Hurricane Reef Pale Ale - Florida Beer Company

BeerRun13

California

2.93/5  rDev -8.2%
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

daliandragon

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is tthe last of the Hurricane Reef trio I brought back from my Dad's 60th B-day party in the Fla. keys two weekends ago. The other two were fairly crap so I'm hoping this one can turn the tide.

Pours an attractive deep reddish copper that loses its head all too quickly. Nose has a surprising dominance of malt with heavy fruit flavors, maybe figs or plums, and hops just barely in the backround.

The taste also sees a strange malt predominance, which means for me that this isn't truly a pale ale. The mouthfeel has the proper depth and crispness but the lack of hops is a little unsettling. Still, not a bad beer at all. The fruit is tasty and round enough to avoid the fate of the cruddy raspberry wheat by the same brewery. Slight alcohol tones follow the fig flavors. Some surpising complexity here, and very nice to drink, but I maintain that a pale ale it isn't. It is, however, worth a shot if you see it, I'll look for it again for sure.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2007 04:24:55 | More by daliandragon

Drew966

Florida

3.7/5  rDev +16%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Hurricane Reef Pale Ale pours a copper color with a thin white head from a brown twelve ounce bottle. The aroma is primarily malt, with caramel being noticeable. Tastes better than I expected, nice balance of hops and malt for a pale ale. Definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2006 00:41:45 | More by Drew966

hunteraw

China

3.48/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Apearance: Orange amber color with a smallish white head that exhibits nice lacing. Carbonation seems to fade quickly.

Smell: Fairly mild aroma, maybe it needs to warm up... Even after warming, there's just not much there.

Taste: Crisp fruit flavors, very clean. Somewhat soapy. Hops are understated for an APA. Finishes dry.

Mouthfeel: Crisp is definitely the word. Body is on the lighter side.

Drinkability: Not great, but at least it's local. Might be a good beer to cook with.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2006 19:27:11 | More by hunteraw

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Clear amber with an orange hue, it poured with a thin head that quickly settled into a collar. Spotty lacing. Mild malt aroma with earthy and floral hops. Bitterness is restrained, letting mild sweetness and orange hop character come to the foreground. A bit earthy as well. Finishes with a bit of lingering bitterness and hop flavour. Medium/light body and carbonation. A solid pale ale. Thanks Wintermute!

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2006 00:42:29 | More by DrJay

Citadel82

New Jersey

3.33/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

In the Macro-centered world that is the Disney Empire finding this brew was a refreshing change of pace. A nice burnished copper color with an off-white head. Aroma was very faint floral hops and som toasted malt. Taste was piney/citrusy but mild. Not anywhere near what one expects htese days from an american pale ale. Definitely drinkable however and an encouraging sign to find this at the Disney Resorts.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2006 12:58:06 | More by Citadel82

Jredner

Florida

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

Muted hop aroma is about all you get...a slight malty presence benath that. Light tea color. Nice thumb thick head. Mild hop flavor with a small amount of pink grapefruit sweetness. Way better than I expected from this brewer, but still not anything to get overly excited about.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2006 23:58:50 | More by Jredner

blitheringidiot

Pennsylvania

2.85/5  rDev -10.7%
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

wingnutter

Florida

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

Pours deep golden with minimal head.

In the smell I get grassiness, some hops, and maybe a bit o malt.

Taste: Verry bitter up front, feels a bit thin. Slight citrus twang with not much in the flavor department other than malt, and watery malt at that. Im not tasting much of the Cascade hops they list on the neck label. I was really hoping this beer would outproduce its ratings, but it doesnt seem to be the case.

They need to thicken it up a bit and use some of those hops they talk about. Then they might have a decent beer on their hands. Otherwise they missed the mark.

Thin, watery, and not too impressive. Living in Florida its getting harder and harder to find good local beer. Dunedin has the best Ive tried so far.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2006 03:44:33 | More by wingnutter

JohnnyDuvel

Florida

2.58/5  rDev -19.1%
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

AtLagerHeads

Ohio

3.83/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

An all around nice brew from Florida. The appearance is a copper colored body with a decent off-white head. the aroma has a nice malty grain sense with the light addition of fruity hops. the flavor is very nice with the malt flavor and fruity hops predominating. The feel is medium but lacks crispness. Overall it has good drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2004 16:17:20 | More by AtLagerHeads

kbub6f

New York

3.93/5  rDev +23.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Head is small, off-white and fizzy. Beer is a clear, dark amber. Sweet, ripe, hoppy, toffee, tangy citrus nose sports some milk gone bad. Front is hoppy with a hint of chocolate. Tangy, dark caramel. A piney, bitter, hoppy, fresh finish. Great Cascade burps. This is pretty good. Quite hoppy and malty.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2004 17:36:14 | More by kbub6f

