Galaxy Pale Ale - New England Brewing Co.

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.8/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Very excited for this.

A-Pours an incredibly hazed honey/marmalade color. Head is a loose cluster of bubbles that actually retains very well. The loose sudsy head leaves nice lacing too. Great looker.

S-Very aromatic. Deep, dank, herbal marijuana happiness. Clementine juice, and other more tropical fruits derived from the Galaxy. The hops smell very pleasing. Lightly bitter scent. Sweet bread malt adds to the smoothness of the aroma. Grapefruit custard smeared of lightly crisped toast.

T-The flavor is as good as the nose and then some. Super-smooth juicy citrus. Long notes of grass and herbal cannibus. Malt balances out the hops only slightly. Moderate bitterness. The hops flavors are ever-present and incredibly unique. Great flavor.

M-At under 5% this beer has great body. Smooth but noticeable carbonation. Lasting bitterness. A bit resinous.

O/D-This lived up to my own created hype. I love the unique hop flavors. The lower ABV is unite refreshing. NEBCO always makes me happy. This is one of my favorites. Would kill to have this one canned regularly.

Serving type: growler

04-03-2012 00:32:46 | More by VelvetExtract

Pete27lax

New York

4.63/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the growler on 10/4/12. Have had this beer a few times before but just reviewing it now.

Really good looking beer! Hazy light orange color with a one finger, off white head. Retention is pretty good but the lacing on this beer is all the way down the glass. Just awesome!

Fresh citrusy hops in the smell. Not a particularly strong smell but refreshing.

Taste is nothing short of awesome! Blast of citrusy hops up front with some piney notes on the back end. Orange and grapefruit come through beautifully here. Excellent amount of bitterness that hits the palate perfectly.

Mouthfeel is very nice. Good amount of bitterness, not too harsh. A little high on the carbonation.

Overall this is an insanely drinkable beer. Splitting a 64 oz growler with a friend but could easily take this by myself.

One of my favorite offerings from nebco, hope the decided to bottle or can this soon!

Serving type: growler

10-04-2012 06:26:16 | More by Pete27lax

audioserf

Connecticut

4.58/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've had Galaxy several times recently - a growler fill a few weeks ago, and at some local tap rooms as kegs have been getting around.

A: This beer pours a delicious and enticing honey-amber with just enough cloudiness to let you know it's fresh and floral. Nice creamy white head with solid retention and lacing.

S: Super citrusy and floral.

T: This is my favorite pale ale by far and I can't say enough good about the taste. Citrusy, hoppy taste that, for me, brings to mind orange juice on the back end.

M: Not teriffically substantial, not thin - perfect for a low ABV session beer.

O: I love every beer NEBCO makes, but I'd kill to have this canned and put in sixpacks. Canning this would immediately make it my new daily "go-to" brew. This is a delicious sessionable pale ale. The 4.8% ABV is surprisingly low for the amount of flavor available here.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2012 14:15:33 | More by audioserf

Adrianized

Connecticut

4.55/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a snifter from a day-old growler.

Pours a pale, hazy orange.  Full, white head that is foam-like, but leaves behind little lacing.

Big floral and citrus nose.  Lots of grapefruit and dank pine.  Maybe a touch of caramel malt in the background, but it's hard to get anything over the hops.

Immediately I get a piney resin that doesn't wait to leave a film of hop oil behind.  Tastes incredibly organic, like I'm chewing on hops.  Finishes with grapefruit and even more pine hops.  You know the cooling current over the tongue when you breathe after having a mint?  I feel like I'm getting hops vapors when I breathe.  Hop heads will love this.  .

Mouthfeel is light-medium with somewhat low carbonation.  As noted before, leaves behind a wicked resin of hops oil.

Overall, I wasn't too sure what to expect for a 4.8% ABV pale ale, but holy crap does this punch some flavor and a nose to match.  As we were joking at NEBCO as my growler was being filled, this brew is somewhat of a Gandhi-lite... In a very good way.  It may be somewhat one-dimensional in terms of hops overload, but considering the alcohol content I'm throughly impressed, which scored major kudos from me.  Make sure to try this is you see it on tap!

