St. Peter's Golden Ale - St. Peter's Brewery Co Ltd

joshwlt

Florida

2.63/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Has an orange-hued color with a short white, slightly lacey head. Smells light-struck, grassy, grainy and maybe a bit of biscuit involved. Looks and smells more like a european lager. Tastes of minerally hard water, slightly drying grain husk, lightly smoked tea leaf, and lightly hopped. Has an earthiness to it and slightly silky lactose accompanying the other flavors. But feels rather thin. In general I feel that this beer is lacking in many aspects. Not enough malt or hop or anything to overshadow the the thin yet hard water. Seriously it's about the same quality as an imported macro lager, and has many similar qualities... sigh... sorry I can't seem to find anything exciting in this beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2008 02:23:44 | More by joshwlt

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I had expected a more bright, glimmering gold coloured beer from something bearing "golden ale" as its name. Instead, I'm left discontented by the fairly dark, caramel coated orange body. Considerable cloudiness is another thing I don't generally look for in my summery golden ale. No head is a third strike. How disheartening.

The smell of things is equally dissatisfying. The harsh, mineral-rich well water is left completely exposed, unchecked, conjoined by not even a hint of hops, malt, or yeast. The latter two I can excuse, but just a sprinkle of lupullin goes a long way to getting the drinker excited, and keeping them interested... two things this beer fails to ever do.

The brewer boast about their water, which is drawn from a pure source under the brewery and has been for (they claim) over 700 years now. Most all British beers, pale ales and bitters anyhow, will exhibit this chalky, harsh mineral rich water profile. I have found this most distracting, however, in the St. Peter's beers; for all of which this has been an impeding character and many of which have tasted far too much alike as result.

The mouthfeel is flat and leaves a bready aftertaste in the mouth. Carbonation is low. It badly needs just a small whip of bitterness. The beer is quenchless, but luckily the flavour profile offers some selection: white crackers, grain husks, marmalade, green tea, a touch of toffee and a light powdering of lemon and orange zest.

The beer earned a passing grade for taste, but fell horribly short of the mark in all other categories. Nearly every aspect of this beer was bland, lifeless, and uninteresting. I'm not sure I could envision any situation where I'd find this an acceptable, nevermind satisfying, pint. I've found St. Peter's beers to be hit or miss - their Golden Ale was nowhere near target.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2008 02:47:41 | More by biegaman

GodOfBeer

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy orange colour with little head that disappears too quickly.

Smell is malty,nice and hoppy and citrusy, some orange maybe?

Smooth refreshing taste, malty sweetness upfront finishing off with dry, fiery hops! Also a hint of grapefruit citrus detected.

Pretty drinkable beer, I wouldn't mind having another two or three!

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2008 22:46:55 | More by GodOfBeer

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.18/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a light copper color ale with a dirty white foamy head with good retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of dry English hops with a dry malt base. Taste is slightly bitter from the hops with a nondescript malt base. No flaw could be detected and overall I would have to say that the beer was really refreshing but also lacking some characteristics such as some floral notes.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2008 19:49:17 | More by Phyl21ca

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 ml bottle from the LCBO.

Pours a cloudy rusty brown, thin white head forms, quickly settles to a thin collar, some decent lacing, colour is a bit strange though, very muddy. Smell is decent, sweet and malty, some caramel, bread, grassy, soft floral, bit of orange zest, refreshing. Taste is not as good, kind of dull, light maltiness, very bready, some floral, herbal bitterness, bit grassy, otherwise not much. Mouthfeel is light bodied with low carbonation, pretty refreshing and easy to drink but the flavour it throwing me off.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2008 01:51:47 | More by Viggo

