24th Street Pale Ale - Strand Brewing Co.

kojevergas

California

2.98/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

Picked this up at a local SoCal beer store recently for $4.99. Reviewed live. 1 pint .9 fl oz brown glass bottle with minimalist uninspired label and standard unbranded black pressure cap served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Expectations are average; I was very unimpressed with their IPA. 6.1% ABV confirmed. The label identifies it as a pale ale; that's what I'm reviewing it as. Unfiltered.

Served cold, straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a 7 finger head indicative of potential overcarbonation. It's beige in colour, with a good soft frothy consistency, good thickness, and rather good (~6+ minute) retention. Light thin even lacing clings to the sides of the glass as the head recedes. Body colour is a clear translucent copper. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show.

Sm: Nicely citrusy, with a balanced blend of lemon, grapefruit, and even some orange. Grapefruit - while a bit bitter - isn't too dominant here as in many pale ales that use the hops that trigger that flavour. Good floral aromatics lend it some added complexity. Pale malts. A bit grassy. Lightly juicy up front but that gives way, letting the floral character take over. I don't get any yeast character or alcohol here. Not at all soapy. A mild strength aroma all around, and an inviting one for a pale ale. It's fairly hoppy, but it's not pushing any limits. A pleasant aroma for the style. I'm looking forward to trying it.

T: Biting bitter grapefruit citrus fruit ester zest hop character is dominant here. Lightly grassy pale malts form the foundation. There's some floral hop character too, but the hop bitterness from the grapefruit notes clobbers your palate too much for anything else to really come through. It's rather imbalanced as a result. Feels like an amateur attempt to make a really hoppy pale ale for no apparent reason. Imbalanced and unpleasant to drink for the style. None of the balance or complexity of the aroma is present here. Built okay, but lackluster and underwhelming overall. No yeast character or alcohol comes through.

Mf: Good coarseness. Nicely wet. Overcarbonated. Poor presence on the palate. Too thick for a pale ale. Unrefreshing. Needs work. I'd prefer a juicy refreshing oily feel, but this tries so hard to be an IPA in pale ale form that it really falls short of the style.

Dr: Pricey for the lack of quality. It's one of the most imbalanced pale ales I've had in months. Another disappointment from Strand, but I do like it more than their IPA. I wouldn't get this again; they really need to tame that hop bitterness. It's too bitter even by IPA standards, let alone pale ale standards. Drinkable but underwhelming. Still, many will like it.

High C

Drink fresh and cold. Drinks fine out of a conical pint glass.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 05:15:43 | More by kojevergas

UCLABrewN84

California

3.55/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Boneyard Bistro in Sherman Oaks, CA.

Pours a slightly hazy light orange with a beige head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Random chunks of lace form on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of citrus zest and citrus fruits. Taste is also of the citrus zest and citrus fruit with a slight malt backbone. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp and prickly mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but nothing too remarkable.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2012 07:36:50 | More by UCLABrewN84

FosterJM

California

3.83/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

715th Review on BA
Draft to 16oz pint
Eureka! Burger Claremont

App-  A darker orange for a pale.  One finger head with a nice couple lines of cling and a few pond bubbles on the edge

Smell-  Nice balanced aromas.  A bit citrusy and hoppy.  A slight tinge of malt on the back.  

Taste-  A bit malty for a smaller pale ale but balanced with a nice bitter hoppy/citrus.

Mouth-  Medium bodied and medium carbonated.  Leaves a nice bitter malt flavor

Drink-  A nice pale ale.  Malt forward and balanced.  Always good to find local craft.

Serving type: on-tap

08-14-2011 22:02:41 | More by FosterJM

tpop

Arizona

3.95/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Lucky Dog Cafe in Torrance, CA.

Heard good things about it and was happy to have the chance to try it on tap.

Great example of an American APA. Nice copper color, lightly carbonated and has a real nice nose. A little spicy, a little floral -- greatly balanced.

Balance proves true in taste and mouthfeel....and excellent APA all around.

