Drake's 1500 Pale Ale - Drake's Brewing Co.

McStagger

California

4.3/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a decently murky burnt red/orange. Two fingers white head. Rapidly dissipating. Moderate lacing. Look to be little yeasties floating in solution.

S: Right off the bat, you can tell this isn't the ordinary citrus driven West Coast APA. Tropical and stone fruit dominates the nose. Peach, apricot, mango. Floral essence in there as well, along with a bit of caramel sweetness from the malt. Expressive.

T: Many of the similar fruit flavors in effect. Stone fruit and tropical galore. Some citrus, but not nearly the amount I find in almost any other California APA or IPA. Strong, bracing...almost astringent like bitterness come across the palate. Without the insane malt bill of many IPA's, this brew's modest 48 IBU's comes across as being much more bitter.

M: Medium bodied, with good effervescence. Finishes crisp and oh so bitter.

O: An intricate, powerfully flavored session brew. Drinkable and damn bitter without dealing with 7%+ ABV's. The best APA I've had yet.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 07:00:44 | More by McStagger

Travcofarms

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +28.2%

06-18-2013 13:14:02 | More by Travcofarms

danwho

California

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

06-12-2013 15:27:17 | More by danwho

WBMiller

California

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

06-10-2013 22:15:50 | More by WBMiller

pkalix

California

4.25/5  rDev +9%

06-10-2013 13:01:19 | More by pkalix

sevenshubby

California

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

06-10-2013 00:41:15 | More by sevenshubby

pugartheterrible

California

4.25/5  rDev +9%

06-08-2013 23:53:08 | More by pugartheterrible

MacQ32

South Carolina

3.81/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

A - Pours an orange golden color, objects visible but a bit blurry through my Widmere Brothers Series 924 glass. Decent finger of near white head. Retention is so-so, a thin layer remains across the surface about 5 minutes late. Lacing is fantastic

S - Lots of sweet caramel malts, bitter with more passive citrusy aromas (grapefruit/lemongrass).

T - Pretty mild for sure. Very well balance between milder hoppy/citrus bitterness and sweet caramel malt backbone. Kind of simple and weaker than what I strive for but still very much enjoyably to drink - something I could really enjoying drinking 6+ of in a social setting. Aftertaste is pretty sweet from the malts.

M - A little too heavy to be called light bodied but pretty light. Incredibly crisp and easy to drink!

O - Nothing to write home about but this beer certainly deserves some respect. Nicely balanced (mild flavors) and very enjoyable to drink.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2013 22:57:41 | More by MacQ32

RBassSFHOPit2ME

California

4.25/5  rDev +9%

06-06-2013 00:00:12 | More by RBassSFHOPit2ME

dertyd

California

2/5  rDev -48.7%

06-02-2013 03:25:50 | More by dertyd

WDJersey

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%

06-01-2013 05:40:09 | More by WDJersey

dpollak94

California

4/5  rDev +2.6%

05-31-2013 20:01:50 | More by dpollak94

eulerthegrape

California

3.25/5  rDev -16.7%

05-31-2013 19:53:29 | More by eulerthegrape

TheBoog013

California

4.25/5  rDev +9%

05-28-2013 16:22:09 | More by TheBoog013

claspada

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +2.6%

05-26-2013 16:45:06 | More by claspada

Spaz7

California

4/5  rDev +2.6%

05-24-2013 22:10:05 | More by Spaz7

marct

Nevada

2.75/5  rDev -29.5%

05-24-2013 04:30:17 | More by marct

scotv

New York

4/5  rDev +2.6%

05-23-2013 00:24:41 | More by scotv

Bnoise11

California

4/5  rDev +2.6%

05-18-2013 05:14:37 | More by Bnoise11

Pelican5

California

4/5  rDev +2.6%

05-16-2013 07:28:57 | More by Pelican5

bruindre

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -23.1%

05-04-2013 17:59:12 | More by bruindre

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

4.15/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Consumed 4/26/13

Cheers to magictacosinus for sending me a couple of these

Appearance: Lightly cloudy, dark golden color with some lighter gold and orange highlights - small, off-white head - fades to a small, wispy cap, leaves some streaks and spots of lacing

Smell: Lightly hoppy and juicy in a non-aggressive way - fleshy tangerine and some ruby red grapefruit - maybe some hints of lemon as well - some grassy and earthy notes, with a touch of pine - some pale, sweet-ish malts in the back

Taste: Hoppy and fruity - tangerine and grapefruit flesh, with a touch of pith, floral citrus - moderate level of bitterness - additional fruitiness, including some hints of lemon and perhaps some tropical notes - pine needles, earth, and some herbal/grassy notes - malts are very pale, and lightly sweet - crisp and refreshing

Mouthfeel: On the light side of medium, nicely carbonated, nicely crisp, dry finish

Overall: A great example of a style that doesn't quite exist yet

This is too hoppy to fit into the APA category. But the malt profile doesn't quite fit into the IPA category. This is more along the lines of the newfangled "session IPA" category (e.g., Founders All Day IPA), or simply the "hoppy APA" category (e.g., FFF Zombie Dust). Regardless of what the hell it is, I really like it. It's absurdly easy to drink and very interesting. Win!

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 05:23:54 | More by angrybabboon

Hellpop65

Kansas

3.25/5  rDev -16.7%

04-23-2013 22:28:45 | More by Hellpop65

MadeInOregon

California

4.5/5  rDev +15.4%

04-22-2013 07:18:07 | More by MadeInOregon

CheapBeerBuzz

California

3.5/5  rDev -10.3%

04-20-2013 03:51:57 | More by CheapBeerBuzz