Sweetwater Road Trip Ale - SweetWater Brewing Company

Jadjunk

Georgia

4.09/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4

"Road trips are carefree adventures that usually take unexpected twists, like when we crafted this beer. It started out as a pilsner recipe, but halfway through it blew a tire and ale yeast was put on as the spare. The result was so good, it never could have been planned!" Brewed in the style of a German Pilsner/Ale. Released as SweetWater's Spring/Summer Ale release.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a pint glass served north of º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a thick creamy white head with good retention over a slightly hazy golden yellow body. Lacing is thin and streaked. Carbonation is plentiful. Appearance is solid for the style. 4

(Smell) A clean pale malt base with a mild grassy hop character. No offensive adjunct aromas here. Mild aroma overall; the beer is not very potent but approachable and smells enjoyable. 3.5

(Taste) Tasty pilsener malt flavor is a key element to this beer. It's simple and enjoyable overall- clean, a touch tart, but with a sufficient body of flavor. Crisp, grassy hop bitterness on the end accents a mild dry finish. Highly quaffable, very enjoyable. 4.25

(Mouthfeel) Light carbonation, really ideal for the style. Texture is very mildly chewy with a touch of biscuit malt and a very mild dry finish. Body is a well-balanced with a subtle sweetness and moderate bitterness to pair, alcohol is well concealed. Ideal pairing, no notable texture or body flaws that I can find. 4.75

(Overall) Local pilsner beers are somewhat of a rarity these days and SweetWater proves that these deserve much more recognition than they receive. Amongst German Pilsners, this one has a lot of flavor and character and is one of my go-to beer choices for a light option during the spring months. 4

SweetWater Brewing Company's
Road Trip Ale

4.09/5.0

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2013 21:02:40 | More by Jadjunk

BlueMoon10

Mississippi

3.21/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

I had this one while touring the brewery. In fact you get 3-4 tickets to test the beers there and get to keep the pint glass at the end. I think the the tour is $7. The brewery is a really cool place that I would highly recommend to any beer lover.

A: Light yellowish color with a small amount of head.
S: Malty, earthy smell
T: Had a hoppy bitterness to it but with malty flavor with spices
M: Smooth, medium bodied
O: A nice, drinkable beer. Perfect for a day outside

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2013 20:07:29 | More by BlueMoon10

thedoubler55

New Jersey

2.98/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A - A golden yellow, looks like a normal pilsner, not to much head at the top and no lacing.

S - Citrus and grassy, a bit of hops but nothing crazy.

T - Just like the nose this brew, a nice refreshing taste.

M - Medium bodied, mid carbonation, a nice earthy taste.

O - Very drinkable in large amounts, a nice refreshing brew,but not to extravagent.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2012 19:42:47 | More by thedoubler55

FosterJM

California

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

1155th Review on BA
Draft to Nonic

@Sweetwater Hub in ATL airport

App- A very clear yellow with a nice mid forming one finger head. Had a huge cling all the way down the glass. Very creamy looking.

Smell- A mixture of light malts with a little lemon and a bit grainy. Had a gentle pilsener note to it but not offensive as some are.

Taste- A very nice and smooth pils. Want overly grainular or wheat like in the taste. A small bit of grassy earthy with a small bitter note and a little but of malts.

Mouth- A nice full medium body with a medium carbonation. A bit creamy on the finish.

Drink- Well it's not the best beer in the world, but I do think I have found my favorite pils.

Serving type: on-tap

03-18-2012 00:37:22 | More by FosterJM

PDXHops

South Carolina

3.63/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap in a shaker pint. See-thru straw body with a soft white head that leaves plentiful sticky lacing. I'm borrowing some notes from my bottled review for comparison. It's worth noting again that this is more of a hybrid than a strict pilsner. As a golden or blonde ale, this would have score bumps all around.

Bottle: Straight out of the fridge, the aromas are mainly husky and toasty. Only as it warms up do grassy and floral notes emerge. Pleasant if subdued.
Tap:
Noble hop character seems stronger, everything else is more or less equal.

