Hurricane Reef Pale Ale - Florida Beer Company

WoodBrew

Illinois

2.98/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Attended a beer tasting party recently and someone brought a Hurrican Reef Pale Ale to try...froma world beer package that his wife got him for some hallmark gift event. The Pale Ale was golden in color and clear. Little carbonation ane no head was present. The smell had some citrus to it....bought also some metallic waifes. The taste was powered by bitterness and grapfruit....so much so it hurt the mouthfeel. Not the best Pale Ale I ever had.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 14:55:22 | More by WoodBrew

HiGravShawn

Louisiana

2.95/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Good presentation. Nice coppery red color with good carbonation.

Head forms okay, but little lacing and leaves quickly.

Smell is a bit strange with malt and hop competing, but ending up with a smell similar to the kitchen after brewing rather than a brew itself. A little cheesey on the hops.

Opposite of balanced, somehow it hits you hard with bitter then hard with sweetness and the hops are simply too bitter without any recognizable aromas.

Still has the unmistakable finish of commercial swill.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2009 23:22:47 | More by HiGravShawn

BeerRun13

California

2.93/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Almost Pale golden amber. Aggressive pour produced the smallest head with no retention. Looks flat... Very clear though.
Slightly toasty malt aroma. Not much hops in the nose.
Malty bread like up front, but it's quickly washed away by a rather one dimmensional citrus grapefruit hop flavor. Bittering finish. A fruity push shows up as she warms.
Medium body. Kinda watery plain with a citrus bite.
I've got a few more from Florida, and am hoping for a little better luck. Thanks to Hunteraw all the same for giving me the opportunity to try these.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2007 00:21:26 | More by BeerRun13

roller

Florida

2.93/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy, deep-orange with a very small head that quickly faded. There is not much here in the aroma department, but it's mildly hoppy. There is a slight hop bitterness in the taste with orange rind character. Malt is not strongly represented. This beer (this bottle?) was very lightly carbonated and went flat after a few minutes. Date notches on the label weren't visible (plus the label only went up to 2006). Hopefully it was only my batch that was like this. The beer goes down easy and I could have several in a row if I wanted. But with the general lack of character, I probably won't.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2007 23:14:44 | More by roller

BDIMike

Ohio

2.93/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours an orange amber color. There is a slight bit of carbonation, but it creates a nice white foam head that has nice lacing all the way down.
Smell has a slightly mild aroma. There is a bit of a hop shot, but not much besides.
Taste is a bit better than the smell. There is a bit of fruity hop taste. Very clean and standard.
Mouthfeel has a very crisp shot. The body is a good meduim thickness that one would want on a pale ale.
Drinkability is good because of the subdued taste. This is a very average and standard beer. Everything about it is stereotypical for the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2008 01:33:12 | More by BDIMike

thesyko56

Georgia

2.88/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Nice dark amber color. Two finger white head.

S: Sweet malt smell with a faint hop smell.

T: Very average taste. Slight hop flavor but very malty for a pale ale. It also has a copper taste in the finish.

M: Light body with moderate carbonation.

D: Session beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2009 02:10:51 | More by thesyko56

blitheringidiot

Pennsylvania

2.85/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Label has a best by APR notch. No year?

Pours as a light peach amber hue, chill hazed with a spotty thin ivory collar with a few scant bubbles rising to the surface.

Light aromatic apple hints with a bit of ginger malt.

First swigs: A well balanced slightly on the Tang juice fruity side. Some soft apple and dry finish. Needs more hop character, but it is a pale and not an IPA so this passes with a C grade. Some copper penny in the flavor, as well.

Feel is soft and nearly flat but still somewhat carbonated with a thin feel. Lingering apple butter tacky aftertaste. Needs work on all fronts.

Last swigs: Just a good ole unscrupulous ale that goes nowhere. Dust cutter at best. Drinking not thinking beer. Forgetable, but edible. Bought 1 bottle to try some Florida beer while in Tampa.

Beer is good. Happy easy beering.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2006 03:26:29 | More by blitheringidiot

Shaw

Florida

2.73/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a nice amber in color with a foamy off-white head that reduces to a thin layer in my glass.

Faint vegetable aroma.

The taste is big on tannins and bready flavors. Big astringency, too. Decent hop bitterness and mild hop flavor.

