Wasatch Pale Ale
Utah Brewers Cooperative

Wasatch Pale AleWasatch Pale Ale
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From:
Utah Brewers Cooperative
 
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.88 | pDev: 7.99%
Reviews:
18
Ratings:
20
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 05, 2017
Added:
Jan 27, 2004
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Ratings by JohnnyM2002:
Photo of JohnnyM2002
Reviewed by JohnnyM2002 from Maryland

3.52/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Sampled from a 12 oz bottle, poured into a pint glass at 40 degrees. Thanks for this bottle, Wasatch!

A - Pours a dark golden with good carbonation, but a mild head.

S - Besides the standardized sweet malt & mild hops filling the aroma, some spices were detected...allspice & coriander came to mind right away. A pleasant surprise.

T - Spices carried through the flavors as the caramel & floral hops made their entrance. Finishes a little peppery, but weaker than the aroma let off.

M - Thinner body with good carbonation.

D - I've noticed a trend with these Utah brews...they have solid flavors, but they never materialize into a solid overall taste...I'm not sure if it is due to the low ABV, but I think they could really be solid selections if there were a little more alcohol pumped in there. I don't mean to sound like one of those guys that hates low-ABV beers, but they all seem to fall under this category of good background flavors that aren't following through.
Feb 26, 2007
More User Ratings:
Photo of Wasatch
Reviewed by Wasatch from Colorado

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Deleted Review

12 oz. Bottle

Pours a very nice clean/clear golden yellow color, with some pretty nice carbonation, with a nice thick/creamy one-finger off-white head, which leaves some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is hoppy, malty, with some citrus. The taste is hoppy, malty, citrusy. Medium body. Overall, a very tasty brew.
Apr 05, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by harpus from Alabama

Oct 14, 2015
 
Rated: 3.67 by therighteousminded from Kentucky

Feb 14, 2015
Photo of jaxon53
Reviewed by jaxon53 from Connecticut

3.88/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thank you to wasatch for this tasty brew. Served chilled, into a pint glass, from a twelve ounce brown bottle. Poured a deep amber color that had great clarity. Beer was capped off by a dense, rocky off-white head two finger head. Decent head retention left behind a small amount of thin, sticky lace. Smell was of citrusy hops, a touch of resiny pine, and was a bit yeasty and bready. Had a sweet yet hoppy flavor to it. Thick malty notes balance this brew out rather nicely. A little citrus was noted in the background as well. A very smooth, slightly bitter finish. Mouthfeel was a bit thin but not too bad. A very solid drinkable APA.
Dec 01, 2007
Photo of NJpadreFan
Reviewed by NJpadreFan from New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Wasatch- Pale Ale

Thanks to Wasatch for this 1.

A- Deep copper with a thick heavy lacing head.
S- Pine and citrus with a light touch of caramle malt.
T- Pine oil, spruce tea, and caramel malt.
M- Dry and bitter up front but turning sweet and slightly buttery near the end.

Overall- Might not be the boldest of APA's but its a tasty beer by UBC. Total session beer here.
Nov 19, 2007
Photo of BlindPig
Reviewed by BlindPig from Nevada

3.53/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A- Really thick white head on a clear copper body. Has a nice thick lacing on top and sticks to sides of glass.
S- Sweet caramel malts blended with some pine and light spiced hops. Just a hint of toffee in there.
T- Pretty much follows to aroma just more grass hops in and not so much the pine flavor. The hops are pretty laid back for the most part making it pretty well balanced.
M- Medium body with medium/low carbonation.
D- It is a decent pretty pale ale. Pretty standard across the board. If I went to Utah to go fishing or hiking I would probably get some.
Sep 22, 2007
Photo of bboven
Reviewed by bboven from Texas

3.24/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Great looking... Deep gold color and a head that lasts with a lace that will be there tomorrow morning. Very clear.

Lots of malt with this one. It's a little out of balance that way; could use some more or maybe higher alpha hops.

Same. There is certainly hops bitterness in this one, but not a lot of the intricate hop flavor.

A tiny bit thin, but it's not enough to be a factor.

It's a good, sweeter pale ale that I might introduce friends to. I'd drink it again if I were in the mood for a not-too-hoppy pale ale.
Sep 14, 2007
Photo of bort11
Reviewed by bort11 from Missouri

4.37/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Thanks to Wasatch for this one!