Bottle: Hop flavors are more pronounced, with a certain spicy quality joining in. Fairly bitter, fairly crisp, fairly tasty. A touch more carbonation would up the quaffability factor. Lacking "oomph". [Edit: Lacking "oomph" as a pilsner, but quite flavorful and tasty as a blonde ale.}.
Tap: This comes closer to true pilsner territory. Crisp and grainy with a stronger noble hop character. More bitterness, more herbal and spicy bite, kept somewhat in check by a smoothish, lightly sweet body. Not an actual pilsner, but certainly a step above your typical golden/blonde ale. Good stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

08-25-2011 18:56:38 | More by PDXHops

kylehay2004

Florida

3.93/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Single finger, frothy, rapidly dissipating head with hazy golden color.

S: Very earthy. some malty and grainy aromas. Not getting the sweet smells others describe.

T: Taste follows the flavor with a very earthy hop taste. Mild bitterness in the aftertaste. Pepper notes.

M: Libght bodied with moderate carbonation. Thicker than a typical pilsner

Overall: This beer blurs the outer boundaries of what I am familiar with for a pilsner. I like that it is different, especially since I am not as much of a pilsner fan, it mixes things up.

Serving type: on-tap

07-08-2011 19:51:46 | More by kylehay2004

Redrover

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this one on tap at Tap in Atlanta….. Served in a standard pint, the beer is a hazy straw yellow with a clingy white head.

There are spices, malt and citrus in the nose.

The taste tracks the smell. Pepper, slightly grainy hops and more hop spice..

It has a slightly slick mouth. I thought it was an easy drinking representation of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

06-02-2011 13:39:00 | More by Redrover

boss302

Florida

3.8/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A Clear pale yellow, nice head. 4

S A little yeasty, estery aroma, low hop aroma. 3.5

T German pilsner like in aroma, but czech pils like in flavor and hopping.  Sharp bite from hops. Some astringency at the end. 4

M Thin body, dry, carbonation seems a little higher than a typical Pils, but good. 4

D A very good drinking beer 3.5.   

Serving type: on-tap

05-21-2011 03:08:33 | More by boss302

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.55/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear golden yellow with a thick, foamy, white head. Aroma is crisp, malty and just a little bit fruity, mainly apple and banana. Flavor is mainly malty with an undertone of fruit and a bit of hop bitterness. Strongly fizzy texture leaves behind a nice tingle on the lips and tongue.

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2010 15:43:13 | More by Cyberkedi

sleazo

New York

3.4/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-Slightly cloudy golden colour with a good steady stream of bubbles. Small head dissapears quickly

S-Light odour. Wheat slight generic hop scent.

T-slightly musty slightly skuny with a saaz hop type of bitterness. I don't know if those are it but they taste like it. Tastes like a wheat euro lager with an overdose of hops.

M-light and lagerish,

D-meh. I am having this after a 90 minute so I'm not too thrilled. Not bad but seems a bit out of wack.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2007 11:42:18 | More by sleazo

DrinkinBoy

Georgia

4.18/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Road Trip poured a light gold, with a bright white head with good retention.

The smell was extremely strong with the scent of hops.

Its taste was very crisp with a great kick the moment it hits the mouth. The taste is nicely hoppy.

The carbonation mixes good with the hops to give it a good pilsner bite.

Road Trip is an interesting tasting beer, but it although it taste is unique it is easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2007 01:11:10 | More by DrinkinBoy

planetscott

Georgia

2.83/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had this at Sweetwater during a brewrey tour, then bought some a week later.

