Certified Extra Pale Ale - Eel River Brewing Co.

watermelonman

California

2.6/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This poured to a light yellow and gold with a small head that lasted well. There's a few nice clumps of lace.

The smell is not very appealing. It has plenty of hops but they don't come out well, and along with it is some off grain flavors. The mouthfeel is medium and drinkability is average.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2006 02:26:35 | More by watermelonman

williamjbauer

West Virginia

3/5  rDev -3.8%

05-22-2013 12:11:20 | More by williamjbauer

outoffocus

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +12.2%

01-13-2013 05:29:46 | More by outoffocus

t0rin0

California

3/5  rDev -3.8%

11-19-2012 01:31:56 | More by t0rin0

Nage37

California

4/5  rDev +28.2%

07-04-2012 05:19:25 | More by Nage37

cbarrett4

Oregon

3.2/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I usually like Eel River brews, but this Ale seemed more lager like than many I have drank. Poured with a rather flat and dull appearance and light head and lace. Still looks lively with carbonation and much prettier than those American lagers.

Again, smells more of lager like aromas than ale aromas. Rather light with some grassy notes and herbs. Light, crisp and mellow on the palate. Rather light and lacks the complexity I would like to make it more drinkable. Rather ordinary.

Serving type: on-tap

02-24-2010 06:24:07 | More by cbarrett4

erosier

Connecticut

3.35/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L: Pours a nice golden orange color with a medium sized and medium bodied white colored head that laces the glass nicely on the way down.
S: Smells of sweet toasted malts, some floral and earthy hoppiness and that is about it.
T: Tastes of a sweet toasted malt base followed by a nice mellow floral/earthy/slightly citrus-y hop finish. I was expecting more hops, but this was probably more palatable for the malt that went in it.
M: Very crisp, fresh, refreshing, and the perfect amount of carbonation.
D: Very drinkable beer, more of a nice summer beer, but I liked it nonetheless.

Serving type: on-tap

01-21-2010 11:28:23 | More by erosier

DavoleBomb

Ohio

1.93/5  rDev -38.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Poured into a pint glass. Bought this for a buck at local place. I was only going to have one beer tonight, but the last one sucked so bad that I needed to drink this as well.

2.0 A: Hazy brownish yellow color. Agressive pour resulted in half a finger of head that fell quickly, but surprisingly left a decent amount of lacing.

2.0 S: Slight (as in zero + the smallest discrete unit of measurement) floral hoppiness and nothing else.

1.5 T: Slight bitterness along with the meagerest of citrusy hops. Nothing else really going on other than musty vegetal-like flavor.

3.5 M: Not as horrible. Medium body, but it lays heavy on the tongue (like carbonated lead or something like that).

2.0 D: The worst part about tonight is that this wasn't even the worst beer I've had.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2009 00:14:52 | More by DavoleBomb

Jmoore50

Nevada

2.88/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This looks like a glass of bud light. This is not what a good pale ale is supposed to look like. No head, no lacing. Poor attempt.

The smell is of citrus hops, and thats about it. This is not a very strong smell, overall a very faint smell of a hop product.

The taste is drinkable. This represents a very poorly made pale ale. There is no malt characteristic whatsoever. Actually, this tastes like a Bud Light with hop extract. Not special at all.

The mouthfeel is nicely carbonated and makes this thing drinkable. Cold and refreshing, that is about it.

The beer is drinkable, but no flavor or body makes this a memory that will soon fade out. This tastes like someone's first homebrew attempt. I hate to be a negative Nancy about this brew but this is not very good at all.

J

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2009 01:47:43 | More by Jmoore50

xhcadamx

Maine

4.43/5  rDev +42%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A - very light copper with a bubbly/foamy head that lingers and some nice lacing.

S - Cascade citrusy hops and a background of grain. Not overwhelming which you usually encounter.

T - Lighter hop presence than expected. But that's ok. Bigger isn't always better. Cascade / citrus type hops and a subtle amount of bready and biscuity grains.

M - tons of tiny bubbles so this has a nice bite.

D - I really like this beer and can appreciate a less EXTREME flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2009 04:16:21 | More by xhcadamx

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.4/5  rDev +9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light golden brown color, with a thin white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of hops but with an odd earthy & herbal to it, caramelized malts and some citrus.

T: The taste is bready up front with hearty flavors of citrus, caramel and a grain malt character, also a touch of smokiness. There's a good hops presence that comes in a little more slowly than it does in most beers in the style, but provides a decent balance. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean and dry.