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

3.53/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled version, BB 14/04/09, served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: dark golden hue, coming with a slowly retreating fluffy white pillow on top of moderate carbonation. Looking good.
S: a touch of sulphur comes with the Goldings' fruitiness, a touch of floral sourness as of a Helles, mild underlined by a sweet bed of grainy malts.
T: the initial swallow of sweet citrus fruits, floral hops, and a vegie touch of boiled lotus-root from pale malts gradually gives way to an impressive aftertaste full of grainy+gristy pale malts and medium+ level of chewy bitterness, a touch of spice and plenty of hops dancing on the tongue.
M&D: slightly more fizzy than it appears to be, but overall the experience on the palate is refreshing rather than sharp. Compared with the Organic Best Bitter that I tried yesterday, this golden ale seems to lack a "central theme" to adhere to, hence slightly losing the plot after half a bottle - luckily, the lively bitterness and hoppiness are always the timely saviour that a drinker like me can't do without~~

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2008 17:59:16 | More by wl0307

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

1.9/5  rDev -47.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Pours a nice golden colour with a decent white head that laces fairly well. A lot of grain, but also a slight skunky note in the aroma, which I find really disappointing, but somehow predictable. Luckily its not too dominant in the flavour, so I'm glad I drank this on day of purchase and not later. Very grainy flavour with grass, earth and lemon (I'm guessing the last three are from the hopping). Overall too much grain for me to enjoy, and I even picked up on a slightly unpleasant corny undertone that reminded me of macro swill. The mouthfeel is smooth with medium-light body and carbonation. Drinkability, however, suffers greatly from the inbalance of flavours and the nagging hint of skunk. FFS, sort it out. I'm not the first one to have noticed this with this brewery. St. Peter's lighter beers seem to be skunk magnets due to the bottle colour, which is a terrible shame because their heavier, darker brews are fantastic. I would be interested to try this fresh or on tap.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2008 14:19:25 | More by bobsy

tmitch75

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Another birthday gift from my brother, so Cheers Adam! Cool green bottle, but it's round and I do kind of miss the old oval ones.

Beer itself pours a clear golden color with 1-finger white head of small bubbles that leaves slight lacing on the glass.

Grassy malt smell, maybe a little corn in there, with lemons and a light floral hop aroma.

Sweet grainy malt flavor, green apples, with light lemon flavor and decent bitterness.

Medium body, smooth and fluffy.

Very drinkable, quite a tasty English Pale Ale. I'm a big fan.

Tasted on 6/17/08.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2008 02:40:57 | More by tmitch75

CAMRAhardliner

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is a very tastey pale ale, one of the hoppiest examples Ive had.

Pours tarnished brass with a foamy, shortlived head. Plenty of lace webs cling to the glass. The aroma is malty and doughy with an edge of leafy english hops. The taste surprised me with a wonderful lemony, herbal Goldings hop flavor. Malt sweetness is there, but this beer is a showcase of English hops. The finish is puckering with a medicinal bitterness. The mouthfeel is light and softly carbonated, like its bottle conditioned.

I really enjoy this beer. Its definitely not in IPA or APA territory, but for an English ale, its very hop forward. This will be great for BBQs.

Ill be sure to get some more bottles. Another great beer from St Peter's.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2008 23:39:09 | More by CAMRAhardliner

allergictomacros

Ontario (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a clear copper. Mixture of creamy and loose foam. Laces very well.

S - Light toast and a nutty, fruity aroma with a hint of coffee.

T/M - Very nice. Solid ale character with a touch of toasty malt. Some nuts, fruit and lemon. Fairly dry, with an assertive bitter finish. Body is neither light nor heavy and an effervescent carbonation.

D - Very drinkable, solid EPA. Nice balanced flavours.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2008 01:22:34 | More by allergictomacros

zeff80

Missouri

3.63/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a gold/orange color with a foamy, off-white, two-finger head. Small traces of lacing left behind.

S - It smelled grassy and grainy. Maybe a little corn smell.

T - It tasted grainy and of light caramel malt. Some earthy notes, too.

M - It was crisp and fairly smooth. A light-bodied and easy drinking beer.

D - This was pretty good. I liked it better than their English Ale. However, the $5 price tag is about high.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2008 01:24:02 | More by zeff80

Offa

California

1.73/5  rDev -51.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

This to me is not very enjoyable at all, and it seems a rather bland, overly sharp and bitter beer dominated heavily by bitter lemon rind.

