LA-31 Bière Pâle - Bayou Teche Brewery

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.35/5  rDev +23.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bayou Teche LA-31 Biere Pale has a medium, off-white head and a very clear, sparkling amber color. Aroma is of bread, hops, yeast and has a pronounced citrus aspect. Taste is very good and full. There is a strong orange or marmalade flavor here. The bitter hops level is enjoyable. Mouth-feel is moderate, as is the carbonation level. This beer finishes wet. Overall, this is a very good beer, and I highly recommend it.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2010 20:46:01 | More by RonaldTheriot

MrHassellYaHurd

Louisiana

4.3/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a perfect copper color with yellow-orange highlights. A thick white head settles quickly into a thin white cap and eventually disappears, save for some lace along the glass.

The smell is of sweet caramel, slightly roasted malt, and a subdued pine and citrus hop note as well.

The hops come through big in the taste, and are much more pronounced than the nose would suggest. The pleasant hop bitterness and the roasty character of the malt interact in such a way that lends this particular beer to easy drinking. The medium body, perfectly appropriate level of carbonation, and smooth mouthfeel are very pleasant as well.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2010 03:09:16 | More by MrHassellYaHurd

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A-medium amber with a nice creamy tan head. great lacing

S-passion fruit, guava, grapefruit. smells great, but not strong enough. but wow its tasty smelling

T-comes in with a beautifully bitter tropical fruit flavor.its a good quality taste but doesn't last too long before heading in to a hoppy/grainy after-taste that reminds me of a pilsner. its really tasty.

M-medium carbonation with a good crisp finish

O-well this is probably one of the best APAs i've ever had. its so hoppy that it borderlines a full IPA. the tastes all mesh together so well. i could drink this all night long. this needs to be everywhere! this is very well put together. find this, and buy this!

Serving type: on-tap

08-04-2011 23:14:13 | More by AdamBear

msubulldog25

Oregon

4.22/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Found: fresh 6-packs of this new brewery's first offering on shelves at the Winn-Dixie on my most recent visit to Slidell, LA. A nice surprise to end what seemed to be the longest week of my life. We cracked open a couple bottles to go with a pile of boiled crawfish my brother and I split last Friday, 9 April. Brought the rest back to Portland with me.

I noted that one side label shows that LA-31 is currently being brewed/bottled for Bayou Teche Brewing by the good folks at Lazy Magnolia Brewing in Kiln, MS.

'BEER DRINKERS PARADISE' reads the opposite side of the label.

A: Auburn pour with the finest haze, just shy of being 'crystal clear'. Good carbonation, not overly abundant - a few pseudo-streams, but mostly individual bubbles rising with purpose. Crowned by a 1-finger tuft of white foam that fades kinda quickly, but leaves fine cobwebbing lace ribbons and a lasting ring and thin film.

S: Lovely aroma of biscuit/bread. Toasty malt, bakery fresh. Brief whiffs of flowery and herbal-sweet honey, with a hard-to-place 'Belgian' spicing. Could be a bit stronger (it grows bolder as it warms, though then veers more sharply toward the sweeter path).

T: Malts (crystal) hit hard but with a wonderfully evolving sweetness, herbal and indistinctly fruity. Caramel and a roasted nuttiness try to take over but are held off by a generous hoppiness, one that's plenty spicy and dries in the finish. Flavors are bold and seem to evolve from mouthful to mouthful - among the more assertive Pales I've had in a while.

M: A richer body than expected, medium or above for a style that sometimes can seem thin. This has a denser texture, 'chewy' even. The grain and bitter-finishing hops set squarely in the middle of the tongue, a little malt stickiness hangs at the corners. Crisp feel to start each sip, then a silkier coating.

D: Very good by itself, but outstanding with a spicy dish like those crawfish. Excellent balance and full flavor help this stand up quite well to some heat. ABV isn't advertised on the packaging (nor could I find it on the website), but my best guess is: 5-5.5%; regardless, I found LA-31 to be exceedingly drinkable - craveable, even. Yeah you right, Bayou Teche!

(PS Cheers always, Mom...)

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2010 07:25:04 | More by msubulldog25

theghost3

Louisiana

4.22/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a translucent orange/copper with a 1-finger white head. Minimal layered lacing.

Smell is subdued--roasted caramel malts with hints of grassy & citrusy hops. The hops become more prevalent in the taste. There are piney and grassy hops, some spiciness along with woody malts. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated.

