Alaskan Pale - Alaskan Brewing Co.

drewbage

California

2.7/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Sampled from a 12oz bottle at the Falcon's Christmas in July Tasting

Sharp citrusy aroma with a grapefruit rind approach with some dry toasty malt notes.

Appearance is pale orange with a light white head that sticks fairly well to the glass.

The flavor and body are ruined by a disastrous amount of buttery diacetyl and a hint of corny malt and an acidic finish.

It's unfortunate, but I I'm cerrtain this was a well travelled bottle of what feels like it should be an otherwise fine beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2003 07:55:11 | More by drewbage

JayQue

Virginia

2.75/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

My first beer from Alaska that didn't impress. Bought a mixed 6 pack in Skagway that included the Amber Ale and Summer Ale that I had tried already and the IPA that I had on tap. The pack included the Oatmeal Stout, ESB and this beer.

The Alaskan Pale poured a clear, slightly reddish gold with a medium sized white head that fades to a covering of the glass. Leaves good lacing for this style of beer.

Smell and taste are kind of skunky macro lager with a bit more malt flavor than the typical macro. There is also a stale vegetable flavor

Mouthfeel is ok for this style...not like Coors Light or other watery beer. Drinkability suffers from the vegetable after taste. Not a real bad beer but not something I would look forward to again.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2008 01:17:01 | More by JayQue

SamN

Colorado

2.78/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Could be mistaken for an adjunct. Light hues of honey and hay, quite pale and clear. Head, too, reminds me of an adjunct. Thinner and not what I like in my pale ales. Smell is of some light tropical fruits, some honey malts and a clean grassy/hoppy finish. Faint aromas. Flavor starts off with grainy malts tastes and has a flat hops taste. Cheap, tinny aftertaste. Not so great tasting. Balanced, but neither flavors are that great to begin with, so who cares if its balanced? Mouthfeel is pretty good, light-medium bodied with subtle bed of carbonation.

No juicy hops, and no slightly sweet pale malts. Just grainy low-quality malts and cheap, flat, metallic hops. Tastes too much like a Bud Light, but with slightly stronger flavor. Weak beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2011 01:03:44 | More by SamN

RoyalT

Ohio

2.85/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance – The body is just a bit on the cloudy side. The head though is gorgeous. It rose up easily even on my careful pour and pitted well as it slowly dissipated. The foamy froth left a beautiful lacing on the inside of my glass.

Smell – This one smells kind of funky. I’m not sure what it is. There’s some really cheap grain in there followed by a strange kind of sweetness. Not too promising.

Taste – Ouch! I have to part with the crowd here. I thought this was horrendous. I did like the refreshing hops, but the cheap Gummi-Bear sweetness that overpowered the smallish malt was very disappointing.

Mouthfeel – The mouthfeel was good. It was “pale ale” enough to be refreshing and everything went down smooth. It’s medium-bodied, so it’s not too thin like a lot of other attempts at the style.

Drinkability – I certainly wouldn’t by this again.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2003 03:20:42 | More by RoyalT

webbcreative

Oklahoma

2.85/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured light yellow color, much lighter expected from a pale ale, and clear as a bell, with white 3 finger head. A= not much to smell, very faint citrus hops is about all I can pull out of it. T= weak malt profile, and lightly hopped, no real hop bitterness, but defiantly some hop flavor. M= thin and watery, no body

Overall, this is a dissapointing APA, needs more everything, I would classify this as a Light American Pale Ale. Its drinkable, just not something I would get again.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2009 20:15:30 | More by webbcreative

jsprain1

Minnesota

2.85/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A- Appearance is a clear golden with rather weak head retention.
S- Fresh bread, some grain, a bit of faint citrus zest. Rather underpowering.
T- An opening reminiscent of biscuits and honey, with a grainy finish. I was left wondering where the hop presence was. I don't need a hop bomb, but the hops just didn't seem to check in anywhere.
M- Light body, and a bit undercarbed.
D- I found this beer to be pretty decent when I had it on tap. Out of the bottle, it lost its zest. Still drinkable and enjoyable, but the bottled version is underwhelming for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2010 05:33:07 | More by jsprain1

keeperchaos

Oregon

2.88/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

**IM rating Alaskan Pale Golden Ale**

It is not here, nor can I add it yet (20+) (I know, I know, get to drinking)((I have been but rating is a different story))

Thnx!

I always rate drinkability a little higher than what the other numbers may insist.

The aftertaste and smell was sour hop.
Lingering sweaty sour notes. Taste soft, okay, but not impressed, probably wouldnt buy it again, but would have one if thats what they offered. So ok, but nothing special.p.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2008 01:03:21 | More by keeperchaos

mschofield

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clear medium gold, topped with a two finger foamy off-white head, leaves webs of lacing.
Fruity aroma, toast, candy and floral notes as well.
Fruity taste, apricot, mild floral bitterness, toast, light toffee.
Light to medium bodied, drinkable but would get boring after awhile.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2005 00:39:37 | More by mschofield

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A good pour resulted in a finger's worth of bone-white head with low retention and decent lacing. Color was a deep-gold with NE-quality clarity. Nose did NOT smell like pale ale. Instead, it smelled kind of fruity, almost like air freshener. Oof. Mouthfeel was medium with a very mild hoppiness on the tongue. Finish had that same fruitiness, along with a mild bitterness at the extreme finish. Hmmm. My C/S host does not get excited about the majority of Alaskan's beers, characterizing them as BBQ beers - bring them to a BBQ and not feel bad if they get consumed. I'll agree with that on this beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2008 02:48:07 | More by woodychandler

hopdog

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle.

