Old Jail Ale - Roy Pitz Brewing Company

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Hazy orange-brown with two-finger, foamy, creamy, off-white head that lasted several minutes and left a nice film. Pretty good lacing.

S: Candied sweet potatoes and a hint of nuttiness.

T: Moderate to high sweetness and light bitterness. Sweet caramel malt and a hint of nuttiness again. I liked the sweet smell, but the taste is almost too sweet.

M: Medium bodied with fizzy carbonation. Smooth.

O: This is a pretty good brown ale, though I think it would have been better with a tad less sweetness to let the nutty malt flavors through.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 04:45:30 | More by SolipsismalCat

ZEB89

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

05-11-2013 03:26:05 | More by ZEB89

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -32.4%

04-24-2013 01:22:31 | More by Slatetank

sulldaddy

Connecticut

3.53/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Im sampling a cellar temp bottle poured into a sturdy glass mug.
The beer foams up to overflow slowly upon the cap popping and pours huge fluffy head even with the gentlest of pours.
I will take a minute while the head settles to say the label art is great, old school drawings that have a fairly artistic flair to them.
The head is eggshell white and fades gradually leaving large pockmarked craters as it recedes.
Aroma is mild but some caramel and earthy hops are present, I also get a little bit of mild fruit.
The first sip reveals an average body with fine fizzy carbonation. Texture is a little thin, but the beer is very drinkable and goes down smoothly into my belly.
Flavor is what is expected from the nose, mild caramel and some sweet fruit with a slightly earthy bite on the finish. The beer is easy to drink and balanced, I do find it unremarkable but not bad, although the slow gusher on opening is a negative. I would try this again and would like to visit the brewery but Im not going to chase down a bottle

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 01:03:40 | More by sulldaddy

zillo043068

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

03-30-2013 21:30:29 | More by zillo043068

JWU

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a tumbler glass

A- a hazy light brown with orange highlights. A big, soapy four fingers worth of light tan head, that sticks around quite awhile. Nice lacing.

S- bready, apple juice with a little brown sugar, marshmellow and a hint of cashew nuttiness. A hint of vegetal hops.

T- Quite interesting. A brown ale combined with the subtlety of an amber. Light bread notes with that brown sugar sweetness you smell. Big caramel notes. Hops are certainly vegetal and almost herbal, and very light. There's also just a hint of citric (orange) sweetness in the background as well.

M- Almost medium body, which surprised me due to the ABV. A hint dry on the finish, which begs you to sip more.

O- It's brilliant in its subtlety. Closest thing I can relate it to is Stone Levitation, and honestly, I'll take this over that any day. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 20:07:10 | More by JWU

Sipchue

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%

03-16-2013 18:01:04 | More by Sipchue

Budinetz

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +35.1%

02-04-2013 18:37:57 | More by Budinetz

bradwalrus

4.5/5  rDev +21.6%

11-25-2012 03:10:46 | More by bradwalrus

THECPJ

Delaware

2.5/5  rDev -32.4%

11-21-2012 04:30:55 | More by THECPJ

TheBigBoy

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -32.4%

11-09-2012 20:12:02 | More by TheBigBoy

FosterJM

California

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

1532nd Review on BA
Bottle to Pint
12oz

No bottle date
Thanks to TroyG2352

App- This poured out like an oak stain varnish. A little bit dark at the top. A little lighter on bottom and somewhat clear with a lighter density behind it. A small head maybe 3/4" was there and left no cling/lace but was more like a pond layer.

Smell- I believe the english version adds a bit of yeast and citrus to a pretty clean beer. Creamy, candy and sweet are lasting aromas on this one.

Taste- Its a brown ale base but spun a little. Its malty, sweet and rich. I will say its more of a pecan syrup in liquid form and even though only 5% still get a feel of the booze. Its got a touch of fruity esters and roast.

Mouth- A lighter medium body with a smooth lower medium almost light carbonation. Residual roast, yeast & citrus.

Drink- I thought the best blonde was okay so going into this expectations were pretty low, was pleasantly suprised though. These guys have some unique takes on a beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 15:15:43 | More by FosterJM

flyers1980

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%

08-08-2012 15:07:09 | More by flyers1980

bacher468

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%

07-14-2012 17:26:54 | More by bacher468

Chinaskifan1

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.1%

07-05-2012 01:32:39 | More by Chinaskifan1

mactrail

California

3.03/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Brown color in the glass, and on the reddish side. Pleasant sudsiness. Fairly sprightly on the tongue.

Flavor is caramel cut with leafy hops. Modest sweetness with a rather bitter finish. Light bodied. Roasted malt is not very assertive. More of a slightly sweet tea flavor. Brown Ale is totally descriptive, and for that category it's quite acceptable. In other words, dull and a little dank. The aftertaste of dirty hops just doesn't quit.