Serving type: growler

09-11-2011 18:23:29 | More by Adrianized

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

4.48/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Growler from the brewery.

Hazy chilly looking yellow gold body. Level snow white head. Good lacing.

Big enticing, inviting fresh citrus aroma. Oranges, lemons, and more.

Hint of sweet malt slips by fleetingly, quickly overwhelmed by fresh juicy sunny citrus. Nice lemon accents. Hop love nip at the swallow that lingers long into the afterglow.

Beer dances along the tongue like Fred Astaire.

A terrific light and fresh tasting pale ale which would be a great spring/summer seasonal.

Serving type: growler

10-25-2012 03:52:42 | More by RonfromJersey

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.47/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On cask at NEBCO's Friday night event for New Haven Craft Beer Week. Poured into a tulip.

A: Cloudy light orange body with a finger of frothy white head. Ok retention and lacing for the serving method, but no better than average overall.

S: Intense and amazing: to borrow a vivid description from BA Hopstoopid120, it smells like weed soaked in OJ. And I'm talking seriously dank green drenched in fresh-squeezed goodness. Totally different from the way it smelled on tap, and distinctly more memorable. Wow.

T: Opens with huge citrus fruitiness, followed by some dank herbal notes, a touch of faint maltiness, and a supremely clean, dry, bitter finish. Delicious.

M: Eminently smooth and expectedly low on carbonation. Pleasant.

O: This was like an entirely different beer, and was amazing in an entirely different way. While the tap version was terrifically fresh, floral, and herbal in a purely hoppy way, the cask version provides gigantically juicy fruitiness as well as a distinct cannabis overtone that was missing before. The juiciness also helps take the edge off of the super-bitter finish that was my only complaint about the regular version. This was the undisputed high point of the cask offerings. Terrific stuff.

Cheers!

Serving type: cask

10-01-2011 21:39:58 | More by woosterbill

Hautacam

Connecticut

4.45/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Nice bright golden , slightly hazed from the cask. Small head, like you would expect froma cask ale.
Smell is great..sharp piney hops. I have never had Galaxy before this, but I'm loving the smell of it.
Just enough malt background to soften the hop slap....and I mean that in the best way. The hops are bright, pine, grapefruit, lemon. The malt soft bordering on doughy, but just a slight hint of it.
I could drink this all day. A great APA with a lot of flavor for a beer under 5%....a nice addition to the NEB lineup.But I would expect no less from them. They are rollin' !

Serving type: cask

09-21-2011 16:06:46 | More by Hautacam

erosier

Connecticut

4.45/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

L: Pours a nice cloudy orange-amber color with a short and medium bodied white colored head that laces the glass a bit on the way down.
S: Smells of sweet roasted and toasted malts with a nice mix of piney, citrus-y, earthy, and dank hop aromas. It is a pretty interesting and very hoppy smelling beer.
T: Tastes of sweet malts then a nice mix of grapefruit, citrus-y hops, piney and earthy hops to finish off all the hoppy flavors. It has a very big but manageable hop flavor that is really interesting and tasty.
M: Crisp, fresh, medium bodied, perfect amount of carbonation.
D: Overall a really interesting and very tasty beer with a lot of hops, not for those who don't like hoppy beers.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2011 10:10:59 | More by erosier

davey101

Connecticut

4.45/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

64 oz growler of the second batch. I believe this was tapped on 9/21/12. Pour into a NEBCO pint glass.

A - Like most hoppy beers from NEBCO, this is unfiltered. Hazy orange body that resembles juice. One finger high white head forms with large bubbling. Settles into a thin white cap with loads of sticky lacing and retention.

S - Orange juice hops, pine, light grass, and some crackery malts. The finish is very faint, but its certainly of dank weed. Smell is excellent.