D: A little tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, it's not a bad beer but there are certainly several others in the style that I would choose first.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2009 03:25:53 | More by TheManiacalOne

BretSikkink

Mexico

3.1/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Light orange color with some yellow and red highlighting. Lots of tiny bubbles moving very fast to the cap; head is white, sticks around quite a while. Lacing is moderate. All around pretty decent.

The nose is muted and earthy, with a bit of pepper and citrus. A little like trying to sniff a grapefruit that happens to be underneath a layer of dirt.

The flavor is under-hopped, with a mild sweetness throughout, along with a DMS undertone, probably from some adjunct used to fill out the pale malt bill. Bitterness lasts throughout the sip into the finish.

Nicely carbonated and decently chunky for an APA, just about right. Nothing great, but a nod towards a well brewed beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2009 03:32:11 | More by BretSikkink

Spikester

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Clear amber with one finger white head and plentiful lacings. Slight floral hop and caramel aroma. Taste is earthy bitter hops with plenty of support from the malts. Clean and crisp almost APA like. Carbonation is average. Easy drinker would be a good light session beer. I believe the abv is about 4.8%.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2009 17:58:58 | More by Spikester

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev +9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz. bottle into shaker pint on 2/23/09. thanks to Deuane for sharing.

A - Clear golden amber body with modest carbonation and thin quarter inch head that settled into patchy retention and left spotty lacing.

S - Malt-heavy nose with lots of sweet caramel and toffee, as well as some bready notes. Hop character is subtle with hints of citrus fruit.

T - Very caramely overall with a honey sweetness and a more sturdy bready malt backbone. Hops are citrusy and mildly bitter at best.

M - Medium body with a syrupy texture and light carbonation. Finish is slightly bitter on the palate with some residual sweetness from the malt.

D - Decent enough pale ale. A little light on the hops and big on the caramel malt overall, but it was easy to finish.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2009 13:02:47 | More by ffejherb

Billolick

New York

3/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 ouncer w/o freshness info to be had. Pours clear, typical light amber, minimal head, zippo lacing and next to no nose....Hmm not off to a good start...cant say much great about this one....lacking much of a malty base, hops are resinous and drying, but none too exciting...tastes "off" somehow...
forgettable, nothing special pale.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2008 00:18:58 | More by Billolick

nekronos

Mexico

3.7/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Not so pale, but it was very nice. Quite bitter but not excesively. likd, not my style but I liked it. Great head and can be easily enjoyed. Thus I have tried 5 Ee river organic ones in most places I find only 2 or 4. I don't know if the California Blonde one exists in the two ways: organic and not organic, but apparently some of the other organic ones do.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2008 19:17:51 | More by nekronos

MmmIPA

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Cloudy amber color with a small white head that falls to a ring with some patches of lacing.

Smells of sweetness.Lemon notes also.

Faint hoppiness.Alot of the bitterness is gone from the beer.Lemon taste also.

Mouthful is very easy with a nice amount of carbonation going on.

Not a bad beer but I wouldnt drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2008 13:52:22 | More by MmmIPA

Deuane

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A-Golden yellow amber with a medium white head that reduced into moderate lacing.

S-Very grainy and not much else. A bit of lemongrass in the nose to me..not sure if this is the hop nose or not.

T- A bit more hoppiness in the taste than in the nose. Lemony citrus flavors are present but certainly not strong. Tatse mostly dominated by the biscuity malt....but there is some hop bitterness to help balance this brew out.

M-Medium-light body with a lively carbonation.

D-Certainly not a bad beer, but not something I would seek out. Sessionable for sure...but I wouldnt want to many in a row! A decent effort by Eel River...but nothing stellar.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2008 22:15:11 | More by Deuane

akorsak

Pennsylvania

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

A stubby 12 oz bottle purchased at Westy's.

A: The pale ale is, above all else, pale. The color is amber, more orange-brown than red, a watered down gravy seems like an apt description. Two fingers of head covered the top of the glass and is slowly lacing.

S: The nose is more grainy than not, lots of bready, biscuit aromas dominate with little indication of hoppiness.

T: The ale shows off a little more hoppiness in the taste than the nose let on. Citrus flavors are sparse but strong enough to remind you that this is a pale ale. Those hops, overall, are content to hide behind the malts, which add a biscuity flavor to the happenings. A touch of hoppy bitterness is the lasting flavor when a sip is gone.