This is a very drinkable APA with nice grassy hop flavor. Great after a hot day. I look forward to future solid efforts from Bayou Teche.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2010 03:45:20 | More by theghost3

jizdepski

Louisiana

4.15/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

been looking forward to trying this one for a while. always nice to see more local craft beer offerings on the shelves. i chilled the bottle to about 50 degrees or so then poured into a pint at room temperature. looks on the golden side of copper...plenty of clarity and a nice white collar. getting nice webby lacing, with little retention. really like how it looks. smells are malty and honey sweet, not a lot of hops but they are there. up front im tasting a malty and bready brew that gives way nicely to a hoppier finish. kind of a grapefruity bitterness at the end, which is fairly dry. i felt the flavors gained more character the warmer the beer became...one thing i really like here is the feel of the body, its a little bit heavier than most apa's, and the carbonation is very delicate; it really does go down wonderfully smooth. drinkability for this one is just about as good as can be. overall this is a very nice pale and much better than i expected or hoped. its not as hoppy as many of the other apas around. does however have a very nice balance of flavors, not overly malty or hoppy, and the nice bittersweet dry finish was very pleasant. looking forward to more from bayou teche for sure.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2010 19:05:58 | More by jizdepski

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4.15/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This really surprised me. Not that a new brewer can't have a good first brew, but that it was REALLY good out the gates...

Clear copper on the pour, carbonation is minimal, but thats ok, cuz I threw it into my glass and got a good fingers of foamy white head. lacing is good.

Smells like rich malts, a touch of caramel, and aromatic pine oils in the finish.

Good malt character, has a hint of sweetness, but its balanced out well with some nice finishing hops.

Definitely a bit more heavy that a typical pale, but no complaints here!

All day long on the drink. I can't wait to taste their upcoming cherry wheat, and their hinted at Porter!

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2010 23:32:11 | More by EgadBananas

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

another night of epic tastings before i have to take a forced long break. i decided to go with six more new beers last night and had a really fun time with them. served in pint glass and consumed on 11/05/2010.

the pour with a nice medium amber color with a good sized head of what that came up and over the top of the glass and left some nice lacing all over.

aroma of deep citrus hops, loads of rich malts balancing it out quite nicely with a smooth and even profile that was a nice, welcome way to start the evening. crisp and clean taste again with hops right up from that start off with a nice bite and move to a buttery mid palate that seems to give a bit of a fullness. clean and lightly dry finish seals it off quite nicely.

overall a really solid offering here and something i would have no issue in going back to at all.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2010 14:15:37 | More by mikesgroove

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.08/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A surprise pickup in Alexandria, LA as I have not heard of this brewery. By the label, it looks like it is currently being brewed under contract by the folks at Lazy Magnolia. 12 oz bottle pours a clear, dark gold/light amber color with a fine-bubbled beige foam. An aggressive pour yields 2-fingers worth of head. Retention is average at best and the lacing is adequate.

Nose is very grainy, and lightly caramel. Hops are moderate with some grassy notes, but this ones falls on the malty end of the spectrum as far as aroma goes.

Sweet, honey drizzled malts and some light toast on the taste. Earthy compared to many of the bright, citrusy versions of the style. Sneaky hop bitterness and decent flavor creep up unsuspecting, like 'Whoa, where did those cones come from, man?' Seems sweet at first, but as you drink more it feels quite balanced. The fresh taste of the beer is really nice, tastes like the grains were crushed yesterday. Pretty good APA, that manages to make a unique imprint...I like it.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2010 20:05:34 | More by twiggamortis420

Beerbuddha

Louisiana

4/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this one on draft at Avenue Pub.

Appearance: The beer was a nice golden orange with nice white head. Lacing present throughout and creates nice webbing.

Smell: Nice pungent hop aroma with hints of citrus.

Taste: Nicely balanced pale ale. Has a wonderful hop kick which is balanced nicely with the malty sweetness. The hops provide a nice citrus flavor. I could drink this all day.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium carbonation.

Overall: This is a very well done pale ale. I originally had a bad experience with this beer in the bottle but on draft it was very drinkable and what one should expect with a pale ale. With this company Louisiana is slowly becoming a serious contender for great breweries in the South.

Serving type: on-tap

06-05-2010 18:44:41 | More by Beerbuddha

tigg924

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass

Appearance: moderate carbonation, minimal head, orange/brown in color, hazy

Smell: honey, caramel, and light citrus hops

Taste: complex mix of honey and caramel, there is also slight citrus and a woodsy hop

Mouthfeel: sweet with a bitter backbone, high carbonation, medium body

Overall: A good pale ale. I like the caramel and woody combo. I could probably do four of these at a time. One of the nicer pale ales I have had in some time.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2011 16:10:29 | More by tigg924

brewdoc75

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked this one up at one of the shops just off Bourbon St. So far, my NOLA trip hasn't been fabulous in the beer department, so I needed a pick me up. This beer pleasantly surprised me.

A: Golden caramel with amber hues. Solid, white head sits on top. Good carbonation for the style.