T - Orange and grapefruit juice, a touch of pine and grass, light and crackery malts then BAM...a huge wall of bitterness. Its just so pleasantly bitter with clean and fresh notes of citrus. There is a little danky and spicy bite to round things out as well.

M - Light to medium bodied with great carbonation. Very crisp with a lasting bitterness.

O - Another amazing hoppy hit from NEBCO. This beer drinks like an IPA, but has the alcohol of one of those new-fangled session beers. This is extraordinary stuff!

Serving type: growler

09-27-2012 01:15:56 | More by davey101

tehzachatak

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

poured into my 668 tulip

A - dull orange hazy body with a couple fingers of sturdy white head. ok retention, amazing lacing everywhere.

S - juicy hoppiness. lots of pine and citrus peel - more orange notes than most pales i've smelled.

T - awesome. first hits of lemon and orange hops fade into some more pine near the end. nice sweet citrus that lingers in a really pleasant way. very little malt - a little in the middle.

M - mouthfeel is awesome. surprised some folks have mentioned excess carbonation - this is lightly carbonated to my taste. perhaps there's some variation. anyway - medium to light body, not unpleasant bitterness lingering... this is unbelievably quaffable. this is a small 10 oz taste, pretty sure (no, 100% sure) i will face the rest of the growler tonight. should have gotten 2.

Serving type: growler

10-20-2012 18:30:05 | More by tehzachatak

zoolzoo

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 45 minute old growler...

A: Pours extremely hazy golden, hues of orange. Large, cloudy white head.

S: Stern floral and citrus aromas, some dank cannabis.

T: Comes off a lot like a "lighter" Gandhi Bot. Im having a hard time calling this an APA, especially with such a robust hop bill. Whats funny is that I understand NEB does not use galaxy hops in Gandhi Bot, yet the flavor profile is so similar. Maybe its the yeast? I guess there is a NEB "house flavor".

Still, this is not as bitter as Gandhi Bot, and the malt profile is slightly also less sweet. Hops are the star here...fat, juicy, citric. Really, an amazing beer especially at less than 5%.

O: This should be canned and put into regular rotation.

Serving type: growler

09-14-2011 20:57:59 | More by zoolzoo

sulldaddy

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

brought home a growler from the brewery at the new haven craft beer week event.
Pours cold into a pint glass with cloudy orange color and minimal eggshell white head.
Aroma is pine sap and citrus, with a bit of roasted malt buried in the background.
First sip reveals a lighter body but with sticky texture and mild carbonation that tingles across my palate.
Flavor is just a bit of roasted malt then rolls to grapefruit rind and some other citrus qualities and again a bit of pine or plant notes. Finishes with a little drying and some lingering astringency. Very easy to drink and enjoyable throughout the growler. A nice addition to the lineup and a great beer made for a great event in New Haven.

Serving type: growler

10-08-2011 04:16:19 | More by sulldaddy

cfrances33

Illinois

4.39/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

32oz growler poured into Hill Farmstead stem.

Pour: Completely clear golden orange with three fingers of eggshell colored, puffy head. Solid lacing throughout the glass, and the head retains well.

Smell: Lots of bright grapefruit, citrus, and resin up front. A touch of honey malt. Really powerful nose given only being 4.8%.

Taste: Follows through with more citrus and pine. The pine is in no way too strong, just a nice resinous dankness - this is a citrus bomb first and foremost. More of the biscuity, honey maltiness from the nose, but just enough to provide a light balance. Finishes bitter with citrus.

Mouthfeel: Packs a heavier punch than I expected... a really nice bitterness throughout, that lingers well. Rather refreshing, with a nice body thanks to the doughiness.

Overall: Really nice, clean drinking IPA. Drinks similar to Zombie Dust (clichéd, yes), but a touch less aggressive, and with familiar galaxy flavors instead of citra.

Serving type: growler

04-25-2013 17:45:29 | More by cfrances33

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Growler fresh from the brewery; poured into a pint

A cloudy orange body with a thick, creamy off-white cap that rose two fingers. Solid retention with chunky lace inside the glass.

