American Pale Ale - Good People Brewing Company

AgentMunky

Alabama

2.73/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass that looks suspiciously smaller than a pint.

A: Murky amber-orange. Hazy, with no head or lacing.

S: Faint hops. Some citrus. Very subdued.

T: Watery-bitter with an attempt at a hoppy character. The hops are weak, but I suspect intentionally so. The aftertaste is grainy with a bitter kick. I don't really like it.

M: Carbonated with an understated hop astringency. Nice.

D: An okay beer, but too weak/underdeveloped for my taste. Recommended with spicy food.

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2010 05:02:44 | More by AgentMunky

Reaper16

Alabama

3.05/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

served on-tap at The Alcove, Tuscaloosa, AL, into a mason jar

Pours a light sunshine yellow sort of color, a pretty typical shade for an APA. Less head than I was expecting, though that is likely the fault of the bartender. One finger of blinding white head, adequate lacing. This looks pretty indistinguishable from most other APAs.

The aroma, too, is average for the style. Some grapefruit hops, a kiss of pine, and some dominant sweet malt. Think Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, only with more malt sweetness. The same goes for the taste. That almost honey-sweet malt profile really stands out despite what I'd say is an amount of hops that is above average for the style. It's not a bad thing, this malt flavor, but it isn't a good thing either.

The mouthfeel on Good People Pale Ale is its best quality. A just-right level of carbonation makes the beer refreshing, while retaining a certain degree of hop slickness. Overall, this is a very average APA. It's certainly drinkable and it's nothing to scoff at. A fine introductory-level craft beer from a brewery capable of making beers that score in the A range (Snakehandler and COS, namely).

Serving type: on-tap

06-12-2011 15:55:15 | More by Reaper16

ddarden

Alabama

3.33/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I had my first pint of Good People's new Pale Ale that just hit the market. I believe it is going to be strickly a draft offering and it will be year round. I have high hopes for this new and only brewery in Birmingham. It appearance is golden and had a white head that fell very quickly. The carbonation was very low, but I am not sure if that was due to the draft system or the beer itself. I guess the beer is very fresh because this just arrived on the market 5 days prior. The smell was not overwhelming. It had a wisp of cascade hopes, but not very floral or much citrus. A small amount of malt came through. The beer itself tasted like a very average pale ale. I was a little disappointed that did not shine in any of the malt or hop areas. Just average. The mouthfell was not great due to the low carbonation. This is a fairly drinkable beer due to it's average profile.

I would love to see Good People kick this beer up a notch because the market it flooded with decent pale ales. I believe for them to suceed, they will need to create something a little more unique and creative. I will continue to drink their beer to give them support. I am looking forward to the Brown Ale and hopefully rotating seasonals.

Serving type: on-tap

07-11-2008 18:44:13 | More by ddarden

hopoilcrazy

Tennessee

3.39/5  rDev -11%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

So excited to see some Good People beers in the Nashville market

A - Perfect lacy head. Clear amber hue

S - Yeast, flint, peppery, vegetal but not earthy

T - Mineraly acridness. Good hop/yeast/malt balane, but the bitterness is a little toothpaste like or carbolic.

M - Nice and active carbonation, light body, very drinkable and refreshing

I think this is a solid example of a session, and can't wait to grab some and head to the fuckin lake!

Serving type: can

05-09-2013 23:31:29 | More by hopoilcrazy

shivtim

Georgia

3.4/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Another beer I'd never heard of that I tried in Birmingham. Definitely a solid pale ale. Nice slightly hazy yellow straw color, with fluffy white head. Smell is floral hops. Taste is more floral hops, a bit of spiciness, maybe some pine. Pleasant. Average or slightly better mouthfeel. Overall nice beer.