Poured a medium golden color with a small sized white head. Aromas of citrus with some sweet malts. Tastes of citrus and the same maltiness. This one was fine, but there was nothing that really stood out for me...

Notes from 10/28/06.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2008 16:26:37 | More by hopdog

Birmingham

Kansas

3/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Aroma: Mild yet complex aroma of mild citrus, flowery and malt notes.

Appearance: Pours clear, golden yellow with a tall white head, highly carbonated

Flavor: Balanced towards the malts, some hops flavor. The bitterness is on the low end.

Mouth feel: It has a medium-light body

Overall Impression: Easy drinking almost boring it is subtle in flavor and aroma. There is nothing that stands out with this beer (neither good nor bad). It seems to align with the style guidelines and the style guideline for a Blonde Ale describes a (boring) beer, I would not drink. I prefer beers with bigger flavor and more character.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2009 00:45:55 | More by Birmingham

ebrauser

Utah

3.03/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle to the pint glass

Appearance: Straw gold pale with ample white head.

Aroma: Bready sweetness with some honey

Flavor: Biscuity and bready. THe middle is malty mixed with citrus tones, which then leads to a mildy bitter and acidic finish. Doesn't have any strong hop backbone like other APAs, but does restrain from fruity or overly sweet malts that might confuse it for a stronger IPA

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2010 04:56:00 | More by ebrauser

rawfish

California

3.03/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours light straw-gold with surprising clarity. A decent finger high cap of white froth forms. A good attempt at lacing but it quickly falls apart with minimal retention.

Pale malt with cereal grains and sweet corn. Very little grassy hop character. One dimensional but not at all unpleasant.

Cereal grains, adjuncts, extremely raw and grainy in the forefront but less sweet corn than expected. Rather clean when it transitions to barely detectable grassy hops with a lemon twinge. Disappears off the palate with more unrefined grains.

Less than stellar carbonation over a thin, watery body. Not nearly as crisp and clean as I would've wanted.

Easy to forget that this is a blonde ale and not a pale. Hops are in short supply while the malt bill could be tightened up some. Well traveled beer but awfully grainy and raw. Alaskan has better offerings than this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 22:47:51 | More by rawfish

alexipa

Colorado

3.03/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Crystal clear yellow/orange with a thin head that turns to a slight film shortly. No lacing.

S: Bready malts, no hop aroma coming through at all. Nothing really jumps out here.

T: The malty bread notes come through on the taste, along with some nondescript hop bitterness. Bitterness seems to be entirely on the back end (this along with almost no hop scent, leads me to believe they have nearly no late-addition hops).

M: Alaskan always seems to pretty much nail mouthfeel. This one is no different, I could drink lots of these in succession.

O: A pretty forgettable but solid pale ale. I would have liked some late addition hops as noted earlier. The base beer is similar to their amber, which I like quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2012 22:54:57 | More by alexipa

harrymel

Washington

3.03/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Best by 24JAN13

Pours light golden with a solid soapy white foam sheet. Smells of grass, lime, citrus some light grain. Simple nose. Taste is grainy, light malt, some golden raisins and juice with some hints of metal. A really simple, refreshing character. Light bodied with prickly, present carb and a dry finish. Nice beer, but more of a pilsner for the most part.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 06:35:41 | More by harrymel

bditty187

Nebraska

3.05/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Hazy, pale gold in hue with a very mellow coppery highlight; the color is very typical for the style. No new ground was broken here. The head was white in color, sticky, about one finger in height. Head retention was fair, it quickly faded to a soapy cap that was close to being naked in the middle. However this tight little cap lasted the entire consumption. There was also a good amount of subsequent lacing, webby. Overall, the first impression of this beer is humdrum. Boring because it is so typical. In this case “typical” is well done. I won’t judge this beer by its cover. The nose offers some shallow hoppiness, pineapple notes are akin to something found in a cookie or cake. Bready notes from the malt are equally sweet but dull and uneventful. There are yeasty aromas with weak fruity notes that can’t be pinpointed. The potency is low. What a disappointing nose, it says nothing. Not inviting, it’s apathetic. Yawn. The palate is slightly more exciting than the nose. Slightly. Overall bitterness is weak. Hops offer hardly any flavor either, boring citric notes. Lemon. Sweetness is pliable and candy-like. Basically there is no malt backbone. I guess there is no need for one because there are no hops either. Yeasty. Fruity notes are nondescript. What a lackluster beer I have here, I don’t see any point in drink this. It is not off, just dull. There is almost no flavor! Medium-light in body, low but natural carbonation, the mouthfeel is average. This beer is very easy to drink. I bet this beer could be consumed in mass. Note though, the abv is 4.65%. However, I see no point in drinking this beer. It is too mellow, too soft, and not bitter enough. Forgettable. I purchased a 12-ounce bottle on-line from Liquid Solutions.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2005 21:44:10 | More by bditty187

Haybeerman

Colorado

3.08/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

A: Clear and gold color. A bit more than one inch coarse white head that held real decent. Fair lacing that gave way as I got closer to the bottom of the glass.