M: The ale is an enjoyable APA, showing off more grains than hops but still managing to sneak the hops into a memorable role.

D: ABV is listed as unknown but I don't think that it is too high. The result is an easy drink that has enough hops to keep me content.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2008 04:21:04 | More by akorsak

Chsyhkr

North Carolina

3.05/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

An interesting beer.

The aroma is an odd fruit cocktail with some spicy hops in their somewhere. Did I get a bad bottle?

Any way amber to copper, some head, did not linger too long.

Flavor mimics the aroma, fruity with hops in there, but not well integrated. This is probably a better food beer.

I am not sure I would buy just to drink.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2007 21:25:52 | More by Chsyhkr

acrawf6

Louisiana

2.15/5  rDev -31.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours out a slightly hazy orange amber with a small white head.

Smell. Not too much hops here, seems the malts dominate with a touch of caramel...but overall the aroma is not too appealing to me at all.

Taste. small bitterness comes out that is a little piney and earthy. under that is some pepperyness to it with just a little bit of fruit. aftertaste is a little astringent.

Mouthfeel. body is at an average level with a normal amount of carbonation that is a bit prickly on my tongue.

Overall, this is not a beer i will get again. The aroma and the flavor is just not good to me.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2007 02:40:20 | More by acrawf6

brentk56

North Carolina

3.33/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a hazy golden color with a bountiful head that creates a meringue that laces the glass

Smell: Modest aroma but there is some fruit (apricot) and pine along with a vague caramel sensation

Taste: Starts out a bit biscuity with a tinge of bitter fruit; after the swallow, their is a grassy and piney bitterness that becomes harsh and slightly resinous

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate to high carbonation; the harsh finish detracts from the mouthfeel

Drinkability: Compared to the other Eel River beers I have enjoyed, this one is a bit of a disappointment

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2007 18:14:41 | More by brentk56

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

2.75/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Generously carbonated orange-gold, slightly favoring the latter. All those bubbles create a three finger cap of yellowed ivory foam that looks to be in no hurry to enter the atmosphere. Meandering streamers of watery lace get the job done, even if they don't qualify as eye candy.

The nose is a near equal mixture of citric American (Centennial) and earthy English (East Kent Goldings), with another, underlying, aroma that dulls their brilliance almost completely. I guess malt and yeast are only possibilities. In any case, I'm not especially thrilled when I put my nose over the glass, so I think I'll start drinking now.

I continue to maintain that I can identify organic beer, even if blinded (obviously, I wasn't in this case). Most of it possesses what can only be described as an off-flavor that, while it defies easy description, is eerily similar across the board. Vegetal or clay-like comes close. Chemical-laden works as well, although organic brewers would shudder at such a notion.

There's enough pale malt (and a little caramel?) to hold down the bottom end, even as the hops fail to take advantage of the support. If anything, what should be a fair amount of good hop flavor, is even less impressive on the palate. The bitterness is there, so that helps a little. Extra Pale Ale tastes like old, dessicated grapefruit peel covered with a fine layer of clay.

The mouthfeel is a few steps up. It's somewhere near the peak of the APA bell curve in terms of heft and is appropriately bubbled. What small amount of pleasure one might gain from the mouthfeel leaks away quickly given what the taste buds are up against.

Even though this is my third Eel River beer in the past several weeks, I have no recollection of the others. My guess is that I'll forget Extra Pale Ale pretty quickly too. Probably by the end of the day, if not sooner.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2007 12:58:43 | More by BuckeyeNation

BurnsTau

Alabama

2.73/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours orange/yellow, nice white head, little lacing.

Smells are up front hops, a bit of a medicinal alchohol smell. Taste is mostly hoppy, some sweet maltiness balances it out. There are some strange aftertastes going on here, not sure what it is but it takes away from the flavor. Mouthfeel is a bit light and carbonation is good.

Eh, I really wasn't impressed by this beer, nor any of the beers I've tried by eel river so far. Not recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2007 08:11:34 | More by BurnsTau

rkuhnel

California

3.95/5  rDev +26.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap. Orange with white head. Nice floral nose, and nicely balanced hops. Overall a nice ale to drink. Re-rate. I tried this again and feel they have improved this since the last rating. I feel it is one of the better APAs around, I have tried it both on tap and in the bottle. The tap version is really fresh and clean. Maybe because it is organic, the bottle version does not seem quite as good. The rating above is for draft.

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2007 05:05:18 | More by rkuhnel