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West Coast Pale Ale
Church-Key Brewing Company
- From:
- Church-Key Brewing Company
- Ontario, Canada
- Style:
- American Pale Ale
- ABV:
- 5%
- Score:
- 82
- Avg:
- 3.59 | pDev: 12.53%
- Reviews:
- 28
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jul 23, 2016
- Added:
- Aug 14, 2006
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 2
West Coast Pale Ale is our interpretation of a double hoppy American Pale Ale. Indian Pale Ales – IPA’s were first made as robust Ale for export from Britain by Ship to India dating from 1835, in order that the beer kept well additional hops (a natural preservative) were added to the brewing ingredients. American Pale Ale – APA ‘s date from the 1980s and generally use stronger fruitier hops. We mash using Canadian two row barley and brew with a very liberal helping of Chinook hops at beginning middle and end to create this youthful contemporary aromatic and bitter ale.
40-70 IBU
40-70 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)
3.76/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.76/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
341 mL bottle from a six-pack picked up at the LCBO; coded A061416:30 (I'm guessing January 6 2014 at 4:30 PM). Served slightly chilled.
This pale ale pours a lovely amber-blonde clour, clear as day and topped with one finger of frothy, off-white head. It recedes gradually over a period of minutes, leaving behind a soapy film on the surface, a generous collar around the edge, and a loose draping of lace on the glass. A beautiful-looking beer. The aroma ain't half-bad either, with notes of brown sugar, bready malts, lemony-pine notes and a touch of grapefruit.
It didn't take long for my palate to give this one a hearty thumbs-up. A sturdy backbone of pale, bready malts and caramel sweetness soon gives way to some citrusy grapefruit and resiny pine notes. The finish is pithy and bitter, with a lingering, astringent aftertaste. On the light side of medium-bodied, with middling carbonation levels appropriate for the style. Fairly refreshing, with a reasonably hoppy kick to it - definitely session-worthy.
Final Grade: 3.76, a B+. Church Key's West Coast Pale Ale is a very respectable APA - one that I'd have purchased months ago if I'd realized that earlier. There are too many other quality APAs available (in more convenient formats) for this to be a regular purchase for me, but I am more than willing to give kudos where it is warranted - this makes for an enjoyable glass, and one that I'd definitely recommend to those in the market for a mildly hoppy, balanced pale ale.
Apr 20, 2014This pale ale pours a lovely amber-blonde clour, clear as day and topped with one finger of frothy, off-white head. It recedes gradually over a period of minutes, leaving behind a soapy film on the surface, a generous collar around the edge, and a loose draping of lace on the glass. A beautiful-looking beer. The aroma ain't half-bad either, with notes of brown sugar, bready malts, lemony-pine notes and a touch of grapefruit.
It didn't take long for my palate to give this one a hearty thumbs-up. A sturdy backbone of pale, bready malts and caramel sweetness soon gives way to some citrusy grapefruit and resiny pine notes. The finish is pithy and bitter, with a lingering, astringent aftertaste. On the light side of medium-bodied, with middling carbonation levels appropriate for the style. Fairly refreshing, with a reasonably hoppy kick to it - definitely session-worthy.
Final Grade: 3.76, a B+. Church Key's West Coast Pale Ale is a very respectable APA - one that I'd have purchased months ago if I'd realized that earlier. There are too many other quality APAs available (in more convenient formats) for this to be a regular purchase for me, but I am more than willing to give kudos where it is warranted - this makes for an enjoyable glass, and one that I'd definitely recommend to those in the market for a mildly hoppy, balanced pale ale.
Reviewed by NV9 from Canada (ON)
3.42/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.42/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
very deep orange-gold colour with some head and retention.
Citrus smell immediately hits you, hops present in the nose as well.
Taste is similar to the smell, lots of hops and some citrus as well.
Medium in carbonation and body, it's a very drinkable IPA, but not a session beer.
Apr 18, 2013Citrus smell immediately hits you, hops present in the nose as well.
Taste is similar to the smell, lots of hops and some citrus as well.
Medium in carbonation and body, it's a very drinkable IPA, but not a session beer.