Serving type: on-tap

07-11-2011 04:24:11 | More by tpop

farlieonfootie

Florida

4.08/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

24th Street pours a murky, reddish brown with a one fingered, white head that lingers and leaves behind a thick film. I get strong hops on the nose.

It tastes first of citrus -- I'm tasting grapefruit, just like back home in Florida -- and then mellow west coast hops that linger on the tongue. It's not overwhelmingly bitter, just nicely so. The beer is relatively low in carbonation, and easy to drink. I'll take another, please.

Serving type: on-tap

05-21-2011 14:28:37 | More by farlieonfootie

dbmernin83

California

4.45/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours amber with a nice sticky off-white head.
Strong grapefruit hops with a bready, malty sweet back
This is fantastic. One of, if not the most well-balanced APAs especially west of the Mississippi. Great hop front with enough malt. Smooth, but extremely flavourful. Sierra Nevada look out, I hear they're gonna start bottling soon.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2011 01:15:27 | More by dbmernin83

LBBeer

California

3.83/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On tap at The Factory Gastrobar in Long Beach, CA.

I have had this beer more than a dozen different times in the year that Strand Brewing has been with us, and its current form is excellent.

A-A very rich copper color with a 1" amber hued froth. I really like the look of this brew.

S-I get a hint of caramel right away before its overtaken by floral hops.

T-On one hand I want to brag on the big hop flavors that build as you work your way through a pint, but I would really prefer a pale ale to maintain some malt character throughout.

M-To me its a little thin to carry around this level of hops.

D-As previously mentioned this builds on the pallet, even more than some IPA and DIPAs, but in a pinch its sessionable.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2011 01:20:49 | More by LBBeer

beagle75

Iowa

4.3/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Cask service via hand-pump into a nonic imperial pint glass at Beachwood BBQ. According to the menu it is hopped with amarillo and cascade hops in the cask.

A: Hazy, rich golden color with over two fingers of white foam head that persists to the end. Light lacing remains on the glass.

S: Abundant juicy grapefruit citrus backed by toasted malt and faint esters. The character of the amarillo hop cultivar is expressed with remarkable clarity.

T: Begins off-dry, with pungent hop aromatics tasting of pine and grapefruit peel. Grainy toast emerges in the middle, but the transition is slightly clumsy due to fluctuating astringency. Finishes with more bitter grapefruit peel and lingering zesty herbal spice.

M: Medium viscosity, rich hop resins leave a gummy residue on the palate, with scant carbonation.

D: True to the form set by the draft version of this beer, the cask service comes across as appropriately rustic.

Serving type: cask

02-06-2011 05:51:41 | More by beagle75

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.2/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at the Village Idiot in LA, since I had never heard of this before, I passed on getting a Pliny. . . I wasn't disappointed, glad to tick this.

Standard pale ale copper appearance with good clarity. Aroma, flowery hops, this is definitely some fresh stuff, straightforward.

More hops, not over the top ipa masquerading as a pale, just the right amount, paired nicely with our bacon like appetizer and the beef and potato pie. Just a slight amount of caramel feel to it, kept it from getting too malty, nice. A very good pale ale, right up there against all the elite top tier stuff (SNPA, Half Acre, Lagunitas).

Serving type: on-tap

01-16-2011 18:57:32 | More by Beerandraiderfan

pigdog

California

4.75/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

on tap at Father's Office II

a-light amber color, nice frothy white head and lacing

s-pronounced pine, subtle citrus, clean hoppiness

t-absolutely amazing. Very balanced mix of caramel malts, pine, orange and grapefruit with a perfect amount of hoppiness.

m-smooth. Very clean and refreshing with just the right amount of carbonation and bitterness.

d-near perfect. This pale ale really surprised me with it's flavor profile and full hops, yet was undeniably smooth. One of the most sessionable beers I've ever had.

overall-taste is amazing, drinkability is on another level. Up and coming small brewery, moments away from home in the South Bay, what's not to like? Stoked.