12 oz bottle poured into an imperial pint glass. Off white head starts off about an inch thick and then recedes to an attractive filmy cap. Color is a clear reddish copper with a satisfying amount of carbonation.
Smell is mild floral/citrus mix with the hops with a slight buttery toasted malt aroma. Taste starts off as a crisp grapefruit and then morphs into a malt body. Some spices in the finish.
This is one of the most balanced beers I have had in a long time. The hops and malt just work back and forth off of each other. Giving and taking in all the right places. I really with the was available locally. Great PA
Sep 05, 2007
Photo of MuddyFeet
Reviewed by MuddyFeet from North Carolina

3.8/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Thanks to Wasatch for this beer.

Very solid all-around APA. Poured a perfectly clear copper. Heavy carbonation bubbles. Not much of a head--just a rotating film on top. Nose is very subdued. Mostly just some slight whiffs of malts.

Flavor is a true PA. Not overly malty or overly hoppy. Solid balance between the two major ingredients. Hops are a tad sprucey but do not linger on the palate. Some nice tannin flavors too that also come through in the flavor. Medium body but perhaps a bit too carbonated. This beer got me burping. Nice beer.
Jun 23, 2007
Photo of jwc215
Reviewed by jwc215 from Arizona

4.04/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours bright copper with a great deal of clarity. Nice color, but the head doesn't stick around very long.

The smell is floral/citric - sweet grain in the back. Aromatic hop profile makes this nice to smell.

In the taste - hops present, but not as assertive as in the aroma, but they do hang on throughout the drink. Caramel sweetness balanced by oily, butter, earthy/citric hops. Leaves with a bittersweet finish.

The feel is a bit slick. A tad thin, but flavors hang on well into the aftertaste.

This is a nice pale ale with a pleasantly inviting hoppy aroma. This would be a nice one for a "session".

Thanks to Wasatch for including it in our trade!
Jun 22, 2007
Photo of plaid75
Reviewed by plaid75 from New York

3.97/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured a medium copper hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was decent retention and good sticky lacing.

The smell featured an upfront toasty and sweet caramel malt with a slow developing peppery hop.

The taste was likewise doughy and sweet with a balanceing resiny hop. Some sweet orange toward the otherwise doughy finish. Some residual alcohol.

The mouthfeel was of medium fullness with a bit of a creamy finish.

Overall a tasty and well balanced APA. Very drinkable. Thanks to Wasatch.
Jun 06, 2007
Photo of TheManiacalOne
Reviewed by TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island

4.45/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Acquired via trade from Wasatch, so a big “Thank you” goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a bright orange color with a thin white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is heavy with citrus, caramelized malt and hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of citrus and caramel. A nice burst of hops quickly follows and provides balance, especially as the beer warms. There’s a hearty malt character and the after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and very crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

D: Very tasty, goes down easily, not very filling, nice kick, good representation of style, this one has all the makings of being a beer that I could just keep on drinking and drinking. It’s one of the best beers I’ve had in the style.
Apr 15, 2007
Photo of trep
Reviewed by trep from West Virginia

3.95/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Thanks to Wasatch for this one. 12oz Bottle.

Clear golden honey body with a tiny ring of head that clings to the glass. Sporadic tiny bubbles rise to the surface. Delicious smelling hop aroma hits me from a few feet away. A little bit of sweetness in there, so I'm guessing this will be nicely balanced.

Refreshing blast of hops hits your tongue on the first swallow. Ever so slowly, the bitterness fades to let the caramel maltiness have its chance. Finishes biscuity, and bit abrupt, and a bit thin. I'm gonna let it warm up and see if that helps it. It helps, but not much. I guess i'm nitpicking here. This is a pretty solid brew.

Medium-light bodied with a crisp carbonation level that keeps everything in balance. Very easy drinking. Nice flavor and balance, under 6%, a pretty good session beer i'm sure. Wish I could have had Wasatch send me a few more of these.
Apr 14, 2007
Photo of msubulldog25
Reviewed by msubulldog25 from Oregon

3.88/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A 12 oz. bottle sent by Wasatch (thanks, John!) and poured to a standard pint glass.

A: Pale amber with lots of slowly-rising carbonation, capped by a finger's worth of creamy white head. Sticking lace is prevalent throughout.

S: Malty bread smell and caramel sweetness with quite a bit of lemony/citrus hops. Just a hint metallic, with a clean & fresh ozone-like finish.

T: Bitter, dry and very lemony & herbal. Richness of caramel, sourdough maltiness and grassy hops blend together in an interesting, fresh-tasting Pale Ale.

M: Malty and surprising in its thickness, this has a pleasantly full and spicy/tingly mouthfeel. Citrus hops give a mouthwatering bitterness and astringency that's very welcome. Carbonation and body are medium.

D: A very good pale ale, full flavors, nice balance. Moderate ABV and eminently drinkable. Everything one would want in a 'session' beer. Recommended.
Feb 11, 2007
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

4.42/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Radiant tangerine with sunshine yellow edges and a creamy lemon chiffon cap. The head is both substantial and sticky, resulting in both persistence and an impressive display of lace. This is a classic, high-quality APA in the looks department.

