Rising Sun Pale Ale - Baird Brewing Company / Fishmarket Taproom

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Mondial 2009. Golden colour with little head, they were careful in the pour. A solid American style ,pale, very drinkable with some orange , and grapefruit. Good balance, though leaning on the bitter side.Moderate aroma that reflects malt as well as hops.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2009 23:34:31 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Polished pumpkin with honey colored trim. A generous escape of CO2 on crown cracking produced a generous crown of manila colored foam that is soft and airy. The head looks better as it settles, managing to grace the glass with some decent looking lace in the process.

The nose is an improvement. First of all, it features the citric quality of an American pale ale. Second of all, the brewery says that RSPA is 'crafted in the American West Coast style'. It smells like mostly pale malt, with one or more C-hops added with a moderately heavy hand.

What could be more appropriate than drinking Rising Sun with the rising sun right outside my front window? This is a tasty version (like all Baird beer) that favors balance over hop ferocity. That must have been the brewery's goal, because the label reads 'In balance there is harmony'. While harmony can be good, the beer equivalent of punk rock can be mighty fine as well.

I'm becoming a little less impressed as the ounces flow by. The beer actually tastes more English than American, for whatever that's worth. There simply isn't enough hop flavor for this hophead. Flavors include orange peel, grapefruit peel and apricots, alongside *barely* toasted malt. In the end, the beer is a little too simple and a little too polite. To be fair, bitterness builds by the bottom half of the bottle.

No complaints about the body/mouthfeel. A somewhat generous amount of malt helps to fill things out and keep any potential rough edges smoothed over. Despite initial fears, the carbonation isn't fizzy in the least.

Rising Sun Pale Ale is my least favorite Baird beer so far. Having said that, if you enjoy the style (and happen to be placing an order at Liquid Solutions), it's a worthwhile purchase. I don't recall the price, but it's probably too high to be anything other than one-and-done. There's no need to look toward the Land of the Rising Sun for a quality American pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2009 13:54:03 | More by BuckeyeNation

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a clear, copper body with a large, foamy, whitish head.

Smell: Pale malts with a thin vein of graininess. A single, nearly missed drop of wildflower honey. Citrusy hops with just a distant pinch of earthy spice.

Taste: Pale malts with a touch of fresh, steeped grains. Meager, short-lived hint of sweet honey. Touch of apricot pulp. Citrusy hops mainly display a taste of pithy lemon rinds. Medium-plus bitterness. Small hints at delicately toasted grains. Dry, lightly bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: A quality, well-crafted APA that, while good, didn't quite sing to me as well as my previous Baird beers have. In all honesty, the somewhat heftier cost of this import mars the chance of a re-visit.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2009 03:46:43 | More by ChainGangGuy

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.38/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured an orangey color ale with a medium off-white head with minimal retention. Strangely carbonation is really low on that one. Aroma of floral and sweet malt as well as nice hops is clearly evident. Taste is kind of overpowered by slightly bitter hops with an underlying sweetness that doesn’t really do it for me. Ok without being anything too special.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2005 14:19:06 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Baird Brewing Company continues to infultrate the U.S. with an attitidue about brewing that's right at home. Where the beer shares much in common with classic American pale ales, it relies heavily on British influence as well.

The rich pour of burnt orange and honeyish amber carries with it a dense haze that gives the beer a bright rust aesthetic value. Creamy carbonation patienty lifts to the surface with a thick sheet that spans the surface. Light pocket lacing and medium retention settles the foam character of the beer with a slight lazy or lumbering demeanor.

Rich aromas of malt and hops mingle in the nose. Malty rich with the nutty and caramelly scent that gives a biscotti note from English malts. Citrus, grass, and other earthy hop aromatics blend with the citrus character that share the stage with both American and English hop notes. But the beer's aroma doesn't stop there, it also introduces estery notes of apple, peach, dates, and figs that remind the olfactory senses of light fruitcake.

Flavors of malt also rise first in taste- sweet with rich caramel, toffee, biscuit, and a dash of brown sugar. But the mid palate balances with hop flavors of ripe red grapefruit, dried oranges, peach, apricot, mango, and earthy grasses and woods. The hop compounds develop into a semi-sharp, semi-broad bitterness that again speaks to American hop zest and Brittish hop broadness. Sweetness also accompanies a bready taste that seems almost stale and yeasty in aftertaste.

With low-lying cask ale-like carbonation, the bready-sweet weight of unresolved barley rests weightedly on the tongue and relies on the stripping agents of alcohol, hop resins, and light ferment acidity to close the beer malty-dry and mostly clean.