S: Nice caramel malts and a hint of toffee in the nose. Maybe just a hint of biscut. The hops are floral and slightly citrusy. Very pleasant aroma, but nothing that stands out substantially.

T: Classic APA flavors here. Beautiful balance of caramel malts and citrusy hops. Maybe eve a touch of resiny pine as well. The malts play well with this brew with a good amount of caramel and toffee, and just a touch of breadiness. Well balanced and flavorful.

M: Light/medium bodied. More creamy than crisp. Finishes pretty well, but maybe a touch too sticky.

D: All in all a damn fine APA. Definitely not the best, but it does stand out in front of those average ones. A pleasant surprise on my NOLA trip. Now, if I could just track down some NOLA brewing company beers, my trip would be complete.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2010 21:18:42 | More by brewdoc75

megahurts4

Louisiana

3.95/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bayou Teche LA-31 Bière Pâle (Biere Pale)

Appearance: Amber-orange, small head, and a little lacing.

Smell: Malts, hops, and satsuma citrus.

Taste: Satsuma, flavorful hops, and malts.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light and smooth.

Overall:
Lots of flavor. It is very pleasing with a bitter finish.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2010 00:20:58 | More by megahurts4

NewGeneric

California

3.93/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Pours a bronze color that fades to a light golden around the edges. Fair amount of foam fades medium-fast leaving lacing all around.

S: Smells pretty grassy with a touch of malt supporting the hops.

T: Tastes pretty grassy with some hints of pine and spicy hops. Interesting malt background complements the hops very nicely.

M: Smooth and creamy. Perfect bitterness and carbonation. Exceptional.

D: Good beer for hot New Orleans. Can drink it during the summer or during the cooled down "winter."

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2010 22:29:59 | More by NewGeneric

bmwats

Louisiana

3.93/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a standard pint.

A: Moderately heavy carbonation. Very dark golden or very light amber hue. Pours about a 1 finger, foamy, off-white head. Settles fairly slowly. No real lacing to speak of.

S: The nose is like a fresh baked French bread. Smart with yeast and malt. You've got a nice smell of molasses, a touch of fresh raspberry, a little spice (thyme, bay, clove I'd say). Has a bit of a floral and woody tone to it.

T: Baked bread goodness. Nice sharp, punchy hop notes. Very slight sweetness. A certain woody and pungent non-specific fruit and spice profile.

M: Light but has almost a syrupy texture. Hop bite hits up front and lingers throughout. Not overly sharp, but something about the combination of Italian style spices in there really puckers the palette.

D: Sip and enjoy or power down and move on. Nose and flavor is enough to make you want to savor, but you can make your away through it and go back for another round easily enough.

Atmosphere is pretty nice. Appearance is nothing special, but is does have a rich hue, and decent enough head. Nose is great. Baked bread is accented with molasses, fruit, and spice characteristics.... and is done well. Flavor has that same baked bread base, nicely combined with the same things you detect in the nose. Tastes like it smells. Great body. Overall, this is a really good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 01:05:58 | More by bmwats

brentk56

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: An impressive arrival, with a two-fingered head squatted on the amber liquid; delivered copious amounts of lace on the way down

Smell: Graham cracker malt, with nuts, stone fruit and earthy hops

Taste: Graham cracker malt, up front, with the fruits, nuts and herbal hops building in the middle; well-balanced, after the swallow and in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Nothing spectacular and, for a new "style" it could have more of a Belgian character; still the malt flavors were intriguing and while there is not that much of a hop profile, the beer was very well-balanced

Serving type: on-tap

03-18-2013 01:23:29 | More by brentk56

portia99

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle (dated 12/13/10...presumably a freshness date) generously shared by nonstick. Poured into a Bruery tulip.

A - Pours a hazed orangish amber color with lots of particulates floating throughout. A finger of fluffy just off-white head lingers briefly and falls to a thick foamy collar and a skim coat on the surface. Some fine lacing left on the glass.

S - Very fruity and estery...a bit on the berryish side...also some soapy character too. A fair amount of grassy hops and lots of bready goodness for a malt base. Overall gives a slightly sweet impression. Despite this, I'd still say this favors the hops in the balance department.

T - Bready base with a healthy toasted malt component. Toasty is the main descriptor here with just a touch of dark roasted/coffee-ish flavor, although the color doesn't indicate the presene of any heavily kilned malts. Hops are mostly fruity and a bit earthy. Lots of yeast derived esters enhance the fruitiness in the flavor. Bitterness is middle of the road, but probably considered a bit on the high side for an APA. Nothing mind blowing, but definitely a solid example of a pale ale.