I am so impressed with the depth of the galaxy hop. The nose and flavor profile are all over the place.

The nose is of perfumey soap, flowers, herbs, white grapefruit, orange pulp, and pine sap. Just an insanely deep and broad aroma.

Up front, the citrus fruit hits you first, unleashing a mild bitterness through the middle that mingles with perfume and flowers. The finish is a sweep of bitter pine and ganja. Not knee buckling bitter, but just a right amount. Clean malt lays low, hops are the focal point here.

Medium body, rich and creamy. The carbonation was right on point. Good drinking pale ale.

This is a well crafted beer, no question, but I am just in awe of the complexity and depth of this hop strain. This is a fantastic APA that I cannot wait to get my hands on again.

Serving type: growler

04-27-2012 21:12:56 | More by ColForbinBC

CHADMC3

Connecticut

4.23/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy straw yellow with pale hues beneath the abundant rocky white head that persists for some time and leaves a consistent sticky lacing around the glass.

Fresh hop aromas of citrus and pine float from the glass.

The flavor coats the palate with pine and citrus hops with an impressive sweet citrus aftertaste with a pleasant pine residue remaining. There is only a hint of malt mid palate with lemon grass hints as well.

Medium to lighter in body with a fair amount of carbonation and a resiny finish.

Fantastic beer that goes after being one thing and knows what it is.

Serving type: growler

10-13-2012 23:39:11 | More by CHADMC3

jimmy82063

Connecticut

4.22/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Brewed in honor of the first (and hopefully annual) New Haven Craft Beer week. Poured into a pint glass.

A) Nice cloudy yellow (not sure if this is unfiltered or not). Minimal head and there is some minor lacing.

S) Light hops and nicely floral.

T) Starts off sweet, get some grapefruit notes up front and the finish is to me lemon zest. I like the bitterness.

M) Nice medium carbonation.

O) At 4.8% you can drink this all day. It's nice to have a beer that is this sessionable but still packs a nice taste. Hopefully they save some for a cask for part of the New Haven Craft Beer Week festivities.

Serving type: growler

09-10-2011 18:49:02 | More by jimmy82063

OatmattStout

Connecticut

4.2/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Fresh on tap at prime 16 on thurdays night new haven of beer week.

Nice color with a bit of cloudy haze. not much of a head as it was busy and sat on bar but what was left was thick. Lacing was nice through out the beer.

The nose jumped out at me with seriously fresh floral and citrus notes. Definitely got the passion fruit from the galaxy. Also some fresh dank as mentioned in previous review.

Taste followed suit with all the main players for a good hoppy pale. grapefruit rind, passion fruit and a considerable grassy hop freshness that really made it special. Must have fresh hopped the shit out of this one.

Mouthfeel was just right for this beer and with this below 5% abv very sessionable.

I love Sea Hag but this one might just top it for me. Can this fucker ASAP!

Serving type: on-tap

09-16-2011 00:29:52 | More by OatmattStout

mdfb79

New York

4.2/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From 09/30/12 notes. Big thanks to Brett for sharing this growler, through way of Joey and Adam; thanks guys! 8 oz. pour.

a - Pours a hazy bright orange color with one inch of bright white head and low to moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of citrus hops, oranges, grapefruit, pine hops, fruity malts, tropical fruits, and some lemon. Ton of fresh citrus and hops to it; really awesome nose.

t - Tastes of citrus hops, fruity malts, grapefruit, lemon, oranges, pine hops, floral hops, earthy notes. Nice citrus again, more grapefruit than the nose. Still hoppy but not quite as much as the nose.

m - Medium body and low carbonation. Little more carbonation woudl be great, but guessing that is due to the growler. No bitterness and easy to drink.

o - Overall a really great, hoppy pale ale. The nose has a ton of citrus and fresh fruit/hops, and it is very easy to drink. Would love to have this one again sometime, worth seeking out.