The brewery won't divulge what hops are used for bittering, they'll only state that Cascade are used for dry-hopping. It's hard to tell, at times, that some beer has been dry-hopped. Not in this case. The nose, which I've been enjoying from a distance, is wonderfully bright and citrus zesty. If the flavor follows suit, Pale Ale (Special Reserve) has a chance to be UBC's best beer.

I can tell after the first mouthful that I'm going to struggle with whether to call the flavor 'good' or 'very good'. Let's see what the final eleven ounces have in store. First off, the beer tastes remarkably fresh (thanks Wasatch). In addition, although I haven't had all of them yet, this might be this brewery's hoppiest, most bitter beer.

There's just enough pale malt to support what hops have been added. I don't taste the caramel malt at all... and the color of the beer would also suggest that there's very little present. Pale Ale is all about the bright, pungent hoppiness of unfettered Cascade (and whatever else makes up the hop bill).

This is the basic blueprint for my ideal APA. That isn't to say that perfection has been reached, but I'm fully onboard with the direction the brewers decided to go in the creation of a beer that they thought enough of to call Special Reserve. Might the increase in ABV above the usual state minimum have helped? As an interesting aside, because of that whiskey-like ABV, this offering is only available in state liquor stores.

The only thing wrong with the mouthfeel is an abundance of bubbles. I need the fizziness to be toned down just a tad before I'm willing to go gaga. Otherwise, it's APA medium and still manages to be slightly creamy in the mouth.

Wasatch Pale Ale is a damn fine American pale ale that relies on simple, fresh, Cascade hoppiess to get the job done. Hundreds upon hundreds of breweries attempt that very thing, but very few of them pull it off this well. I'd love to see what Utah craft brewers could do if those ridiculous shackles known as alcohol laws were ever relaxed.
Feb 03, 2007
Photo of Westsidethreat
Reviewed by Westsidethreat from California

3.88/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks to Wasatch for this beer

A: Lightly hazed, golden toffee color. Head started fizzy and dropped to an off white film.

S: Watery orange, grapefruit and lemon with some hint of grass.

T: This beer has a nice balance between orange/tangerine, caramel and pine bark. The bitterness is delicate but present, especially after the swallow and in the aftertaste. Finishes earthy with spikes of remeniscent citrus.

M: Thin body but medium mouthfeel. Little bit hard and crisp.

D: This was a nice surprise. Best Utah beer I've had to date. Nice balance.
Dec 18, 2006
Photo of warriorsoul
Reviewed by warriorsoul from Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Thanks again to Wasatch for this Utah brew...
A bright golden copper color with a half finger of bright white head..some sticks around to produce some thin, web-like lacing.
Pleasant enough in the nose...a gentle fruity hop presence with carmelized malt to sweeten it up.
Taste is decent...enough hops to bitter it up in front, but the malt wins out in the end and finished a bit sweet. Some bitterness hangs on the pallet in between swigs.
Thin mouthfeel, but fairly average for the style...very easy to drink, but I'd get a little bored if I was to drink too many of these in an evening. Not a knock on the brew...I just know what I have available within driving distance.
Jan 08, 2006
Photo of tavernjef
Reviewed by tavernjef from Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Deeply golden hazen bronze color with a medium ivory cap that took a good while to fade and leaves some stringy lacing. Aroma is quite nice, great hop nose for a pale, freshly citric with lemon and orange with a nice grassy tone added within mixing under a crispy crusted semi-sweet malt backing. Taste is right on for any pale, straight up west coast style with a higher hop tone and bite then most, fresh, crisp, citric, grassy, bits of pineyness, good malting adds just enough sweetener for it, keeping a desent balance, although the top has got quite a nice hop bite, which I liked. Feel is about medium, with a nice hop bittering tone over the top, mixing well til the finish where it does linger some and favors more sips. Overall drying with toasty breads, hop grasses, and citric sours. A nice drinkin' pale.
May 30, 2004
Photo of alexgash
Reviewed by alexgash from Connecticut

3.92/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This is one of the few beers that the cooperative brews that is over 4% abv, and it is only available in select Utah State Liquor Stores. Pours an orange-golden body, with a small sticky white head. Smell is fruity, sweet malts, balanced nicely by fresh, orange-zest hops. Taste is lots of fruity malt with sweet toffee notes, and a again, good hop balance. Finish is bitter and oily. Maltier than most PAs, and very drinkable.
Jan 27, 2004
Wasatch Pale Ale from Utah Brewers Cooperative
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 20 ratings