing characteristic that engulfs all of the mouth. The mouthfeel is the best thing about this beer....it's so gentle and velvet like and ends with a mouthwatering edge.

Overall: I've seen this one on the shelf for awhile around the neighborhood store and have always walked right by it thinking that it was going to be some generic beer from New Zealand. Boy, was I wrong, this is a first rate product that I'm looking forward to partake with in the future and share with friends. Can't wait to see if the other selections from this company are just as....Epic (yeah...I went there!).

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 00:54:12 | More by July2Nov

jrallen34

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle drank at Bluebird, no freshness date that I can recall... A good looking beer with a dark peach pour, a little copper accent. The head is nice, a bright white cap of about a finger forms and stays awhile, good lacing. Looks good... The aroma is great, nice and restrained for a pale but flavorful, grapefruit on the nose, other citrus notes, caramel, a hint of pine on the finish.... The taste is just as nice as the nose, grapefruit, caramel, but the pine is now mostly grassy hops. It starts off nice but the finish is harsh and flat, really a disappointing finish after a decent start. This should be more drinkable, but it isn't.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2011 17:25:47 | More by jrallen34

foles

Australia

4.4/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Possibly the best american style pale ale I've encountered. Funny enough most brewpubs I visited in California and Oregon went straight for the IPA!

Showcasing fresh cascade in all its glory! Biting, aromatic citrisy piney hoppiness on the nose and palate, right through to the finish. You can tell this is a well crafted brew - I would get more of it if it wasnt A$11 a bottle!!

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2010 10:28:30 | More by foles

drink1121

California

4.38/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

poured into a hotel glass in Auckland, will hopefully be visiting the brewery as well

A-pours a transparent copper with little to no head after a fairly agressive pour. What little head there is dissipates quickly, which is why I knocked it down pretty heavily

S- The smell is very similar to SNPA, but with more fruity hops in the nose. Hops hit the nose initially, not over powering, but prevalent. Some light malt in the background, but a good balance between the two for an APA. This is what I think of when smelling an APA

T-Again, very similiar to SNPA but with more fruity hops, rather than piney. There is some pine resin in the taste, but not much. Again, the taste is very to style of an APA.

M- Slight creaminess with light carbonation. I could go for a bit more carbonation for a lighter brew - this brings down the crispiness of the beer.

D- I almost downed this beer so quick I had to save the last few sips to finish the review. I have no idea how I drank it so fast. I guess a long day of load-in makes me thirsty. Overall great brew and its the New Zealand version of Sierra Nevada's beloved APA. Epic has done well

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2010 07:17:57 | More by drink1121

baggio

Sweden

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

Draught@Brew on Quay in Auckland.

A: Nice copper color with a small white head.

S: Caramel, Pine, Grapefruit, Bread.

T: Pine, Citric notes, Caramel, Roasted malt, Fresh bread.

M: Smooth with plenty of carbonation. A very nice New Zealand APA. I enjoyed this immensely after drinking massproduced lager in the tropics for 2 weeks.

Serving type: on-tap

10-21-2010 07:39:26 | More by baggio

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.65/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Moderate and firm, this American Pale Ale performs admirably well, and with a bright citrus character to boot.

The beer pours a hazy copper/amber color with a mild haze. A froathy, sticky head forms a 1/2 head, retains very well with pockets of foam and the beer and lace on the glass. Impressive overall.

Bright citrus notes of orange zest and grapefruit lead the way with a modest caramel or graham cracker sweetness/spiciness. Pure and clean scent remains simple yet elegant.

Hop flavors fare every bit as well as they do in the nose, but with the added grassiness/leafy taste. Malt character still represents the caramel/graham cracker flavor but with low sweetness and hearty maltiness, the beer's flavor results in a partly grainy taste that proved distracting heading into the finish. Minerally/salty taste also hurts the flavor profile.