Serving type: growler

10-01-2012 17:45:25 | More by mdfb79

PicoPapa

Connecticut

4.13/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap. Pours a murky burnt orange color with an inch of thick, frothy head that dissipates very slowly. Fair amount of lacing. Great aromas of citrus and tropical fruits, namely orange and pineapple. Taste is more citrus than tropical fruits with some yeast as well. Orange peel finish. Fair amount of bitterness. Pretty heavy mouthfeel for the style. I also never would have guessed that the ABV is below 5. This reminds me a bit of 668. Overall, NebCo continues to impress.

Serving type: on-tap

04-11-2012 20:03:38 | More by PicoPapa

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

@ Gulu Gulu, Salem MA. Brought the puppy out for a beer.

Opaque gold with a hearty white head. Several lace rings.

Grassy and grapefruit edged aroma at first becomes more buttery and orange as it warms.

Tastewise it certainly doesn't seem like 4.8%. Orange preserve hop character on mildly bready malt. If balance is the point of a pale ale this Galaxy hits the mark.

I like this new trend of low abv but flavorful pale ales that seems to be on the rise (21stA Bitter American and White Birch Hop Session come to mind). Also one of my few experiences with Galaxy other than SA 3rd Voyage - so far I like it.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2012 23:22:03 | More by donkeyrunner

Gambrinus1184

Connecticut

4.08/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on-tap in a nonic pint glass at Max Burger's CT Tap Takeover in West Hartford, Conn.

A: Poured a bright, but very cloudy, golden yellow color tinged with an orange glow beneath a creamy, one-finger head of dense, white foam that retained nicely and left some clingy lacing. Not like any other APA I've seen before, but more like an IPA with lactose added.

S: Very fresh, herbal and citrusy hop aroma. Lots of spicy grapefruit and grassiness in the nose.

T: Light, sweet and juicy malts up front hit the palate with a little orange peel and toasted grain before Galaxy hops wash over the palate. Hops flavors range from orange and grapefruit juice to lemongrass and back to a slightly hot and citrusy bittersweet finish.

M: Light to medium-bodied pale ale with loads of sweet, juicy malts and astringent, bitter hops to cleanse the palate, leaving it almost minty with a bitter citrus rind finish.

O: A very sessionable, hopped out pale ale, NEBCo's Galaxy Pale rings in at only 4.8% ABV but carries the body, flavor and complexity of an American IPA. It'll probably lead to palate burnout after a couple, but I'd gladly order one after the other in the face of stronger DIPAs or lackluster pale ales.

Serving type: on-tap

09-26-2012 00:40:35 | More by Gambrinus1184

shivtim

Georgia

4/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had a pint on tap at Prime 16 in New Haven, at the suggestion of the bartender when I asked for something local.
Nice hazy copper/orange. Well carbonated.

Nose is piney and maybe a bit grassy. Malts come through.

Taste is an all around solid pale ale, trending towards an IPA. There is a strong hop presence. Some citrus. No discernible ethanol.

I also had a little taster of their Sea Hag IPA, and the Galaxy Pale seems much better based on a limited comparison.

At under 5%ABV, this would make a good session beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2012 13:00:55 | More by shivtim

jbertsch

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Excited to try this as I love galaxy hops.

On tap at the Armsby Abbey. Served in a pint glass.

A light orangy-glow to its color. 1 finger of white head stuck around.

Aroma is real nice for a pal ale. Galaxy hops are definitely present and give off a sunny, citric feel. This is the beer's best trait.

Unfortunately it goes down hill a bit from there. The flavor gives off notes of citric hop, but there's almost no malt profile to be found and it tastes a bit too watery. I know this is a low-abv brew but that should really be no excuse for how thin this tastes and feels. What I can make out are almost faint notes of wheat (thought I don't believe it's brewed with any), and possibly some cracker malt. But I'm stretching it.
Overall not bad, and the aroma is real nice. But I think this has room for improvement. If the body came across just a little less watery, this would be great in my book. It's a nice session brew, but IMO I don't think it deserves the high scores I see here.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2012 14:24:16 | More by jbertsch