Cottonwood Low Country Pale Ale
Carolina Beer Company

Cottonwood Low Country Pale AleCottonwood Low Country Pale Ale
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From:
Carolina Beer Company
 
North Carolina, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
5%
Score:
79
Avg:
3.22 | pDev: 14.29%
Reviews:
17
Ratings:
17
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 27, 2009
Added:
Mar 27, 2005
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by Cindirene:
Photo of Cindirene
Reviewed by Cindirene from North Carolina

3.71/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Tried this one from a bottle poured into a teardrop - Color is nice clear golden with a tight head - Good lacing as the beer settles - Aroma is not overwhelming but rather delicate - Taste is malty, slightly caramelly, with a kick of hops coming in towards the end - While this is not the best pale ale by any means it is very acceptable and a few chilly ones would be welcome on a warm day
Mar 29, 2006
More User Ratings:
Photo of plaid75
Reviewed by plaid75 from New York

3.38/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured a medium copper hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was decent retention and lacing.

The smell featured a soft sweet malt and an herbal hop.

The taste consisted of a sweet and doughy malt with a balancing herbal and lightly citric hop.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style.

Overall a decent APA.
Apr 27, 2009
Photo of ThaBobfather
Reviewed by ThaBobfather from Ohio

3.2/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This pours a clear golden color. Highly translucent, but the head is pretty and it's fantastic for an APA pour.
The smell is a bit spiced but just on the first opening. I really don't get much after that.
That is a bit of a spice note here, smooth but it catches my tongue in places which is nice.
Apr 06, 2009
Photo of ncstateplaya
Reviewed by ncstateplaya from North Carolina

2.42/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
It pours a golden straw color with a great white fluffy head. The head eventually receeds to a nice cap on the surface. It is crystal clear with plenty of carbonation racing to the surface. There was a decent amount of lacing in the glass.

I thought it had a pretty yeasty and watered down smell for a pale ale. IMHO there was no hop profile what so ever. The nose of this beer is actually very boring.

I thought the taste was much like the smell, boring and watered down.

This ale was light bodied, smooth, and very easy going. It has good carbonation but no particular characteristic jumps out and grabs your attention. Just whatever.

The drinkability of this beer is hurting because I was so unimpressed. If the beer had more to offer it could be very good. Since it doesn't, and tastes more like an introductory crash course to Pale Ales, I would have to say its just average and nothing more.
Feb 06, 2009
Photo of deanhead
Reviewed by deanhead from Vermont

3.75/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Picked up while on vacation in the outerbanks.

Beautiful pale colored ale. Almost golden in color, excellent carbonation levels with this beer, nearly on the verge of being overcarbonated.

Slight spicy hop aroma, sherry like scent of alcohol

Taste is good. Very well balanced beer, not overly hoppy, although some hop spiciness does shine thru the light bready malt flavor.

Light ot medium mouthfeel, highly drinkable beer. I could definitely enjoy several of these with my toes in the sand in the outer banks!

It is a really good beer, not remarkable but highly drinkable beer.
Oct 31, 2008
Photo of Gavage
Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada

3.38/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: pours a clear golden yellow color with some hints of orange tones. A one finger head fades quick and there are a few spots of lace that develop on the glass.

Smell: bready and caramel sweetness are very soft.

Taste: bready malt profile, mild caramel, decent bitterness, and some ripe plum sweetness lingers in the background. There is an overall mild grainy texture to this one.

Mouthfeel: mdium bodied. Crisp from start to finish. Very short aftertaste.

Drinkability: decent but not an overly exciting beer. Worth giving this a try.
Jul 22, 2008
Photo of JDV
Reviewed by JDV from Texas

2.98/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Bottle courtesy of emacgee. Thanks man!
Pours clear yellowish with a small whitish head. Smell is grainy, cereal like sweetness with the faintest bit of hops. Taste is somewhat muted with sweetend cereal like flavor going on initially followed by dull, bittering hops. Some slight hop flavor, but more as a balancing act rather than as the star. Moderate body with slightly high, prickly, refreshing carbonation. Not offensive, but not really bursting with flavor either. High drinkability with no off flavors, raises the score a bit for me.
Jun 30, 2008
Photo of AMo
Reviewed by AMo from Missouri

2.93/5  rDev -9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Cottonwood Low Country Pale Ale pours a translucent, light golden yellow. There is no lasting head, but a thing ring of tiny bubbles at the rim. There really is a non existance of smell. Mabye a faint hop background with a bit of bitter note. The taste is mellow with a light hop background. Mouthfeel is thin and highly carbonated to the point of burn. Overall the drinkability is ok for its simple mellow taste, but that huge burning carbonation makes it a little less than enjoyable.
May 13, 2008
Photo of daliandragon
Reviewed by daliandragon from Maryland

3.47/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Picked up this semi-local sixer at the Fresh Market in Cary tonight. This one pours a surprisingly light, lager like color, with none of the reddish amber hues associated with typical APAs. The head and lace dies quickly, and this isn't really much of a looker. The nose is mild hops with a touch of pineapple or other citrus.

I bought this one with the coming warm weather in mind and on that front it does pretty well. Not terribly quenching but the hops and citrus are a fairly refreshing combo. It's not very exciting but it at least reaches the average for an APA.

This is an agreeable beer for everyday drinking, not something to rush out and buy, but worth trying.
Apr 26, 2008
Photo of jneiswender
Reviewed by jneiswender from Massachusetts

2.01/5  rDev -37.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2
Poured out of a 12oz brown bottle into a pint glass.

