Blue Heron Pale Ale - Mendocino Brewing Company

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

3.55/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. No freshness date.

Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is straw/lemonade yellow with a little chill haze. Two fingers of thick, eggshell-colored head dissipated slowly to leave a thin skim and minor ring around the edge.

Smell: Lots of British-esque caramel up front, which is a surprise to me. Grassy hops and light lemon citrus accentuate the malts. There is also a hint of honey, too. It smells a lot like it was brewed by Fullers. It is very well balanced in all regards, though; nothing dominates.

Taste: Not as sweet as the smell; the grassy hops and lemon citrus stand out. The caramel emerges quickly, though, and offers both sweet and toasted versions. A little honey and vanilla sneak in, as well. Much like with the smell, the flavors balance nicely. However, it does offer a zesty astringency to let you know it is from the west coast.

Drinkability: When I bought it I was expecting a west coast pale ale. After taking a couple whiffs, I was expecting it to taste much more like a British pale ale. However, it seems to be a nice hybrid.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2012 04:40:51 | More by TheQuietMan22

Mbpike

Arkansas

2.25/5  rDev -33.8%

06-14-2013 17:07:23 | More by Mbpike

JSchock7

Kansas

3.25/5  rDev -4.4%

06-12-2013 07:04:18 | More by JSchock7

Axnjxn

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into a tulip. No bottling date apparent

Pours a copper color with a half inch thick white head. Mild malts on the nose, typical of the style. Taste is also quite typical with a mild malt tone followed by a tad of hops on the finish. It's nothing to write home about. Easy drinking, medium bodied with medium carbonation.

Overall a very average pale ale that is what you expect it to be. It's quite average but also, having said that, isn't bad. If you're in the mood for a typical tasting APA then this will do the trick.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2013 21:12:38 | More by Axnjxn

swaghawk

Kansas

3/5  rDev -11.8%

06-01-2013 21:14:52 | More by swaghawk

Giggy

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +10.3%

05-31-2013 23:18:58 | More by Giggy

JMScowcroft

Vermont

3.11/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Mendocino Brewing Company - Blue Heron Pale Ale

Snagged one of these and another Mendocino brew from a buddy, not what I would call quality brews, reminds me of some of the low-end breweries we have up in a few of the corners in Vermont. Decent beer, but not good by any stretch of the imagination.

Look - Pours a slightly hazy pale golden with a small soapy head that leaves some nice sticky lacing. Minimal carbonation.

Smell - Faint citrus with sour yeast tang prevalent. Very light, almost non-existent aroma.

Taste - Huh?? Bland carbonated yeast with a hint of citrus hops rolls in but is then overridden by a bitter metallic taste.

Mouthfeel - Rests quite bitter but isn't all that awful. Some stickiness, no booziness, pretty drinkable, light bodied.

Overall - I was not impressed with this brew, very simplistic and plain, I did not get the sense that a brewer's love was put into this beer, it just seemed shallow to me.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2013 19:50:07 | More by JMScowcroft

da_beers

New Jersey

3.06/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Friend brought this over. Decided to give it a shot before we drank something real...

A - Light golden straw, with slight haze. Only one finger of white, bubbly head that dissipated almost instantly.

S - Wow, almost no smell to speak of! Extremely faint citrus and yeast. Let down here.

T - Mendocino... Really? The label says "award winning", maybe for the most non-descript, uninspiring pale ale out there. Faint citrus, no hops, metallic bitterness.

M - Only redeeming quality is its slight stickyness. Low carbonation.

O - Average if that. Just disappointing. Would not recommend.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 14:36:10 | More by da_beers

WDJersey

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +10.3%

05-26-2013 01:35:17 | More by WDJersey

Hendry

Vermont

3.76/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Blue Heron pours an apricot hue with a slight soapy 1 finger head upon an aggressive pour. Respectable lacing.

Aroma is sweet malt with a touch of apricots. This smells like apricot infused bread, with a touch of basement mustiness to it.

Flavors are sweet malt and tart apricots, nothing spectacular, but exceedingly average. Aftertaste is slightly bitter and the malty sweetness rests atop the palate like an unwelcome houseguest.

Mouthfeel is medium,aggresive carbonation but not overdone.

Overall, this was just okay, but I was able to sample this with minimal outlay as I was grabbing the six pack as a favor to a buddy that wanted a trip-down-memory-lane ale that he used to enjoy in SoCal. Also served to remind both of us how great Vermont beer can be, and how lucky we are to have regular access .

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 05:41:18 | More by Hendry

jrohrbacher

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev +2.9%

05-20-2013 01:48:46 | More by jrohrbacher

od_sf

California

3/5  rDev -11.8%

05-19-2013 22:04:04 | More by od_sf

mcaulifww

Virginia

3/5  rDev -11.8%

05-16-2013 14:45:33 | More by mcaulifww

Showboat66

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +17.6%

05-16-2013 02:01:56 | More by Showboat66

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -11.8%

05-15-2013 15:38:46 | More by twenty5

VariableStar

New York

3/5  rDev -11.8%

05-12-2013 00:25:02 | More by VariableStar

Artjsantos

Ohio

2.75/5  rDev -19.1%

05-10-2013 16:16:18 | More by Artjsantos

jheezee

Texas

3.5/5  rDev +2.9%

05-09-2013 21:39:28 | More by jheezee

2beerdogs

California

3.5/5  rDev +2.9%

04-29-2013 05:42:21 | More by 2beerdogs

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -11.8%

04-25-2013 20:34:36 | More by RedneckBeerz

Whiskeydeez

Kansas

3/5  rDev -11.8%

04-25-2013 14:17:13 | More by Whiskeydeez

AlphaKingKegger

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -4.4%

04-19-2013 05:07:33 | More by AlphaKingKegger

Minkybut

Virginia

3.18/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

I poured this surprising beer into my tumbler at 45 degrees. The beer was pale as expected and poured a really nice thick creamy head. The beer had a slight hop smell and a slight hop taste. The beer was a little dry on the finish but not too bad. I would certainly buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 13:50:25 | More by Minkybut

Drock325

Missouri

3/5  rDev -11.8%

04-12-2013 04:50:07 | More by Drock325

spycow

Illinois

3/5  rDev -11.8%

04-12-2013 04:49:50 | More by spycow