Reviewed by hopsolutely from Canada (ON)
3.7/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.7/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A pleasant surprise, on tap at the Manx Pub in Ottawa. A much hoppier batch than the last time I stopped at Church Key - 2009ish?
Colour is a bright and clear orange amber with impressive lacing from a limited head. Aroma is a mild and malt-forward with tropical fruit undertones. Well balanced flavour has a caramelized malt sweetness with a lingering bitter finish afterwards. Nice citrus and mango hop notes.
Very glad to have tried this beer again and would recommend others give it another shot!
May 19, 2012Colour is a bright and clear orange amber with impressive lacing from a limited head. Aroma is a mild and malt-forward with tropical fruit undertones. Well balanced flavour has a caramelized malt sweetness with a lingering bitter finish afterwards. Nice citrus and mango hop notes.
Very glad to have tried this beer again and would recommend others give it another shot!
Reviewed by spinrsx from Canada (ON)
3.38/5 rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.38/5 rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12oz Bottle from the LCBO for 2$
Appearance - Clear copper colour with a small size frothy off white coloured head. There is a low level of carbonation and there is some fair lacing. The head lasted for only a few minutes.
Smell - Malts, caramel, hops, grains, herbal/straw/grass
Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste hops, caramel, and malts. There is only a hint of grapefruit and lots of herbal/grainy/straw flavours. It ends with a grainy/malty aftertaste with a medium amount of lingering hop bitterness.
Overall - I wasn't a big fan of this one. It tasted way too much like home brew and was no where near an american IPA taste wise. If anything it was more of an English IPA. It does have some good bitterness from the hops, but it tastes like it was made with cheap ingredients.
May 18, 2012Appearance - Clear copper colour with a small size frothy off white coloured head. There is a low level of carbonation and there is some fair lacing. The head lasted for only a few minutes.
Smell - Malts, caramel, hops, grains, herbal/straw/grass
Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste hops, caramel, and malts. There is only a hint of grapefruit and lots of herbal/grainy/straw flavours. It ends with a grainy/malty aftertaste with a medium amount of lingering hop bitterness.
Overall - I wasn't a big fan of this one. It tasted way too much like home brew and was no where near an american IPA taste wise. If anything it was more of an English IPA. It does have some good bitterness from the hops, but it tastes like it was made with cheap ingredients.
Reviewed by bryehn from Canada (ON)
3.95/5 rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.95/5 rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Listed at 5% ABV on the bottle, no freshness dating or info at all, but I've liked what I've had from Church-Key so far.
Pours a clear golden-amber colour with a medium-sized tan head that's quite frothy and leaves a nice bit of lace before it settles as a collared film.
Very fresh smelling aroma of grains and floral hops. There's an earthy tone, a bright citrus bite and a honey-like sweetness to be found as well.
Fresh, toasted grains and a yeast-like flavour dominate the taste before a solid bitterness takes hold. Tangerine-like citrus pop on the tongue that lingers in the finish.
The mouthfeel is a bit thin with a moderate carbonation level. Slight creaminess and a nice oily character on the tongue. The aftertaste is bitter, bready and earthy.
Glad I took a chance on this instead of going with an old standby, it turned out to be a pleasant, unassuming beer that's a bit mild for the style, but very drinkable and refreshing.
Nov 09, 2011Pours a clear golden-amber colour with a medium-sized tan head that's quite frothy and leaves a nice bit of lace before it settles as a collared film.
Very fresh smelling aroma of grains and floral hops. There's an earthy tone, a bright citrus bite and a honey-like sweetness to be found as well.
Fresh, toasted grains and a yeast-like flavour dominate the taste before a solid bitterness takes hold. Tangerine-like citrus pop on the tongue that lingers in the finish.
The mouthfeel is a bit thin with a moderate carbonation level. Slight creaminess and a nice oily character on the tongue. The aftertaste is bitter, bready and earthy.
Glad I took a chance on this instead of going with an old standby, it turned out to be a pleasant, unassuming beer that's a bit mild for the style, but very drinkable and refreshing.
West Coast Pale Ale from Church-Key Brewing Company
Beer rating:
82 out of
100 with
43 ratings
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