Paradise Pale Ale - Lawson's Finest Liquids

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

3.89/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-clear amber color with a nice white head and decent lacing

S-citrus, pine, malt, hints of sweetness and earthiness

T-bready malt, lemon, orange, slight sweetness, hoppy astringent finish

F-medium body with moderate carbonation, clean

O-a solid pale ale, but I prefer their IPAs

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2013 01:21:56 | More by MDDMD

macrosmatic

Florida

4.06/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Thanks to dujayhawk for this one. Reviewed from notes. Poured from bomber into a CCB pint glass.

A: Clear burnished copper with a half-finger white head atop lowish visible carbonation.

S: Overall seems muted. Citrus and grassy hops over some sweet bready malt.

T: Citrus rind, pine bitterness, some grassy and dank hops. The malt presence is sweet but not caramel, and bready. The onion and/or spice hop character increases as the beer warms. Hop bitterness in the hang, but this doesn't seem overdone.

M: Heavy body for a pale ale. Low alcohol presence, and good carbonation sensation.

O: The Vienna malts are an interesting twist to a pale ale. I think it works pretty well in here. It allows a sweet malt presence without the caramel flavors that I think clash with most American hops. Enjoyable, but I don't know that I'd run out for another one.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 02:40:38 | More by macrosmatic

drabmuh

Maryland

3.49/5  rDev -13%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Thanks Moll. Beer served in a Lawson's tulip, thanks Paul. Beer is amber / dark amber with a thin head of small bubbles, low retention, low carbonation, low lacing.

Aroma is a little buttery, a little hoppy.

Beer is nice in the weight but overall a bit disappointing. Hops are light, malt is higher than I expected. Moving on.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 17:39:04 | More by drabmuh

SpeedwayJim

New York

4.16/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Phil for this one. 22oz. bomber into a Heady Topper pint glass. Shared with schen9303.

Pours a .5 finger frothy white head with good retention. Beer is a clear, dark mahogany. Lacing is patchy and thick with great stick. Really good looking brew.

Nose is pine, brown sugar and citrus hoppiness. Moderately aromatic. Decent.

Opens citrus and brown sugar. Sap hop bitterness towards the middle with a touch of bark. Some cane sugar and caramel notes at the finish with a bitter, resiny hop aftertaste. Very solid.

Light bodied with ample carbonation. Spritzy and quenching in the mouth and crisp and refreshing going down. Dry finish with a sticky, lingering aftertaste. Super drinkable.

A very interesting pale ale with great balance in the flavor and an almost perfect feel for the style. Pretty under-the-radar. Worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 03:02:02 | More by SpeedwayJim

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.19/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottle shared by Paul. Thanks man. Served in a Lawson’s Finest Liquids snifter because that’s how this guy rolls.

The beer is golden copper in color with nearly an inch of white head. The aroma brings a balance of bready malts and piney hops, with the hop character taking a slight lead. I really enjoy the flavor of this beer. Beautiful balance and finish. Biscuits and floral notes. Light in body and smooth sailing on the palate. Another tasty brew from Vermont. Good times.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 02:15:35 | More by Huhzubendah

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.68/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz gold foil topped bottle. Served in a Lawson's snifter.

Pours a clear copper amber with a finger of dense creamy head. Doughy and caramel malt nose with piney and earthy hops. Doughy body, German malt, light caramel sweetness and resiny and pine bitter finish. Medium creamy body with strong carbonation and a sticky dank finish. Tastes like an aggressively hopped ESB. Not bad, but would pass on again.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 17:16:24 | More by yourefragile

portia99

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into a Lawson's snifter. Bottle courtesy of Jared - thanks for picking this up for me!

A - Pours an extremely clear medium amber color with a tightly bubbled thick finger of creamy colored head that shows good staying power...head slowly fades to the surface and leaves lots of foamy lacing on the glass. Good looking pale ale!

S - Really nice hop aroma here...loaded with citrus and pine - smooth and a bit herbal. Hop aroma is so even and balanced - potent but not overpowering. Balance of lightly sugary sweet aromas and touches of grain beneath the hop layer.

T - Sharp hoppy bitterness up front - herbal, earthy and a bit medicinal. Toasted and bready malt flavors catch up with the hops and smooth things out but recede in the finish to leave behind the medicinal bitterness into the finish and beyond. Mild sugary sweetness in middle with well placed citrus and pine hoppiness.