A--Dark yellow.

S--slightly floral, some veggie.

T--medium hop bitterness. Very weak malt flavor.

M--very watery

D--Very non-descriptive. Their wasn't much off about the beer. Just is that there isn't much here in terms of me wanting to drink it again. Overall very weak.
Feb 04, 2008
Photo of blackie
Reviewed by blackie from Oregon

3.5/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
appearance: No dating on the bottle. The pour gives a low, white head that soon recedes to the standard ring around the glass and a thin layer on the surface. The beer is golden in color with some light orange hues.


smell: Decent floral hops upfront, with just a hint of evergreen and citrus. Behind are some caramel malts and tropical fruits, and the strange aroma of pen ink. A good smelling APA, though nothing very exciting.

mouthfeel: The carbonation is medium, and the body light.

taste: Some husky caramel and pale grains upfront. Light to moderate not-so-fresh hop flavor. After the swallow I find a bready, stale grain flavor. Slight metallic flavor. In the finish, a moderate bitterness lingers with some grainy flavors.

drinkability: pretty easy

single bottle from Whole Foods Raleigh
Sep 20, 2006
Photo of Aichelberger
Reviewed by Aichelberger from Maryland

3.77/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
My brother snagged incredible seats a Panthers game last week (thanks again, 'D'). After 1st quarter, I bypassed the usual BMC stuff and went hunting for the local/premium draft beer stands (a favorite wherever I go). One featured Cottonwood Low Country Pale Ale. This is one of Carolina Beer & Bev's premium brands, though this is probably not the most "premium" of their products. Mostly malt, though a bit of hops balance (nothing like the better APAs out there). Even so, very drinkable, very good on tap, and the perfect companion to a Panthers (albeit preseason) win. Charlotte has a young, growing micro industry. Can't wait to see where they go from here.
Aug 16, 2006
Photo of Backer2004
Reviewed by Backer2004 from North Carolina

3.4/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
I may not be 100% sure, but is this the Charleston Pale Ale that Carolina Beer & Beverage has brewed for some time now? If not, why would they have another American Pale Ale. Pretty simple stylistically but good nonetheless. Nice hop aroma and taste, nothing too exciting, but a great value at $2.50 a bottle here.
Jul 01, 2006
Photo of SaCkErZ9
Reviewed by SaCkErZ9 from South Carolina

2.9/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Dispensed from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Golden color with terrific clarity. A small, wispy cream colored head forms and leaves immediately. A ring is formed around the top of the beverage, leaving no lacing down the side of the glass as the beverage is consumed.

Aroma is pretty light overall. Nice caramel tones are present. Not much hoppiness in the aroma. What little hops are present have more of an earthiness than a citrusy aroma.

Taste is pretty bland. Some hoppiness is in there but the overall flavor is a little too watered down. Caramel malts some earthy tones. There is also a noticeable sour flavor to the beer as well. However, I find this characteristic in most of Cottonwoods beers but since this beer is lighter in body and flavor, the sourness is more pronounced.

Mouthfeel is pretty light. Light bodied and watered down. Too much carbonation as well. I feel the gas seeping up my esophogus (sp) as we speak. Strangely, there is a puckering bitterness associated with the hops.

An average beer on all accounts. Cottonwood has some better offerings. One thing that is interesting is that the stronger beers taste better and have more mouthfeel. That means one of two things: The alcohol and increased malt bill hide some flaws or CWood struggles in its efforts to make lighter beers. A third option is that I am unfairly biased toward the heavier beers. You decide.
May 21, 2006
Photo of oberon
Reviewed by oberon from North Carolina

3.11/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
I had sampled this once before from the brewery picked up a bottle today,poured a light clear golden with white sticky head that left some nice lacing behind as it settled,muted aromas I picked up some toasted grain and caramel but they were faint.A malt tilted pale here biscuit malt and sweet caramel pretty sweet only gentle hopping that doesnt really cut through the caramel sweetness it really becomes cloying right away.Not enough hops to balance out the sweetness,better than average but just to one sided for my liking.
Jan 12, 2006
Photo of JISurfer
Reviewed by JISurfer from Utah

3.58/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Didn't know what to expect for this beer, but it was worth the gamble. It's not too hopped up, so the taste had some different components to it. It had an awesome head that stayed pretty thick for a while, but died out to a thin cover. The body was a golden amber color. Smell was of caramel, some ligther fruits, roasted malts, and slight hops. The taste was not too heavy on any one thing, but you could taste the malts, fruits, and had a hop finish. Overall a good "relax" beer. It's not one of those beers you have to sit and think about what it tastes like and what the smells are like. I think it would be a good beer to get people started on towards micros.
Nov 22, 2005
Photo of AlexJ
Reviewed by AlexJ from North Carolina

3.31/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This new arrival from CB&BC pours from the tap a golden straw color with a dome of pure white head. Head retention is medium and lacing forms in spotty clumps.

The aroma is a balance of bready, grainy malts and moderate floral and citrus hops. There is a nip of lemony zestiness to it.

Flavor is bready malts, light, lemony citrus, and soft floral tones. There is a modest hop bitterness throughout. It finishes clean and is quite refreshing. The body is light to medium. Definately a good summer thirst-quencher, perfect for barbeques, baseball, and yardwork.
Mar 27, 2005
Cottonwood Low Country Pale Ale from Carolina Beer Company
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 17 ratings