At first, I liked this as it was different. When I purchased a six pack, it did not seem as good. The pils malt was overpowered by the saaz haops, which to me, gave it a skunky flavor. I may buy more in the future as I may have purchased from a bad batch, but if it is the same, this beer is not to my personal likings. It's not a horrible beer, in fact, this could be a decent gateway beer for Bud drinkers. It is just does not please me.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2007 12:59:20 | More by planetscott

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.63/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Revisited from the bottle (August 24, 2009): The beer has a much more vibrant character than I remember. The fruits that I found in my first encounter are in fact the robust floral character from the delicate nectar-like hops. Very nice and bold with a clean bitterness. The water profile might contain a lot of minerals, making the beer a bit jagged in the texture and finish.

Thanks jyounger30!

Pretty good stuff comming out of Sweetwater, although I would have never considered it a Double Pilsner. It is a hearty brew with a deep straw gaze and moderate head retention. Aromas and flavors take on rich, sweet pilsner malts, with fruity pears, appricots, and green apples; a touch of grain flavors, vegetal (cooked corn) flavors and a decent herbal hop tone (Fuggle). A bit more weighted feel and a mildly slick texture makes for easy drinking, but leaves a bit on the toung afterwards. Finishes a bit sweet, but majorily sharp and clean (except for the slickness).

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2007 17:35:25 | More by BEERchitect

Bamabrew22

Alabama

3.68/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Easy-drinking, enjoyable beer. On-tap, poured clean, light-straw colored appearance with a big, frothy head. Aroma was light and woody, with a note of hops. This was a smooth, crisp, clean tasting beer, with a mild hop presence but a good bitter sensation. Would make for a great session beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2007 14:18:03 | More by Bamabrew22

silverking

Florida

3.24/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 1

A- Clear golden with 2 fingers of white head. Head retention is good and there are well defined rings of lace.

S- Biscuit, grassy, herbal hops.

T- Bread, herbal and earthy hops. Astringent hop bitterness on the finish.

M- light bodied. Refreshing.

O- its good, but its not a German Pilsner. It's finished with ale yeast.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 10:00:31 | More by silverking

John1985

Tennessee

4.04/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Ale pours a cloudy yellow with a white two finger head. Pleasant herbal hop aroma. Brisk hop forward taste balanced nicely with bready malts and a crisp aftertaste. Very refreshing, quenching summer ale. Not sure if it is a true pilsner but I enjoyed this very much.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 21:45:24 | More by John1985

godlessape

Georgia

3.65/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

I had this one in a Samuel Adams pint glass. The crystal golden body reminds you of most American pilsners, lagers, and adjuncts but unlike a lot of them, the creamy white head stays for keeps.

The aroma is bready, and yeasty, with just a faint touch of lemon zest. I had to get 2 thirds down the glass before I could discern any malt.

The flavor is crisp, clean, and all about the hop bite--which is less than subtle, and rather formidable.

The mouthfeel is light, with medium carbonation and very refreshing.

Overall a great summertime brew. An interesting twist on a pilsner from the brew wizards at one of my favorite breweries.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 02:49:14 | More by godlessape

shand

Florida

3.53/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Road Trip is a bright tasty beer. Bright citrus and spicy hops are the rulers of the roost on both smell and taste here. There's some pilsner malt that isn't quite as sharp as is typical, but the spicy hops make up for that. The mouthfeel is light and moderately carbonated, and the drinkability is solid - but probably not sessionable. Overall, Road Trip is a solid pilsner-style beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 23:54:17 | More by shand

pixieskid

France

2.85/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I'm down with Sweetwater and German Pils but not with this beer.

Not sure if this beer is really supposed to be considered a German Pils considering that they state this beer was brewed as a lager but finished with an ale yeast. If anything it should probably be listed as a Cali-Common.

Pours a pale ale color, slightly hazy (doesnt look like a German Pils).

Nose; bready and somewhat hoppy.

Taste; pretty much the same with a nice bitterness.

Mouthfeel; some slickness (diacetyl) as well as way too full bodied; think keller bier but even more-so.

Overall; was hoping for something crisp, refreshingly, and hoppy enough to make it interesting; this wasn't that.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 06:39:37 | More by pixieskid

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into an Olde Hickory glass on 4/9/13

Recommended by PDXHops

Light, hazy pale yellow/dull gold. Fizzy head with minimal retention. Scattered lace.