S: Malt, but a fair amount of corn underneath. Not the beer best characteristic.

T: Not the flavor I was expecting; given I was thinking APA. Not much flavor, but inexplicably nice hop finish.

M: A bit over-carbonated up front. As that gave way, it improved.

D: Smooth and easy to drink, but I think most will want a bit more.

Is this really an APA?

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2008 01:57:01 | More by Haybeerman

monkeybeer

California

3.13/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Golden Clear. No head with some light lacing.
S- Slight hint of hop and citrus.
T/M- The taste is very light a nice crisp beer. Also a sum what sweet taste
D- Drink ability is okay, bit this is a very watery beer, so it goers down pretty easy. Defiantly a disappointment from everything else that Alaskan Brewery puts out.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2008 02:22:13 | More by monkeybeer

peck95

Washington

3.13/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

a) nice straw color with really good lacing and a decent head
b) some decent floral hops not much else
c) the taste is fairly bland, a small amount of hops and some malt
d) fairly thin and also very over carbonated
e) this beer is ok, would never buy it again but very drinkable

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2009 02:44:48 | More by peck95

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.15/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle Code of A082807, Sampled September 2007
Pours with a frothy, initially fat two-finger thick, light tan colored head. The beer is a brilliantly clear, bright gold color when held up to the light and shows a rich copper hue otherwise. The aroma is fruity with citrusy hop notes of candied lemon zest, grapefruit, something akin to kiwi and a definite candied fruit component that smells quite sweet. A back note of aromatic, pale-toasted grain and crushed soda crackers rounds out the dominant fruit aromatics.

Crisp and fairly dry, yet with a touch of clean malt sweetness. Clean malt notes mix with a light, yet present, hop character that leans towards citrus (orange peel, grapefruit and a touch of lychee) and a lean grassiness. A solid bitterness is found in the beer; it is enough that it is one of the larger components of this brew, but this is such a light brew overall that this is not saying a whole lot. The bitterness definitely lingers on in the mouth long after a sip has been consumed. The malt character seems a bit thin at times, strangely even evoking thoughts of macro-brewed lager.

I am not too sure about this brew, it is certainly not bad and is well made, but it just leaves me feeling unfulfilled and as if something is missing. I wonder if replacing the American two row with a good imported base malt would kick the flavor up to the level that I am hungering for. Not bad, and I do like the hoppiness here.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2007 22:46:16 | More by Gueuzedude

illidurit

California

3.15/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into a nonic. Pours gold with a touch of orange and a nice beige head that lasts a while. Aroma is bananas, minerals, grains, and fresh bread. Flavor is bready up front and then a nice earthiness comes through. A little watery and bland in mouthfeel. Not awful but really nothing to revisit.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2009 04:18:53 | More by illidurit

jkdrummer

Washington

3.2/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice thick white head that dies down to a good layer of lace. Aroma is a little yeasty and some citrus, nothing to write home about. Good steady carb. Taste is very dull and blah. Has a hint of skunkiness and some sweetness but again, nothing spectacular. The taste reminds me of a Henry Weinhards ale, very dry finish and blah.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2009 23:09:59 | More by jkdrummer

pjwilson

California

3.23/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

was thinking this was a kolsh when i tried it. it's a nice golden ale. It's almost the exact same as the summer ale with just a touch more bitterness. the summer is actually better though. It's an all right session beer but it gets pretty boring after even just one. It's not bad though and not a typical west coast pale. Like i said i would call this a kolsh.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2005 05:10:21 | More by pjwilson

OKCNittany

Oklahoma

3.23/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Clear golden body. Thin white head. Decent retention with little lacing.

S: Equal parts malt & skunk (the stink of the macro).

T: Some light fruit but really not that much of a flavor. Better than a macro, but for an APA, not cutting it.

M: A bit fizzy up front, but that seemed to even out later.

D: Goes down easy enough, but I need more in a beer.

Is this really an APA? If so, it's my least favorite of the style. If not, well, chalk it up as a style I'm not in love with.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2007 03:25:56 | More by OKCNittany

BeerAngel

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a pale tea-like color that is very clear and sets beneath a massive 2-1/2 finger off-white head. The smell is light buttered fresh baked bread and just a hint of citrusy hops. The taste reveals much more hops than the impression of the aroma revealed and tapers into a light biscuity malt and somewhat watery in the middle, but does not end without getting more of the hops. It is not quite as complex as I like, but it is plenty drinkable especially with this low abv. It is light bodied and finishes just slightly dry. This is slightly one-dimensional and would make a nice brewpub quality beer. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2004 05:38:09 | More by BeerAngel