It is golden with a decent white head that leaves a little lace.

The aroma is light grain and lemon.

The taste is weak toasted bread with a lot of bitter lemon rind that makes it sharp and bitter but leaves little real flavour. It almost gave me a sore throat.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2008 22:59:34 | More by Offa

AChamberlain

Texas

3.9/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First of all great bottle. I gave the appearance an extra half point for it. The ale poured a nice tinted golden hue with tiny bubbles throughout and a half inch bright white head. Light hop aromatics and pale malt aromas. The flavor made me think "honey hops" if that makes any sense. Warming in the mouth, very soft. Very drinkable. Solid ale. The price keeps it from being a session beer around here. If I were to get a raise or win the lotto, this would be one of my favorites to session.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2008 02:10:37 | More by AChamberlain

Nipitato

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Purchased a bottle at Julio's Liquors in Westborough, MA.

A: Light copper. Good clarity but not brilliant. Tops with a 1/4 inch white head that dissipates slowly.

S: As appropriate a mild aroma with notes of caramel and fruity hops. Grain noticeable and well done. A good aroma.

T: A touch of hop bitterness throughout though it is stronger on the back end. Grainy malt flavor on finish as well. No fruity esters. Well balanced malt/hop profile. Quite good.

MF: Medium light body. Moderate carbonation. Not dry.

D,notes: This is a very good beer and highly sessionable. Well balanced with good grain flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2008 17:13:46 | More by Nipitato

callmemickey

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Jerusalem Tavern in London ...

A: A thicker golden with a fast departing off white head

S: Floral hops and sweet malts with a hint of pear?

T: The floral hops are the first thing that hits as the malts balance out the beer towards the middle. delicious.

M: Medium body.. smooth.. refreshing

O: Enjoyable.. would have another.. especially with peanuts at the pub..

Serving type: cask

02-20-2008 16:31:14 | More by callmemickey

thierrynantes

France

3.98/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer bottle (33cl, 50cl), first tasted in 2001.
Appearance : amber-coloured ale, many tiny bubbles, white foam not persistant
Smel : The nose is hoppy
Taste and mouthfeel : Bitter In the mouth. The hop character is herbal. Finish is bitter and hoppy
Drinkability : A well-balanced beer in the style pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2008 19:01:09 | More by thierrynantes

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a foggy gold with a decent off white head that leaves a lot of lace on the way down. Hoppy, grainy nose with an apparent earthy tone. Flavor is earthy with mild hops in there. Very earthen and a bit almost dirty it seems. Standard feel. Overall this is decent. I can't say it is the greatest or one I would ever go back to really.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2008 05:08:30 | More by RblWthACoz

ralree

Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Cloudy golden with a decent white head of 2-fingers that shrinks down to about 1 finger and laces perfectly.

S: Flowering hops and sweet malt. Slight butterscotch.

T: Dried apricots and wonderful English hops. Malt sweetens it up nicely. Nice bitterness on the tongue, and a slight bread flavor at the end. Alcohol in the aftertaste is a little strong.

M: Medium-light bodied, barely astringent. Perfect carbonation. Clean and crisp finish.

D: This drinks very nicely. I will be drinking it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2007 03:19:07 | More by ralree

brendan13

Australia

3.53/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Slightly hazy orange golden colour poured into a pint glass with an inch of frothy white head that slowly falls away to a thin whisp. Nice rings of lacing is left behind.
S - Some very light floral hop notes on top of the buttery, nutty character that tends to be typical of St Peters lighter ales.
T - Taste is very much like the smell. Quite sweet.
M - Medium bodied with a fairly low carbonation level.
D - A nice beer but not my first choice for St Peters.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2007 11:08:40 | More by brendan13

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My first beer to celebrate repeal day 2007, an English ale - go figure.
Poured cool into a Boddington's pint from the flask shaped bottle.
A - A shade of golden similar to apple juice w/ a thin cream colored head of about 1/4 inch high and a nice band of lace forms.

S - An herbal and fruity aroma w/ crisp lemony citrus notes.

M - Light bodied w/ crisp dry yeast notes w/ low carbonation and gentle spice in the feel.