I personally think that more English pale ale attributes are present with this ale. Regardless, the beer is very pleasant and non offensive to any lover of pale ales in general.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 16:42:31 | More by BEERchitect

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Highly hazed, bright golden/ peachy appearance, sturdy and rocky cap of foam holding it down.

Lively hoppy aroma, tickling the nose with citrus and pine, vibrant and inviting.

Drinking: citrus fruit, and trickly, enticing hops sliding down the throat, refreshing and definitely downable. Medium bodied, creamy mouthfeel, never ending flavor...soft, yet hoppy finish.

Very nice. Glad, though, I got to try this Japanese delight at 50%...think I'd still pass on it if it was still $5.50...and I'll keep reaching for comparable American versions.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2009 09:58:25 | More by feloniousmonk

metter98

New York

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A: The beer is hazy yellowish amber in color and has some particles visible being propelled around like a lava lamp by a moderate amount of carbonation. It poured with a finger high off white head that died down a bit, leaving a thin head covering the surface and lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of gooseberries are present in the nose along with some hints of orange citrus.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has flavors of gooseberries but there are also notes of toffee and subtle hints of caramel malts and yeast. No bitterness is perceptible.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very easy to drink and has interesting aromas and flavors imparted by the hops. I only wished it had a little bitterness from the hops.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 00:04:12 | More by metter98

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.45/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review based on notes

Pours a slightly chill hazed honey with 3 fingers of sand colored head. Average lacing with zero head retention

S: Light lemony hops, & some breadyness

T: Breadyness, grapefruit, & astringency up front. Leafy hops & grapefruit take over as this warms, plus some apricot. Finishes with more grapefruit & leafy hops

MF: light/medium body, okay balance & moderate carbonation

Drinks pretty easy, an alright take on the style

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2008 06:01:01 | More by russpowell

jwc215

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours hazy amber with a huge foamy head (almost too much at first). The head eventually descends leaving patches of foamy lace on the glass.

The smell is floral/pine with mild citrus and grainy/caramelish. Mildly spicy with a touch of yeast.

The taste is of herbal/floral notes mixing with a grainy/caramelish sweetness. Nicely balanced. There is a citric presence (slightly tart) as well. Nice balance shows through the finish.

It is on the lighter side of medium body. Normally I would ask for more of a body but this works well here. Also, flavors linger nicely.

Nicely balanced between hops and malt, and flavorful, this is truly a "sessionable" beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2009 04:05:47 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

360ml bottle, 5% ABV.

This beer pours a hazy dark apricot hue, with two fingers of thick foamy white head, which melts away slowly, leaving a decent, intricate pattern of lace around the glass. It smells fairly strongly of citrus and pine hops, with a reserved biscuit/toffee maltiness. The taste is bready caramel malt, orange citrus, and floral, bitter leafy hops. The carbonation is a bit on the low side, the body medium weight, smooth, and a tad creamy. It finishes clean, and dry, the floral citrus hops closing up shop.

A very enjoyably hopped-up APA, one that would give local fave Full Moon some competition, all other things being equal, of course...

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2010 22:14:55 | More by biboergosum

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a foggy gold touched brown with a nice thick crème head. Nose is earthy and citrus. Flavor is earthy as well with a nice touch of citrus character. So well balanced. Sweet, but earthy all the same. And everything is in order. Feel has a good carbonation to it and the liquid is nice. Man, this is pretty good stuff. Masterfully crafted and a real pleasure to drink. It would be real interesting to see this on cask, but that's a pipe dream I'm sure. If this is the future of brewing in Japan, I'm booking my flight now.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2008 17:12:22 | More by RblWthACoz

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Cloudy orange-amber color. Explosive opening, I lost nearly a quarter of the bottle to the floor. Then, pouring into a 16 oz glass, I could only get 80% of the remainder poured due to the head. This recedes very slowly.

Very pleasant smell of golden malt and mild hop. Inviting.

Nice complexity--malt and hop are married nicely here. Relatively dry with a neutral body and very, very high carbonation (no surprise there). This makes it feel thin. The hop pops up in the swallow but doesn't overwhelm the aftertaste.

An easy to drink pale ale. Predictable in every way after the initial surprise of overflowing bottle.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2008 21:37:32 | More by smcolw

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.88/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle purchased from @Slowbeer for me by @LaitueGonflable.

Pours a pleasantly burnished, slightly hazy golden-copper colour, with a fine, slightly bubbly head of pure white. Lacing forms in solid Urdu typography. Body looks very hefty for its ABV. Looks good.

Nose is clean, fresh and bright. Aromas of peach, sweet orange and lavender caress the senses, while a mild, slightly grainy sweetness gives some body. The lavender comes through more as it warms, banging off the sweetness to give an almost salty, sea-water freshness. It's really pleasant, actually, and a little bit unusual.