Body is fine, with some heft.

Overall this is an OK beer. It's nothing special and there are much better choices out there.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2010 04:14:01 | More by Shaw

armock

New York

2.68/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Poured a golden color with an off white head that leaves lacing behind

S - Is of grainy malt upfront then mild hops

T - Disappointing like drinking a hoppy macro grainy malt backbone with slight citrus hops rounding out the flavor

M - This beer has a lighter body with medium carbonation to it

D - For an APA this is a very disappointing beer its just not up to par with other pales out there not worth the time or money to drink again

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2009 21:01:31 | More by armock

ViveLaChouffe

Georgia

2.65/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a crystal clear copper with an creamy ivory head. Fruity malt and and herbal hop aromas wafting from the glass..

The mouthfeel is incredibly smooth and creamy but...the hop profile in the mouth is quite muted and not particularly tasty. Very little malt profile too, quite watery tasting overall. You could call it refreshing if it was actually pleasing to the tongue but it's really not. It's thin and what little hop flavor there is comes off as harsh and vegetal. Crisp finish.

They need to get more flavor in this one. The mouthfeel is great but it delivers a disappointing tasting ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2008 18:37:13 | More by ViveLaChouffe

jaxon53

Connecticut

2.63/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to FishGetter for bringing this brew back. Served chilled, in a pint glass, from a twelve ounce brown bottle.

Appearance: Hurricane Reef Pale Ale pours out a crystal clear copper color with some golden highlights. A somewhat hard pour yields almost two fingers of bone white rocky head. Head fades quickly into a thin white ring around the glass. Very little spotty lace is left behind. Notice some carbonation bubbles slowly rising to the top of the glass.

Smell: Bit of a weak nose I'm afraid. Big malt backbone that is somewhat grainy. Hints of tobbacco show through. Very light hop aroma, just barley citrusy.

Taste: Again, big malt out front. Big grainy flavor is a bit of a turn off. Very light hop notes, slightly metallic around the edges. Touches of yeast linger in the background. Finish is a bit bitter with an aspirin like touch.

Mouthfee: Thinnish, medium bodied mouthfeel. Carbonation is on the lower side.

Drinkability: Drinkability seems to be the best part of this beer. Smooth and crisp. Not a terrible brew, just not what I want in a Pale.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2009 22:08:04 | More by jaxon53

Atricapilla

Pennsylvania

2.63/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pnt glass. Appearance was a light gold color with a small to medium sized whitish head that laced away fairly quickly. Aroma was of light hops, grass, and citrus; fairly weak nose. Taste was weak as well, with light hops, grain and citrus. kind of watery flavor.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2010 05:27:21 | More by Atricapilla

brycelarson

Minnesota

2.63/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I'm hitting another Florida brew today.

I got a bottle of this and poured into a glass. Slight off-white color to the head - large bubbles, nice continual flow from the bottom of the glass. It left a good bit of lacing on the glass - but died pretty quickly.

This is a moderate colored pale ale - slightly more brown that I expected.

The nose is heavily yeasty - thick and bready with just a hint of something belgian-ish. Slightly hot.

Flavor is fine - it's much more lightly hopped than I expected. Slight harshness to the flavor.

I'm usually looking for a cleaner finish to a pale ale.

This is a refreshing beer.

I would say that it's not remarkable but is certainly serviceable.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 22:59:21 | More by brycelarson

GreenWBush

Oregon

2.6/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pale gold. Near-dead carbonation. Oily bubble-skim on-top. Nice wiley lace.

Nose is off-putting; toasty-grain glue, faux-banana.

Taste is not as bad as nose but nothing good to be found here. Toasty grains follow fishiness, plastic/rubber found in many lower brews, molasses. Tastes frighteningly lager-like, even suggested by my compatriots.