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2008 16:40:16 | More by shivtim

hangh

Alabama

3.4/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- An amber beer that has a very fine head that clings very well to the glass. The had dissapates a little too quickly but it is a nice looking beer
S- The smell is somewhat mixed fruit. I couldn't pin it down but there were several smells at work there. It was pleasant but not remarkable.
T- The beer had a nice taste to it. There were definitely many fruity tastes in it with a dominant citrus flavor. Bitter aftertaste that has some spice flavor
MF- a lightly carbonated beer with a spicy aftertaste. Very crisp though
D- Decent drinkability, a little hoppy for my taste but still a good beer

Serving type: on-tap

05-19-2010 05:10:54 | More by hangh

everetends

Alabama

3.65/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at the J. Clyde in Birmingham. Served into a standard pint glass.

A: Poured a golden yellow that was crystal clear. Had some decent carbonation bubbles in the beer. Poured a nice white head a little more than an inch thick, had some decent retention but no real lacing to speak of.

S: Smell was a bit floral and sweet. The hops were coming through, but there was still a sweetness from the malt that cut it just a bit. There was a touch of spice, but nothing serious.

T: Taste is about like the smell. Flowery hops and a bit of sweet malt. There is a touch of malt going on here and maybe a touch of clove spiciness. Not too bad.

M: This was light to medium body, with a good amount of carbonation for the style. Finishes pretty clean and crisp.

D: Not bad to tell you the truth. For an upstart brewery, pretty good. No real bitterness to speak of but still a solid APA because it doesn't need crazy hop presence to stand as an APA. If they bottled it, I would drink it. Great summer session for sure. The carbonation problems previous reviews mentioned were not present in my pour and I think it may have been a problem with the facility that had been rectified.

Serving type: on-tap

07-13-2008 20:37:53 | More by everetends

sommersb

Tennessee

3.86/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tasted On: 04-28-2013
Freshness: Canned 01-31-2013
Packaging: 12 oz. can
Glassware: Mug
Purchased: 6-pack from Star Market, Huntsville AL

A: Nice sized head sites on a copper-colored beer that is clear and bright on the first pour and then has some haze on the final pour. Excellent head retention but not much in the way of lacing.

S: Aromas have a pale malt bready sweetness plus grassy hop smells, but are overall not very strong.

T: Pretty dry beer with the bitterness of the piney hops being the dominant flavor. The bittering seems spot-on for this American pale ale.

M: Body is medium and carbonation hits the high end of the spectrum. The finish is hoppy and dry, but the malts show up to bring about some balance.

O: Overall a no-frills and tasty pale ale from my home state.

Serving type: can

04-29-2013 04:10:35 | More by sommersb

StuartCarter

Alabama

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

Had some on draft at both the J Clyde and the 5 Points Grill. The pint at the J Clyde was not nearly as good as at the 5 Points Grill, due to problems with the carbonation system at the JC. When you have the Pale Ale properly carbonated it is a very tasty beverage indeed - enough to convince me, someone who is not a fan of the style, to have several pints of this in one sitting :)

Smells sweetly floral, hops are the dominant but not dominating flavour, very well balanced taste.

Serving type: on-tap

07-12-2008 19:12:40 | More by StuartCarter

dnrobert24

Alabama

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I sampled this new and only Birmingham-brewed beer on tap at the J Clyde. Aroma was floral, as opposed to citrus, making me think British hops. The bitterness perfectly balanced the biscuity malt. The caramel color played tricks on my mind because I couldn't really taste and caramel, it was more of a white-bread toast flavor. The mouthfeel was a bit off seeing as there was verrry little carbonation. I suppose the appearance was hurt a little by that as well. Overall, it was quite sessionable and a solid example of the style. This is beer that Birmingham can be proud of.

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2008 02:46:38 | More by dnrobert24

brentk56

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Arrives with a clear amber color and a pillowy cap that leaves lots of clumpy stickage

Smell: Biscuity malt with more than a hint of grapefruit

Taste: Opens biscuity but the grapefruit and toffee flavors arrive quickly and dominate after the swalllow; somewhat sweet on the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with soft, creamy carbonation

Drinkability: A very nice though slightly sweet APA

Serving type: cask

12-17-2009 23:33:42 | More by brentk56

Bonhoeffer

Alabama

4.18/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

UPDATE -- After posting the comments below i had a chance to express some of my thoughts to Jason via email. Here is is reply (directly quoting GP's brewmaster):

"Exciting beers are in the works but we are having to build up our inventory to support the accounts we've "signed up" before I can dedicate the tank space. Let me explain.... The City of Birmingham and DOH really put us behind the 8-Ball in keeping us out of business for 3.5 months. The Business Plan was for us to have 1.5 months to brew and build up inventory before "hitting the market." Based on their demands and lack of sense of urgency, once we received their "blessing" that part of the business plan just wasn't available to us anymore. We are literally operating on "just in time inventory" right now and it will be 2-3 weeks before I have enough packaged to feel comfortable trying some of the other beers that excite me...and others.