Serving type: on-tap

08-15-2010 05:31:21 | More by pigdog

DoubleJ

California

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My first taste of this new Torrance-based brewery, from the taps of Beachwood BBQ. On to the beer:

It's a copper colored beer, giving out some good lacing in the glass and retening its head well. It's on the hoppy side for a pale ale; you can really taste and smell those cones. There's only a little bit of the malt showing, giving sweet carmel notes, and the hops giving a little citrus and much more pine. Fairly clean overall. Would I go on this ride again? You bet.

Serving type: on-tap

07-04-2010 23:13:07 | More by DoubleJ

gregmoscetti

California

4.97/5  rDev +27.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I will be the first to admit that my rating is style specific. I almost never have a basic pale that is truly impressive. Is this the best beer I have ever had, no.... Is this the best Pale Ale...? pretty much.

I have always been between Dales Pale and Drakes 1500 as my two favorite pales. Strands 24th street pale combines the body of 1500 with the hop character of fresh dales. the result is amazing. Full bodied, thick, sessionable and with a hop punch specific to california. All in all, I would call this the best pale I have had. Are 1500, dales or daisy cutter far off? no. but what a league for this small little brewery to already be playing (and winning) in.

Serving type: on-tap

06-20-2010 08:02:44 | More by gregmoscetti

womencantsail

California

4.43/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Finally able to input my notes on this one.

On-tap at Naja's

A: The pour is a light amber color with a fluffy white head on top. Some streaks of lacing along the glass.

S: A really bright and fresh hop character to the nose. Plenty of floral and piney hops with a hint of citrus in there as well. Really crisp, too.

T: The flavor does not disappoint either. The pine provides a really nice bitterness to the beer without being overwhelming. A nice citrus component as well with just the slightest bit of bready malt in the background.

M: The body is medium with a moderate carbonation and a very crisp and refreshing finish. The bitterness lingers a bit on the tongue.

D: This is just a fantastic pale ale. It's a shame that I don't see it more often, because I would definitely order a glass.

Serving type: on-tap

05-27-2010 16:22:07 | More by womencantsail

Halcyondays

California

4.33/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Beachwood BBQ,

A: Pours a light amber with a frothy white head, good retention and lace.

S: Very pronounced. Actually reminded me of Majaraja at first with a heavy pine, almost wet hop feel. Fragrant and full.

T: There is still great hop flavour in this, but is understated as opposed to the nose, that's not a bad thing, it's going back to being a pale ale. This is a pale ale it's not an IPA. Light bready/amber malt stays in the background allowing the mix of pine, cedar, cantaloupe and orange hop flavour to shine. Reminds me a lot of Anchor Liberty here. Big hop nose, but balanced and very tasty on the palate without being a hop bomb.

M: Solid, smooth, medium-bodied, I like where this is going.

D: This is a fantastic APA out of a brewery founded in the town my birth - Torrance. Can't wait to see what they do next. Very impressive.

Serving type: on-tap

04-03-2010 22:36:00 | More by Halcyondays

vacax

California

4.5/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On-tap at The Factory Gastrobar in Long Beach. Second time I had the brew actually, the first time I had it was at Beachwood BBQ and that is when I submitted Strand Brewing Co. as a location. So here we go the first review of the first Strand beer on the site.

24th Street Pale pours a copper or light amber color with a decent sized off-whitish head that displayed suitable retention and lacing. The aroma was of floral hops, light caramel malts, and piney bittering. The smell is good, but the beer itself is not quite defined by the nose. The first taste reveals a deep, delicious flavor profile that is fully hoppy and balanced without being malty. Lots of pine and fruity-peachy hops. Full bitterness on the midpalate, but quite balanced without detracting from the hop character--this follows through on the finish.

The body is expectedly medium for a pale ale, with a high level of hop adoring prickly carbonation that is somehow still a little bit dense and creamy with the bubbles. This is a great pale ale. I'm looking forward to what else Strand has to offer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2010 20:38:21 | More by vacax