MF: About right. Fresh example, even. Stands up to the suggestions that Florida beer isn’t so great.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2007 03:25:24 | More by GreenWBush

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

2.6/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I tried to sample the more interesting styles at the brewery. A little C-hop aroma. More malt that bitterness. Some lacing. Watery. A little more of anything to add to mouthfeel, taste, and preferably hops for some citrus hops taste. Redkneck IPA, sorry redknecks.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2009 03:05:22 | More by northyorksammy

JohnnyDuvel

Florida

2.58/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

I'm suprised that the reviews on this are as high as they are. This is a thin, watery, unimpressive beer. Mild hop presence, but almost non-detectable. Nothing tastes bad, but this is as uneventful of a pale ale as I've had. So far, Dunedin brewery (near Tampa) is the only good Florida beer I've had. Skip this.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2004 05:31:21 | More by JohnnyDuvel

UMNbeerhunter

Minnesota

2.58/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to miamiacheal for this extra I was glad to try it.

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Darkness tulip 2/24/11

Pours a nice golden amber color with little about 30% lacing left after a white headed foam of 1 finger dissipated after about 3 minutes.

Smell is almost nonexistent. A little malt but for the most part no nose.

Taste is weak as well very little hops and malts don't do it for me in this beer. Nothing really good about the taste.

Mouthfeel is light and tastes don't stay around at all.

Drinkability is low or moderate. I would probably have no problems pounding these back next time I am in Florida as a replacement to get blitzed on from BMC but other then that I won't revisit this brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 21:11:19 | More by UMNbeerhunter

shivtim

Georgia

2.53/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

The label looks more like an ad for a Disney water park than a beer. Or maybe a Jimmy Buffet restaurant. Anyway, no matter, poured it out into a pint glass.

Mostly clear, orange/rusty gold, with a tiny soapy eggshell head.

Nose is mild fruity notes, estery hops.

Taste is off... slight chemical strains, faint line of hops, and not much else. Slight acidic, almost canned pineapple flavor. Weird.

Mouthfeel is thin, and drinkability not great.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2009 22:23:11 | More by shivtim

WJVII

Wisconsin

2.48/5  rDev -22%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

BOM August 2009
Poured into a pint glass this brew is a light copper color with orange tints. The head is off white and with an aggressive pour had a nice 2 inch head that left sticky goodness on the sides of the glass and settled into a thin cap. The aroma is mild but has a fresh bouquet of hops and some thin hints of citrus. In taking my first sip I notice some sediment in large pieces (almost like adding corn starch to a dish without mixing in cold water-for you cooks out there). The taste was, well, watered down! After having a few more sips I get a little more burnt malt in the finish and the carbonation opens up the hops but still very bland.

Again disappointed in my BOM shipment.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2009 02:55:06 | More by WJVII

mrasskicktastic

New Jersey

2.38/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A - Clear golden brew with extremely intense carbonation. Large puffy head. Lots of lacing.

S - White pepper, wild grasses, clean yeast.

T - Hay, wild grasses, some bready malt and clean yeast. Aftertaste is a grassy bitterness that fades slowly.

M - Medium bodied, high carbonation, smooth, a little refreshing.

D - Meh, it doesn't resound with me much at all. I will likely give away what remains.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2009 04:29:38 | More by mrasskicktastic

semihobo

Michigan

2.15/5  rDev -32.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

When in Florida, drink as the Floridians do!

12 oz with a nice tropical label. Amber colored, egg white head.

Flat, generic grain smell, some hops spice. Minerals.

A little ginger-like spice -- the label specifically lists Pacific Northwest Cascade hops, but aside from a minor citrus note they taste more like Saaz. Pretty bland.

Thin body, moderately carbonated with coarse bubbles.

Below average, but at least it's an easy quaffer for the balcony facing the beach...

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2009 01:13:36 | More by semihobo

donniecuffs

New Jersey

2.13/5  rDev -33%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured amber copper, with a very thin white head, modest carbonation, and average lacing. Biscuit, yeast, and burned toast in the nose. The taste yielded nothing in the way of fruity, herbal, or bitter flavor, with another awkward bitter finish. No balance. Thin and underwhelming, I was shocked at how little flavor this beer had. Sorry, guys.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2010 17:37:28 | More by donniecuffs

drpimento

Wisconsin

2.03/5  rDev -36.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Brought this bottle back with me on the plane from Miami Beach this past summer. The bottle was leaking when I unpacked. We just poured it and there was some carbonation but a bit flat. No lace and very little head. Clear medium amber color. Not much hop in the nose. Mostly caramel malt. Body wasn't too bad, cept for the flatness. Not much here. eh.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2009 01:38:37 | More by drpimento