From the 12 oz bottle bought at Food and Friends in Philadelphia.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 22:28:17 | More by mactrail

jculler82

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

05-21-2012 14:19:09 | More by jculler82

weaselchew

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.1%

05-20-2012 23:04:30 | More by weaselchew

rastapenguin22

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.1%

12-19-2011 03:31:59 | More by rastapenguin22

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This brew poured out as a nice looking brown color with a tan colored head on top. Not much lacing here. The smell of the brew has some sweet toasted malt aromas and roasted nut coming off it also. The taste of the beer was was pretty nice, the malty flavors went well with some of the roasted flavors. The mouthfeel was a little thin but still wasn't too bad. Overall this brew was an above average brown ale in my opinion. Might be worth trying.

Serving type: on-tap

09-13-2011 21:21:38 | More by Knapp85

thain709

Pennsylvania

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

A - Served with lighter shade of dark brown...it wasn't completely dark brown because it had some clarity to it...the head was off white and stood about two fingers...it retained well but did not leave any lacing until the last few sips

S - The malts were roasted and provided some caramel, toffee, and nutty aromas

T - The flavors come together really nice...there is a roasted presence from the start to the middle of the beer...caramel and toffee flavors lend some sweetness and the nuttiness is there to make a nice combination of flavors...there is a hop note at the end of the beer that provides an earthy and slightly floral aspect

M - Medium bodied...a bit thin for a brown ale...sweet caramel with a moderate hop bite

O - I'm usually note a fan of this style but Roy Pitz really combined the flavors together nicely...the nose could have used a bit more as well as the feel...but overall, I'd have another

Serving type: on-tap

08-15-2011 13:46:23 | More by thain709

Gavage

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: light brown in color with a 1" head. Some bits of lace dot the glass.

Smell: caramel is the only flavor detectable by the nose.

Taste: caramel, bits of brown sugar, a touch of nuttiness, and a moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer. Crisp to start, a bit smoother towards the finish with a hint of spiciness late.

Drinkability: this is a very drinkable beer and a very tasty brown ale. Wish I saw this on tap more often as it is a nice change up from the extreme beers offered today.

Serving type: on-tap

06-11-2010 13:17:06 | More by Gavage

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Roy Pitz, "Old Jail" ale, poured ontap into a large mug. A rich brown in color with a light tan head and not much lacing.

Smells malty upfront, with some breadiness and sweetness poking through.

Taste: Rich and nutty, with strong hazlenut and chestnut notes, lots of brown sugar and maltyness. Hops are really not in the flavor profile. An enjoyable and mild brown ale.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, ample carbonation and a lingering nutty finish.

Drinkability: A nice session brown here. Really good flavors and a very manageable alcohol level.

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2010 23:20:06 | More by Stinkypuss

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

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

64 oz growler filled @ the brewery. Named after the 191 year old Franklin County Jail or "Old Jail" as it is now known, located right down the street from the brewery and is currently home to the Franklin County Historical Society. Poured into a pint glass.

Pours a clear amber, with 2 big fingers of off-white/near tan head. Retains with a thin layer of froth, throwing a decent looking cascade of foamy lacing up on the sides of the glass. The aroma is sweeter smelling with caramel notes mixing with lightly toasted grainy malts. Hops are citric and earthy in the nose.

The taste switches things up a bit, with the malts coming off as a bit more roasty than sweet overall and some silkier caramel character hanging on the edges of the profile. This has a nice firm bitter hop presence to it (with a gentle spiciness as well) that really earns it's designation as an American Brown. Finishes with a pleasant toasty dryness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a crisp prickly feel to the carbonation. This is maybe just a tad too thin in spots on the edges of the swallow but for the most part this maintains a good presence on the palate.

Well done Brown Ale, with enough flavor and drinkability to keep both experienced and novice craft beer drinkers interested throughout the duration of the glass. I'm glad to see that they've made this one of their staple year-round beers here.

Serving type: growler

11-03-2009 18:07:22 | More by Kegatron

Deuane

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A-Hazy, bright, lustrous copper with a thin, bright white head that reduced to a patchy film and left decent webby lace.

S-Toffee and light spicy hops. A touch of caramel sweetness in the background.

T-Spicy citrus orange on top of a bed of toffee, maple syrup and brown sugar. Good finish of sweet toffee, really nice finish.

M-Medium bodied, rather crisp with nice lingering flavours.

D-Good stuff. Crisp, easy drinking with good flavours. This would be an easy one to knock back a few of. A quality, flavourful, session brew.

Serving type: on-tap

10-08-2009 15:11:14 | More by Deuane