Taste is lighter, which is not unexpected, with mild smooth grainy malt forming a basis, before some mild citrus juiciness draws out the back palate. A slight crackle of pepper on the back cleans out the palate, but even then it feels a bit abrupt and abbreviated, without an oomph which allows the beer to finish properly.

Feel is smooth, however, with a lovely clean ride over the palate.

Overall, this is good stuff. It's light on the palate, which makes it easy to drink, but it has plenty of interest when you go looking for it. Another strong beer from Baird.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 07:58:39 | More by lacqueredmouse

Brad007

Vermont

3.7/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Most of the Japanese beers I've had have been macro brands, except for Hitachino Nest and now Baird Beer.

Pours a nice golden/amber color with a thin head into my glass. Very nice colors for the style.

Sweet, buttery malt with nary a hint of hops in the nose. Smells more like an English Pale Ale to me.

Taste confirms my suspicions. Pine resin and buttery malt mix in the most unusual manner.

Whatever hops there are, they were left to the aroma. Just sweet.

No freshness date so no way to know if this is what the brewer intended. Still, this is a solid example and I believe I'm correct in assuming that it's closer to the English version of this style.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 04:07:50 | More by Brad007

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very hazy orange with a good initial head, but this fades pretty quickly to a thin, swirl of a cap. Lots of orange citrus and peel in the aroma with a flash of lime and some nice lingering bitterness. Interesting. The taste has those same unusual and nice citrus components, with bitter orange and lime being foremost. A bit on the bitter, pithy side in the mouth, but crisp and juicy and very dry. Quite interesting and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2009 01:24:52 | More by Georgiabeer

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a golden amber hue with a stron three finger, spongey brain of a head. This reduces to a layer o' foam. Nice bubbling. Evergreen and orange hops with just some faint bready malts. The taste starts with hop bitterness of citrus and some pine resin notes. The malts act to balance out some of the hops flavor. Very balanced, but still pretty hoppy beer. Good drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2009 02:13:57 | More by scruffwhor

nickfl

Florida

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours with a huge three finger head of fluffy, white foam that settles slowly and leaves nice lace. The body is slightly hazy and reddish orange.

S - Moderate hop aroma that is both musty and a bit citrus like. Some bready malt with a hint of caramel.

T - Grassy hop flavors up front with toasted bread malt. Some light toffee in the middle that lingers during the hoppy finish with moderate bitterness and notes of pine, licorice, and musty hops.

M - Medium body, high carbonation, and a slightly dry finish.

D - A drinkable, but somewhat strange, pale ale. The hop character is noticeable and seems to straddle the line between American and British pale ales with notes of pine as well as musty English hops. It is significantly overcarbonated, and while this seems to mask some of the character at first, the hops come out more as the beer warms up. A nice pale ale and worth a try if you can find it.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2009 04:53:14 | More by nickfl

smakawhat

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A very large styrofoam like head of off white presented off the pour. Body color is a hazy dull amber orange. Lots of staying power and retention. On closer inspection though, body displays partials that are dark black specs, and some hazy clouds of yeast in the middle of the glass.

Real nice earthy pine and grass light hop smell on the nose with some light malts also. Smells very nice and solid.

Light hop and black pepper sense, mixing with a dirty grass and soil lemon bitter. Malt presence takes some sweetness in the finish with also herbal black tea characteristics. Just a hint of wet but not too bad for mouthfeel and some slight carbonation.

Overall not too bad, it sort of looks disgusting but tastes pretty darn good..

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 23:40:23 | More by smakawhat

dgilks

Australia

3.98/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear golden colour with a creamy, off-white head. Fair head retention.

Bright fruity aroma. Lots of citrus with oranges and mandarin dominating. Good tropical fruit notes. Quite complex and very nice.

Moderately malty and backed up with a hefty bitterness. Juicy, tart, citrus hop notes. Some nicer apple and lychee tones.

Medium body with moderate carbonation. Fine.

A solid American Pale Ale. I'm always sceptical of APAs as they are a very difficult style to master but this is quite good.