M - Medium bodied with a lowish mid-level carbonation that is rather creamy and lacking of any assertiveness or tingle on the tongue. Thickly hoppy with plenty of hop bitterness and a strong resiny feel and taste throughout, especially in the finish with a long lingering bitterness after the swallow.

O - Another fine offering from Lawson's. I always enjoy finding full flavored beers that check in under 5% ABV. At 4.9%, this just makes that threshold, but is quite sessionable from an alcohol presence standpoint. The resiny and medicinal bitterness reduce the drinkability for me...this isn't a smooth pale ale. It takes a bit of work, but the effort does pay off. Doesn't go down as easy as I'd like, but it does invite you to savor each sip rather than quaff it quickly. I'd prefer a bit less sharpness to the hop flavors, but I think I'd still come back to this again if another bottle presents itself to me.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 01:13:21 | More by portia99

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Paradise Pale Ale pours a clear, dark copper color with a medium sized, stiff head on top. As the foam disappears a thick netted pattern of lace clings onto the glass.

The aroma is hoppy with notes of orange and lemon citrus with a touch of pine. The hop aroma fades quickly, but some nice biscuit notes take its place.

Each sip of this medium bodied beer is soft and creamy on the palate with moderate carbonation. The flavor is very well balanced between orange & grapefruit citrus, pine and toasted, bready malt. A little tropical fruit is also present. It finishes dry, mildly bitter with some grassy notes. Once gone the sweet malt and grassy bitterness lingers on the palate.

This is a very well balanced, easy to drink beer. It's a great everyday session beer that could be enjoyed with almost any occasion.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 23:00:56 | More by WanderingFool

Pinknuggets

Vermont

4.13/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle to hfs sniffer

A: amber to orange colored tan colored head that goes away quickly

S:lot of fresh hop aroma there is some topical fruit mainly melon but its not a strong smell more balanced

T: the hops do not shine through as much I'd like as the malt does shine through but without being over powering but not the perfect balance

M: smooth and oily goes down very easy but not the greatest finish no bitterness but also not clean

O:this is a real solid session beer I could def go for one of these after a day of skiing

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 04:31:41 | More by Pinknuggets

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

New bottle release picked up last Thursday.

Pours a rich creamy 1.5 finger head that holds retention well, nice layered lacing, brilliantly clear copper amber color.

Nose has nice fresh hops, floral and grassy mostly, with a hint of citrus, spicy hops and resins, and just a touch of sweet amber aromatic almost toasty malt underneath.

Taste starts with the malt presence, amber toasty almost bready but not quite. Then hops, nice floral hops, plenty of spicy hop flavors, chewy earthy hops as well, with light citrus, a bit of pine, and some hop resins and oils. Bitterness is decent but not overbearing, the hops turn grassy and malts a little doughy as it moves to the finish, which is also drier, long lingering bitterness with hop oils and resins, spicy hops linger as well with just a bit of citrus and pine.

Mouth is med to fuller bodied, decent carb, light hop oil.

Overall nice, a well balanced hop to make ratio where the malts present a decent flavor without trying to steal the show, and hops really come through with nice American hop characters, and fresh hops. Fairly bitter but drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 00:51:08 | More by jlindros

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.48/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I assume this is the new more sessionable incarnation of the former Paradise Ale (retired) with a lower abv and listed as a pale ale.

This particular version according to Sean Lawson was cask conditioned with a little bit of maple syrup for fermentation and a bag of dry hops was added. Keg tapped by Sean himself and poured into pint glasses at Three Penny Taproom.

A- Slightly translucent/hazy amberish brown that almost has a cider like appearance, about a half-finger of white frothy head with nice retention that recedes to a thin layer and leaves nice layered lacing. Consistent rising carbonation. Doesn't exactly look like your typical APA, but looks appealing non-the-less.

S- Lots of dry hops, grapefruits, pine, sweet malts, maybe a hint of maple syrup, extremely well balanced.

T- Dry hops, grapefruit, pine, sweet malts, finishes with a slightly bitter lemon finish. Packed with flavor and one of the most balanced APAs I've had.

M- Medium bodied, nice carbonation, extremely sessionable and smooth.

O- This was fantastic, one of the best pale ales that I've had. Easily right up there with Edward if not better. I could knock back a few pints of this without a problem. Very hoppy yet extremely well balanced with sweet malts, reminded me a little bit of the Alpine IPAs. This beer is great example of how masterful Sean Lawson is at brewing. I definitely recommend trying this out.

Serving type: cask

12-16-2012 05:09:57 | More by jaasen64