A GPBC IPA is, and always has been, in the near-term future."

So, an IPA will be hitting the market as soon as it is feasible for them to devote some tank space to it. PHEW.

---
A very solid offering. Nicely hopped with a good malty backbone. Extremely drinkable, and i intend to buy it and/or whatever other Good People offerings i can find anytime i'm out at a bar or restaurant because i DESPERATELY want local beer to succeed in Birmingham.

But i must agree with my friend Darden. The market is flooded with drinkable pale ales. There are so many around here it will make your head spin. I'm eventually going to get tired of this beer. Good People needs to stand out above the masses with exciting beers, rather than "normal" stuff that 1000 other breweries are churning out. I am nervous when i hear talk of an amber and a hefe in addition to the existing brown and pale. Nervous.

Jason Malone, hear me now and believe me later. Brew an IPA. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE brew an IPA. A damn fine IPA with copious late hop additions and some dry hopping to boot. This cursed state has not one world class IPA. ABC has stolen the only good ones from us in the past year or so, namely Sweetwater IPA and Flying Dog Snake Dog.

I need a steady supply of IPA or i get a little crazy. Somebody throw me a bone here.

Serving type: on-tap

07-21-2008 17:17:41 | More by Bonhoeffer

daijoobo

Alabama

4.26/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a pint glass at home.
Light Amber colour, crisp & clean looking
Smell reminded me of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Taste was clean & crisp and a lighter version of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale only smoother and not as bitter.
Rolled it throughout my mouth to let ALL the tastebuds get an opinion, and they were quite HaPpY with the results. Not over-powering, yet still satisfying.
Not the greatest Pale ale, but it is hard to find faults. This makes a great session ale to sip on while working on Quantum Physics!

Serving type: can

02-12-2013 20:55:10 | More by daijoobo

GPHarris

Alabama

4.33/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a - nice, clear amber body with good head retention.
s - very citrusy and spicey.
t - very hoppy for a pale ale, which i like. overwhelming taste is grapefruit.
m - nice and thick, really coats the tongue.
d - great sipper, i could drink a few of these...

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2008 15:07:26 | More by GPHarris

estlinska

Arkansas

4.35/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Served on tap at J. Alexander's in Birmingham, AL on 5/1/13 into a pilsner glass. The beer pours a burnt orange with good bright color to it. There is some slight chill haze that does not completely clear before the beer is consumed. Head is about 1cm with a nice bright white color and leave fair lacing on the glass. The haze reduces the light penetration, but overall it is good. The smell is quite bready, but has some good, bright citrus notes of oranges as well as some nice flower notes as well to give the hops a good presence in the beer. The taste is clean, smooth and well balanced. There is a pronounced bitterness that does a good job of balancing a sweet malt. The malt is sweet, featuring some caramel malt flavors as well as bread and biscuit flavors. The hops are definitely full on orange citrus. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with good carbonation. Overall, this is a very well done pale ale. The hops are pretty heavy, but balanced very well with the malts of the beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-08-2013 04:30:45 | More by estlinska

PeterLemonjello

Alabama

4.5/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Nice beer served on tap at J. Clyde.

Pours a dark yellow with a touch of amber. Nice head with plenty of lacing.

Smell is hop dominant....citrus and floral.

Taste is hoppy of center with citrus esters. Not overly dry but nothing sweet about the finish.

Mouthfeel is appropriate for style.

Very drinkable APA. Hoppier than some but and easily sessionable beer.

Nice APA.

Serving type: on-tap

04-15-2009 03:18:05 | More by PeterLemonjello