Punchy noble hop aroma; lemongrass and prairie grass. Clean, toasted grains behind the hops. The taste and feel are comparable crisp and lively; grassy hops aplenty with a hint of pine and citrus underneath. Not much in terms of malt; that is, it doesn't really come across in comparison to the nippy hops and ample carbonation. Slightly grassy on the finish, but pretty clean overall.

Road Trip is a nice little treat after a six mile bike ride.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 02:36:03 | More by Ryan011235

blackie

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

single from WF Raleigh

a: lager cylinder, golden straw color, nice thick white head with good retention and some lace

s: bready pils malt nose - crisp and clean, dried cut grass hops, lightly herbal, a touch of yeast, soft lemon aroma, simple but nice

m: carbon around medium - small, smooth bubbles, body light

t: white bread lager malts, crisp with a clean grain flavor, mostly dry but with just a touch of sweetness, ale yeast seems to add a touch of yeasty flavor - but the beer remains mostly in-line as a whole, dried grass hop flavor, finish clean with a touch of bitter

o: a nice if unexceptional pils, good flavor set with a nice refreshing structure

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 03:53:57 | More by blackie

babaracas

Florida

3.98/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Hoppy pils with ale yeast. Pours a slightly hazy (sediment) gold color with one finger thick fluffy white head. Smell: light pils malt sweetness, floral and spicy. Taste: spicy, grassy, lemon, biscuit. Medium body, feel is prickly into creamy. Nice quaffable pils-ish beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 05:03:28 | More by babaracas

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to JonnyGalt (Reddit) for this interesting beer. Best by 7/23/12... oops, looks like it's been in the fridge a bit too long, although I don't think I've had it THAT long, so it may have arrived a bit past its prime as well, so I'll have to take that into consideration.

Pours a light fizzy pasty white almost 1 finger head that fades at a med pace, with some soapy looking lacing, over clear slight chill hazed golden straw honey colored beer.

Nose has a light toasted malt, light straw and pilsner toasty malt with a touch of sweet malt, overall fairly light on the nose, light ale aroma, fairly clean with a touch of what could possibly be described as a hop aroma.

Taste starts with a big malt wallop, some pilsner, almost overly malted, vegetative, earthy raw malt straw and a bit of wheat, almost imperial pilsner like flavor that gets too much for the beer. There are some flavors that almost make it want to seem like unhappy yeast, light esters and a slight phenol like flavor. Then hops, that's where the herbal vegetative flavor is coming from, herbal earthy hops, a light sticky sweetness through all that, and a light fruity flavor probably from the yeast esters. Finish is fairly bitter with more earthy like hops, little grassy as well, with some light over done pilsner flavor again.

Mouth is med to lighter bodied, decent carb.

overall not quite my cup of tea. It's more like Americanized pilsner halfway between regular ale version of a pilsner and imperial pilsner, overdone in most of the things it tried to do. Not sure how much of that is age as it seems overdone and not attenuated too much on anything, maybe hops. I'll take most of the flavors with a grain of salt as it is a bit older, but still not a great beer IMO.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 23:34:10 | More by jlindros

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle . Bright yellow color, fizzy, small head. Smells a little sweet oddly, bit of malts. Flavor is crisp, slightly sweet (very slight), mouthfeel is a little slick which kind if makes it less drinkable. Overall not bad but not the most refreshing pilsener and not one I would buy again, glad I got a single.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 20:47:34 | More by ArrogantB

merc7186

New York

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

I had this beer poured from a 12oz bottle into a tulip glass.

A: Golden Straw Hue, Passes Most Light, White Head, Minimal Lacing

S: Light German Malts, Mild Cascade Hops

T: German Malts, Cascade Hops

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Dry, Mildly Bitter

Overall, a really solid German Pilsner with a light yet solid nose and taste.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 04:03:40 | More by merc7186