Serving type: growler

12-01-2012 09:24:49 | More by dgilks

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

360ml bottle poured into tulip sept17 2010

A hazy pale orange with enough clarity to see some bubbles and suspended particles. two finger head slowly falls to a 1/4in film that leaves some patches of lace

S some orange rind and caramel

T some spicy hops on top of what I smell, just a little pine decent but not amazing

M more carbonation then I could see creams it up more then enough to please

D I could session this with no issues except an empty bank account

worth trying and it's good knowing if I'm ever in Japan there's plenty too drink, luckily I can find many good brews from there right here in Alberta

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2010 03:52:31 | More by wordemupg

drpimento

Wisconsin

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Nice beer. I did drink this at about maybe 60 65 degrees F, so your mileage may vary. Poured with a great off white foamy frothy head and lots of lace. Color is almost barely, slightly hazy amber. Aroma is malty, hoppy, a bit of spice and citrus. Flavor is similar but with more malt, good bitter/sweet, a little fruity hard candy. Body is good and good carbonation. Nice finish like flavor.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2010 03:33:00 | More by drpimento

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

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

Appearance - pours into a sampling glass with a good showing of foam, well over a finger in depth. Good cling to the glass as it falls back. The beer is a hazy tangerine color with a lot of particulate in suspension.

Aroma - very orangey, like the heavy fruitiness of a Dipa but without the intensity and depth.

Taste - crackery base malts, on the sweeter side, followed by an expected fruity hop character. Very orangey and with a light but not very pronounced hoppiness, a little like orange Pez. More of a hoppy bite on the swallow, ending almost medicinal. They really tried to get max flavor from whatever hops they used. Nice dryness on the finish, very clean.

Mouthfeel - good crispness, average weight.

Drinkability - easy enough pale ale to drink, but at $5 a bottle, not one I'm in a hurry to try again.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2009 03:10:36 | More by brewdlyhooked13

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On tap at Popeye's in Tokyo.

Cloudy orange body with a long-lasting and well-lacing head. Thick fingers of foam streak my glass, and there's still a good half finger of head left as I drain the last sip. Caramel malt aroma along with some citrus hops has got me thinking IPA - the hops seems a bit more prominent than usual in a pale ale. Good citrus (orange, lemon and grapefruit) in the flavour, combining with floral and grassy hops to provide a decent level of bitterness. Biscuity, toffee malts balance it out well. Body seemed a bit thin, and let the flavour down a little, but the carbonation is on par with your average APA.

This is still a solid effort, and with a slightly heavier body would be a firm winner. Even with that flaw its still far above average for the style.

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2008 20:57:05 | More by bobsy

msubulldog25

Oregon

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A 355ml/12 oz. bottle with a label that's just slightly tweaked from the version shown - same design, but a bit 'rougher'-looking, emulating the style of Japanese block prints. Alc./vol. is a tiny bit lower, too: 5.0%. Poured to a pint glass.

The side label tells me that this Pale Ale is "indescribably complex, but [it] holds tenaciously to Japan's prime aesthetic value - supreme balance."

A: Pours slightly hazy, a fuzzy orange-ness that mostly resembles an apricot. Big fluffy almost-white head, over 3 fingers high from a modest-strength pour. Crackles and pops away over a minute of so, becoming rockier and creamier all at once; drops to about a finger-high then hols steady a while. Steady rising carbonation, thin rings of lace. A little unfiltered grit at the bottom, so decant carefully.

S: Has a fresh, fruity tartness blending nicely a sweet toffee-like malt. Hops mimic tangerines a little, maybe a slight pink grapefruit tart/sweetness; later sniffs bring a sort of candied fruitiness melded with toasted grain, which I can liken only to the cereal 'Fruit Loops'. Still, I like it overall.

T: Huh, now that that 'Fruit Loops' aroma is stuck in my nose, the first taste is, well, 'Fruit Loops' - a sort of vague, sugary tartness that meets a lightly toasted grain body. Hmmm... Fortunately the beer doesn't stay there or I'd be disappointed. What this beer evolves into is a bright, fruity beer that has enough of a dry, spicy kick to it to bring the 'harmony' that the label references. Lemony zest and a touchy of leafy hops, too.

M: Light-medium body, just a bit grainy due to some unfiltered-ness. Carbonation seems soft and light. Lingering dry bitterness.

D: A pleasing, rather refreshing and worthy of 'session'ing Pale Ale. No real complaints, no huge highlights. It's certainly worth a try and its one I'm glad has been introduced to the US by the Shelton Bros. But for a $5 price tag, it's one I'd consider from time to time...

Zen Brewmaster, you have achieved your balance. Kampai!

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2008 02:41:44 | More by msubulldog25

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.43/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours orange/amber with a large, lasting head.
Nose shows fruity hops at the forefront, with melon, orange blossom, grapefruit and piney notes. Underneath is faint sweet clean malt.
Similarly hoppy flavours, though there's little of the aforementioned fruit, it's more about the piney resin. Not much malt, just some soft caramel and and toasty characters hiding under the hops. Very sharp, harsh bitterness.
Carbonation is very high, leading to a dry finish.
Could really use more malt. The bitterness is pretty overbearing.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 04:23:42 | More by CrazyDavros