LA-31 Bière Pâle - Bayou Teche Brewery

megahurts4

Louisiana

3.95/5  rDev +11.6%
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

Beerbuddha

Louisiana

4/5  rDev +13%
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

drpimento

Wisconsin

2.38/5  rDev -32.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Had another of this breweries' beers a couple of hours ago at a local bar and it was decent. So, I had high hopes for this one. Let down. However, I did get it at a quick mart, so can't expect too much. Poured with decent white head and some lace. Color is a clear amber. Flavor is light struck and a bit skunky. Hops taste a bit stale too. And maybe oxidized - wet paper. Body is ok and so is carbonation. Finish is like flavor. Wont' finish the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2010 02:06:53 | More by drpimento

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.35/5  rDev +22.9%
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

brewdoc75

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +11.6%
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

KrisPaulk77

Mississippi

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured the beer into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass. Got both the beer and the glass at Philippe's in Lafayette.
The beer poured a nice golden amber with a moderate head of off-white foam. The head didn't linger for any real length of time, and no foam cap or lacing noted.
The aroma pleases from the first sniff, with a light burst of pine, a whisp of citrus, sweet, earthy malts, a nutty aroma, and a touch of fruity esters. The aroma isn't big, powerful and overwhelming, but pleasing and subtle.
The taste leads with a charge of bitterness, braced with malt sweetness. The bitterness lingers on the finish for quite a while and ends quite dry.
The beers has a nice fullness to the mouthfeel and the carbonations suits the style.
A good first offering from this new brewery. I'll definitely be watching out for future offerings from Bayou Teche.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2010 02:36:33 | More by KrisPaulk77

Vengeance526

Louisiana

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a copperish orange color with a very small white head that leaves no lacing.

Smells of sweet malt with light traces of pine and grass.

Again a good bit of sweet malt shows up in the taste along with a touch of pine. Toward the middle, some wood and caramel come out with a little more hoppiness than initially present. Finish is slightly spicy and fruity. Overall I'd say it was slightly more on the malty side but still a nice hop presence throughout.

Medium body with a smooth mouthfeel. Great for a hot day and a nice complement to spicy food. Given the price and drinkability, this could make for a great staple beer in my rotation.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 01:44:24 | More by Vengeance526

philipquarles

Louisiana

3.33/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Having just left a rather muddy Jazz Fest, it seemed appropriate to drink a native Louisianian beer. This seemed perfect.

Poured a less-pale-than-you-would think gold with a tall, value-killing head. Smelled like smoke. Oh wait--that was the bar. It actually had a pleasant aroma that was mostly malt. Some light grassy hops were there, but muted. On the sweet side. Taking a sip confirmed my suspicions--this stuff is mostly malty. What Garrett Oliver calls 'balance' must be the sweetness that lingers after a swig. It's not bad, but it's not what I'm looking for with this style of beer. I'm no hop-head, but I expect pale ale to be fairly dry and with hop taste and aroma; this was lacking. Oh well.

Serving type: on-tap

04-30-2010 21:01:07 | More by philipquarles

theghost3

Louisiana

4.22/5  rDev +19.2%
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

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4.15/5  rDev +17.2%
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

NewGeneric

California

3.93/5  rDev +11%
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

jizdepski

Louisiana

4.15/5  rDev +17.2%
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

Mora2000

Texas

3.53/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Americanbrew for sharing this beer.

The beer pours a clear orange color with a white head. The aroma is grassy and spicy hops as well as straw. The flavor is grassy, spicy hops with some apple and wheat. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Not a bad beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2010 04:36:59 | More by Mora2000

MrHassellYaHurd

Louisiana

4.3/5  rDev +21.5%
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

msubulldog25

Oregon

4.22/5  rDev +19.2%
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