UnionMade

Colorado

3.13/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

The beer pours a delicious looking copper color, topped with a generous amount of off white foam, just barely reaching out of the tumbler. The head settles slowly into an uneven, patchy coating, a solid sheet of lace clinging to the glass as the brew's consumed. The stuff laces better than most IPAs or wheat beers I've had. Excellent clarity.
The aroma is very solid, with a moderate, sweetish toasty malt. A bit of graininess, similar to seven grain bread, or maybe even rye. The sweetness is balanced by a woody and citric hopping, just enough, creating an interesting, almost sweet and sour feel. A touch of pine, with some doughy, nutty yeast in the background. Rather clean, with just a bit of lemon and floral esters.
The flavor starts with a surprisingly grainy, husky malt. Mild toasty and biscuity sweetness meanders into the middle, which features little in the way of fruitiness, aside from a vague floral note. The hops march in unchallenged, a lemon/orange citric feel muddied by a dominant herbal woodiness. Northern brewer? The yeast contributes a soft nuttiness in the end, blending with the steadily abrasive grain husk finish. A lingering grain flavor, along with some woody hops, making me feel like I've been chewing on a fallen log. Rather rough hewn all the way through, the toasty sweetness not doing much to soften things up. Some dryness in the finish. Medium bodied, with a surprisingly chewy, grainy feel. Moderate, nondescript carbonation.
Not the easiest drinking beer, but it's gritty, unpersonable feel does have some charm. I bet this would be fantastic in beer batter, or as an accompaniment to tuna or halibut. On it's own, I think I'd go with something else. Worth a try at least once, especially if you're in the sunshine state.
Thanks to Mikeys01 for the bottle!

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2004 03:20:28 | More by UnionMade

kmo1030

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

nice deep amber color with a tan head that stick around for a while. grainy malt aroma, with floral smells as well. slight smell of raw malt extract. cirtusy and and sweet floral taste much like the smell. none of the raw malt character in the taste thankfully hops kick in at the the end to round things out, i'd like to see a little more though. the coating mouthfeel is maybe a little too thick, but pretty strong carbonation makes up for it mostly. unremarkable, but not bad by any means.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2004 21:15:26 | More by kmo1030

jtfest

Oregon

3.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Odd snowflake-like sediment in this brew, though it's not bottle conditioned. Oh, well. It poured a copper/amber with a thin yellow-white head. The aroma was grassy and bitter. The mouthfeel was a little watery, as was the taste -- which began with a honey-like sweetness and then disappeared with a mild hop goodbye. Pretty drinkable, but equally unimpressive.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2004 03:15:16 | More by jtfest

LuckySevens82

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle.

This is a fine example of a pale ale from the tampa based brewer. This is along the same lines as the Dunedin PA (which I thought was very good), and has much of the characteristic charms of most other PAs. The problem with this beer is that there is absolutely nothing special about it. I could easily find the same flavors in a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or an Anchor Liberty Ale (both of which are much better). High hops, notable malt sweetness, some alcohol. This is a good example of the style. I cannot fault the FL brewing company for that.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2004 03:40:09 | More by LuckySevens82

Imbiber

New York

4.05/5  rDev +27%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Copper-amber coloured, medium carbonation and smallish pale tan/off-white head. Big aroma, earthy, malty of sorts - can't quite place it...

Flavour is well-balanced, malt to the fore is offset by a moderate hoppiness. Some citrus appears later on to form a pleasant aftertaste. A very slight grainy feel on the tongue is there too, but nevertheless a pleasant, well-drinkable beer. Much better than the Key West beer from the same brewery.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2004 20:55:40 | More by Imbiber

dpend

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +28.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep copper with a substantial and tan head that holds well. Aroma was mostly of cascade hops.Nice use of malt as well.Taste is balanced throughout and finishes with nice, dry hops.Very drinkable and a great session beer.My favorite of the line.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2003 17:37:04 | More by dpend

BeerResearcher

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is more of an Amber Ale than Pale Ale. Pours a clean amber with an off-white head and not much lace. The aroma is malty, lightly hoppy, with an odd damp basement smell. The biscuity malt body is a bit more slick and oily than most Pale Ales (thus the difference). Citrus and a mild spicy bitterness round this Amber ale out.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2003 16:37:40 | More by BeerResearcher

DarrellK

Florida

4.63/5  rDev +45.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Take has not suffered since Ybor bought them out. The other reviews get into the details but this brew stands up to some of the best British Ales. A great blend of aroma, mouth and taste. Not too bitter, has a buttery notem so it is an excellent session brew. Don't like any of the Ybor product but this one is very good.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2002 15:28:58 | More by DarrellK

ThreePistols

Florida

3.58/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Clean clear amber color with a bubbly off white head. Floral hop nose. Definitely Cascade hops. Malt sweetness and Cascade hops are plesantly balanced. Hops not overpowering. Hops bitterness mellows out nicely. Citrus aftertaste with a slighty dry finish. A nice American Pale Ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2002 07:58:15 | More by ThreePistols

StevieW

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +35.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Rich copper color, head was tan, fluffy, and full of slow rising hop bubbles. Smell was slightly biscuit and full of cascade hop aromas. Nice even, smooth, cascade assault on your tongue. Creamy, rich feel, smooth finish. Subtle malt backbone. All the right the traits of a classic American Pale Ale. Tastes like they copied the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale formula, and did a nice job. This is a beer Ybor City can hang their hat on. A pleasant surprise. I would buy this again, and hunker down for a category 1-2 storm. Anything more, I evacuate, and take my beer with me.
3 cheers for a really good Florida brewed beer !

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2002 17:51:21 | More by StevieW

Andy

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Radiant, off-orange color and all about cascade hops. Good hop bitterness upfront and also the ever elusive hop flavor throughout. The recipe for this seems to have changed (improved) in recent years.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2002 00:07:48 | More by Andy