T - A nice golden ale taste w/ a nutty flavor that blends well w/ light mineral notes and gentle citrus flavors. The hops add a minimal spice and herbal nuance w/ fruity tinges.

D - A nice light bodied ale, would be perfect for a summer quaff as a lawnmower beer. It went well w/ my tilapia - very crisp w/ flavor that makes you want more.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2007 16:10:51 | More by Slatetank

czfreeman

Michigan

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured out of a pint bottle. Nice golden honey color, fair head retention. Smells of flowers, dandelions?, light woody aromas as well. Tastes of toffees, caramels, candys, slightly sweet, yet a great finish thats not too sweet, delicious!. Light, nice smooth pale ale moouthfeel. drinkability is quite easy, great English ale to quaff back anytime. First beer Ive tried from this brewery, very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2007 07:21:21 | More by czfreeman

Opethsprite

Kentucky

3.95/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer wows the drinker with an old-school bottle that is very attractive. Itpours a hearty orange-red with no head at all. It is subtle to smell--you kind of have to get right in there to smell anything at all. Once you get the nose, though, it's very damn good. It's a subtle buttery, burnt caramel nose, but with a hint of coconut liqueur. For such a mild scent, it's surprisingly bold, though expectedly rich and buttery. Pretty good! It's very heavy and syrupy in the mouth, and with a complete lack of carbonation, letting only the hops dictate any pep. It's a pretty tasty beer--very cozy, but a bit too dense and sweet for extended drinking.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2007 04:09:17 | More by Opethsprite

geexploitation

Indiana

3.58/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours with very good clarity and a pretty, jewel like golden amber hue. No head. Aromas are predominantly grainy, with some honey-sweet malt smells and a touch of cooked/vegetal adjunctish smell. On the palate things are much more pleasant, with some sweetish, caramelized malts that are rounded into shape by a mild hop note at the mild palate. At the finish there's a nice, mellow biscuity note at the end. Mouthfeel is light and emphasizes drinkability. Overall, this is a nice, easy drinking beer that would be really sessionable at a lower ABV. Good.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2007 01:13:47 | More by geexploitation

botham

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

pint bottle poured into a St. Peter's stange. pours a brilliant golden brown with a slight haze in the liquid. substantial white head that sticks around for a while. beautiful lacings on this one!

smells malty, with a little bit of hops thrown in. there is a floral base to the aroma that creates a very pleasant mix. all in all, a rather simple aroma, but very well balanced and true to a good pale ale.

taste is moderately malty up front, with mild hops coming through after a bit of swishing. the floral aroma is also present, giving balance and a bit of extra depth to the flavor.

aftertaste is light hops and a bit of floral yeasty flavor.

mouthfeel is light bodied, with a smooth texture that goes down well and doesn't bite from carbonation or alcohol.

drinkability is good. this brew is light bodied and goes down smooth. a solid brew that would suffice for any beer lover. this is an honest beer that doesn't have any extra flavors present to get in the way of the core flavors of malts and hops (and a touch of yeasty goodness). cheers!

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2007 02:12:26 | More by botham

tapman

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

#3 on my St. Peter's tour, hooray...well, maybe.

Like their English and IPA ales a brassy golden color (swear to God they look the same) and clearer. To tell the truth, it is more golden than the others, hence the name I suppose. Give this one a 3.5 because it looks like what its called, golden.

Its like their IPA with weaker hops. While the hops may be Golding with a little Fuggle (not 100% sure on the ratio of Golding to Fuggle) it definitely has an English character.

Buttery English hops with a coarse yet subtle graininess describe this beer. Kind of like a St.Peter's English Ale Light. This tastes more like a pub ale. Hops are quite light and take a backseat in this brew.

Thin mouthfeel almost suits the style, but could be a bit bigger with some more malts.

So far all the light colored St. Peter's (English and IPA plus this one) taste very similar, like variations on a theme of brew. While not bad in their own respect none of them, including this one, stand alone in their category, though all are quite drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2007 05:05:36 | More by tapman