M - A solid medium on the body scale with a lively carbonation. Prickly and fizzy on the tongue...I'd call it a soda-like carbonation - a bit on the foamy side. Toasty and roasty flavors and hop bitterness lingers forever into the aftertaste and works pretty well here.

D - A very nice local (well..not for me) pale ale. Pretty well balanced...good variety of hop, malt and fermentation derived flavors that work in harmony pretty well. Not something to go crazy finding, but if this one was placed on my table all night, I'd be fine with it.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2010 00:23:59 | More by portia99

ubenumber2

Arkansas

3.88/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This is my go to beer at the casino we stay at in Tunica. Its an all around good beer to drink while playing cards and far superior to bud or miller products usually peddled at the casinos. Lots of flavor and the smell is really good. I recommend this beer if you can get a chance to get your hands on it , great beer to introduce your bud light buddies to the world of better beer IMO

Serving type: on-tap

09-07-2012 15:25:08 | More by ubenumber2

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bayou Teche LA-31

Appearance: Mainly clear gold-amber body with an orange cast to the full pint. Creamy, short head of off-white foam.

Aroma: Malty, nutty, earthy, gently herbal, lightly fruity. What hops are there are more spicy, minty, and herbal than anything else; and the fruitiness is clearly from the yeast.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a median carbonation level.

Flavor: Solidly bitter right up front, supported by gently sweetish, straw-like and grainy malt with a hint of caramel and butterscotch. Perhaps a touch over-done. Some of the spicy hops sneak in, and a surprising fruitiness arises with a hint of citrus to it. The bitterness softens a bit as it warms across the middle, and it finishes in-balance with a lingering bitterness.

Overall: Interesting beer. Unique. Belgian-style but not quite... it has an American edge of un-refinement to it. Bold. Brash. Bitter. Worth trying.

Serving type: on-tap

05-04-2012 14:50:58 | More by NeroFiddled

wcudwight

North Carolina

3.78/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Abit darker than most pales. More of a crystal clear light amber color. Nice sticky head with good retention.
Unusual aroma but I like it. From the aroma it seems this beer is more spicy/earthy and less citrus/piney.
More citrus in the flavor than the nose but it's still leans heavily toward a more spicy, even grassy hop flavor. Very well balanced and went down very easily. I'm not quite sure what to think of this beer. It's a bit different for a pale ale but I have no quams about style issues. The main thing is it's delish and I wouldn't hesitate to have another.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2010 04:30:06 | More by wcudwight

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured on-tap at Beer Fest on Bourbon Street in NOLA. The beer was poured in an oversized tumbler, and it was a hazy, pale yellow-gold coloring with a foamy, thin, white head. The nose is heavy with grapefruit and hops. Floral flavors initially, quickly followed by bitter green hops. The beer has a surprisingly light body for all the character in the nose and taste. It does leave a decent lacing along the glass, and the robust flavors accumulate while you drink, making this a tough one to drink large quantities of in one sitting. There is a floral aftertaste, with a wilting finish. Tasty beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-01-2011 01:50:38 | More by GarthDanielson

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass.

A - Pours a traditional copper with some slight orange hues. There is a nice 1 inch head that forms and sticks around for a while.

S - Aroma is slightly grassy and herbal and with some mild citrus. Definitely typical APA. There is also a nice supporting malt backbone. Biscuity, toasty and bready.

T & M - Flavor starts off with a more subdued hop character. There is more of a malty presence. The hops come back on the back end a give a nice citrusy punch with some slight pineapple and mango hints as well. The finish is dry, bitter and slightly fruity.

O - Good pale with a nice balance. Good flavors and mouthfeel.

Serving type: on-tap

08-22-2011 20:47:41 | More by JoEBoBpr

Wasatch

Utah

3.73/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks goes out to injuredreserve for this beer.

Pours a clean/clear golden amber color, nice carbonation, little fizzy off-white head, with some minimal sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, with a little hop note. The taste is malty, hoppy, slightly sweet, with some caramel. Medium body, the finish is dry/bitter. Drinkable, not too bad of an APA.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2011 01:50:18 | More by Wasatch

Mojo

Alabama

3.71/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 ounce bottle -> Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass

This beers pours up a very clear medium glod with a nice one finger head, and plenty of lacing. The nose is pine, biscuit, resin, grasses, and citrus. Taste is fairly mild but pretty well balanced between malt and hops. Mouthfeel is nice with adequate carbonation. A decent beer if undistinguished.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2013 05:21:59 | More by Mojo

CampusCrew

Florida

3.7/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

appearance: golden with extremely high head with low head retention

smell: sublte hop aroma,

taste: light and refreshing, herbal with some decent hop flavor

mouthfeel: light bodied, way too much carbonation, jeez...

drinkability: great flavor belgian pale but its overcarbonated.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2011 18:54:55 | More by CampusCrew