Early carbonated creaminess quickly turns astringent, weak, and ultimately thin in texture. Outside of the harsh grainy/astringent/bitey finish, the beer sets up for an inviting crisp clean mouthfeel. Too bad.

A promising early start waivers at mid palate with both flavor and mouthfeel and leaves the beer somewhat empty in body and taste late, allowing the harsher attributes of grain and hops to reveal themselves. A less than clean ending to such a great introduction.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2010 04:58:21 | More by BEERchitect

dayvayen

Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Very clear in the bottle. Citrusy hop smell with a bit of pine, but not a punchy overdone hop scent. Some malty backbone but mostly well-rounded hops. This beer tastes a lot bigger than its 5.4%, and comes across as more of an IPA than a pale. All in all, a very drinkable beer that I'll seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2010 08:50:40 | More by dayvayen

eclaycamp

Kansas

4.72/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I've seen this beer on the shelf a few times but I've avoided it considering that it's being imported from New Zealand and I live in Kansas. Still, I saw some today and figured I'd give them a shot. 17 ounce bomber. Pours a light amber to golden blonde with an impeccably clear appearance. Huge frothy two inch head. Impressive aroma; I have the beer sitting next to me and I am getting a clear whiff of hops - the glass is roughly 2 feet away from me. As the head dissipates the lacing is very clingy. Aroma is of citrus and pine hops with some light skunkiness in the background. Slick mouthfeel with some nice mild bitterness. Light to mild carbonation. Flavor is hops, up front. Floral hops abound up front, and there's a nice spicy pepper note in the middle of the beer, with lingering grapefruit in the finish. The malt profile is there, as you get breadiness somewhere in the middle before going back to hops. Where this beer breaks the rules is in the finish. I get this amazing caramel sweetness aftertaste, completely the opposite of what I expect when drinking a pale ale. Outside of that, the malt is subdued, which I like. It's a nicely understated counterpoint to all of the hops - and make no mistake, hops is what this beer is all about. More specifically, Cascade. Full Disclosure: I actually listened to an interview with Epic's brewer, and he stated the beer was only made with one hop - Cascade, which is just crazy. There's so much going on with the hop profile that you'd swear there's more than just that hop in it. But no, it's just Cascade. The best thing about this beer is how clean it is. It's super clear, very clean on the palate, and amazingly crisp when drinking. One of the best Pale Ales I have had in a very long time. Very impressive, especially for New Zealand.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2010 01:21:53 | More by eclaycamp

oberon

North Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Iam a huge fan of hopped up old school left coast pales,this one from New Zealand reminds me of that old school APA.Poured into an imperial pint glass a slight burnt orange with a great one finger creamy head that never completely settles,a great frothy/creamy mass is left behind with broken shards of lace in the aftermath.A mix of resiny/piney hop mixed with a bit of tropical fruit and citrus,a great play of hops,a lightly sweet doughy malt base gives a token appearance.Big citrus and tropical fruit hop flavors,slightly bitter in the finsh,the malt lends a light crispness and lighter sweetness.This is a standard pale ale but its freakin awesome,if you like the hops this is it!

Epic has caught my attention in a big big way.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2010 20:36:55 | More by oberon

juju7

Australia

4.45/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Balls to the wall-my favourite APA so far. Almost IPA-like in the amount of hop goodness jumping out of this fella. Beautiful hazy ochre with a creamy head. Upfront bitterness and a lengthy finish. Balance could be argued but I'm looking at this beer as something of a guilty pleasure. Brilliant.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2010 08:39:17 | More by juju7

femALEist

California

3.85/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Made with 23 different types of hops. Made in Auckland. 5.4% abv. This poured a clear orange with a touch of sienna. On the nose, you get aromas of orange, light passionfruit, grapefruit skin and some resin. It tasted citrusy, bitter grapefruit and a piney aftertaste. This was the best hoppy beers so far that I have had in New Zealand.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2010 04:35:20 | More by femALEist