Kentucky Ale - Alltech’s Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co.

KYGunner

Kentucky

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

Kentucky Ale is a hybrid ale between Pale Ale and Irish Red. The color is near half and half as red and pale create orange. The head was creamy but weak.

The scent goes towards both with weak hops and burnt malts. Tinges of barley and malt hold the nose but get lost quickly.

Again, the hybrid nature of this ale continues in taste. Burnt malts with light malt/hop flavor are unfortunately lost in a watery taste and feel.

I'm a huge fan of this ale for the price but also I'm a bit of a homer.

Serving type: on-tap

04-26-2013 23:48:38 | More by KYGunner

chilidog

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I picked these up in Lexington, in passing. At home it poured a nice looking copper-amber. The head at a half inch, left little lace. The carbomation was moderate about the body of the same grade. Nothing over the top here. The malt I think favors this brew while balanced by a slight hop. The mouth is left with a faint, not bad, hop dryness. Drinkability is there for like I said, nothing over the top here to bother anyone.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2004 02:10:17 | More by chilidog

bluegrassbrew

Georgia

3.48/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a perfectly clear copper with a nice white head that leaves solid lacing.

Smell is some English hops and a certain breadiness.

Taste is much the same. Light English hops, fresh bread and just a hint of bananna in the finish.

The only thing that threw me off this beer was the mouthfeel. Way too thin.

Not bad by any means, but could use more body.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2007 03:47:55 | More by bluegrassbrew

metter98

New York

3.48/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is relatively clear yellowish amber in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high dense off white head that died down a bit and consistently left a thin head covering the surface and lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of caramel and toasted malts in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell, but the flavors are a little more pronounced and have initial hints of sweetness and notes of mineral water and hints of bitterness towards the finish.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and very smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very easy to drink and has a nice smooth mouthfeel, although the taste seems a little bland.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 23:48:39 | More by metter98

Dithyramb

Maryland

3.45/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had less than an hour to kill in CVG, so I missed out on the Bluegrass Brewing Company way over in Concourse C. Located within the other concourses was a nice restaurant. The only non BMC product on tap was Kentucky Ale. I sat down, ordered a pint, and watched cable news wax destruction of the oncoming hurricane.

Served in a 20 oz. pint glass at Max's and Erma's, a nice amber color. It had a very faint and short lived white head. Retention was non-existent, but there was some decent lacing.
I had this previously through a trade in bottle. Again on tap, there was virtually no aroma whatsoever, just a whiff of malt. As I had this same issue in the motherland itself with real ale, I only docked a bit off for that...
This was smooth and easy drinking, and very creamy on the mouth. Very light malt with faint wisps of hops on the finish.
Light mouthfeel and just the right amount of carbonation made this one very easy to drink and worth several.

Overall: Average to above average american try at the English version. I liked this one better fresh and on tap than in the bottle. I'd really like to try this on cask and/or nitro...

Serving type: on-tap

09-26-2005 20:23:20 | More by Dithyramb

dirtylou

Washington

3.45/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz, from kmpitz2

appearance: pours a pale golden/straw, a decent sized white head, clear and pale

smell: malty, caramel, somewhat odd smelling. aromas are almost buttery, nutty, sweet and fruity

taste: caramel malt, dry hops, buttery biscuit taste, sweet fruit, mostly apple. This serves as the base for the bourbon barrel ale, which is a bit more enjoyable

mouthfeel: medium body

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2005 01:04:11 | More by dirtylou

glid02

Georgia

3.45/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this courtesy of some friends in South Georgia.

Pours an amber copper color with a one-finger off-white head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving light lacing.

Smells of sweet caramel malts with herbal hops.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Caramel malt flavors kick things off and carry through until the mildly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with subtle carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I didn't have a problem finishing the glass, though I'm not terribly excited about another.

Overall this is a decent EIPA, though it's nothing to write home about.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2009 19:11:37 | More by glid02

jacobseyb

Alabama

3.43/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Thanks to my great Wife for bringing this one back with her from a trip to Lexington. Nice deeper amber color with a slight off white head. Aroma is gentle with caramel malts leading the way and some hoppy bitterness following, faintly piney. Taste is much the same with a generally good balance of sweet and bitter. Feel is very smooth, and has some slight oilyness on the finish. Overall a good beer, though not the best in the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2011 04:16:38 | More by jacobseyb

barnzy78

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle, pours amber with a thin off-white head that leaves little lacing on the glass. Aromas are sweet and malty with toasted grain and caramel dominating the nose, slightly earthy. Tastes match the aroma with more malty sweetness, toasted grain, bready, prickly, earthy, modest piny hop bite on the end. Feel is thin-medium and creamy. Overall, not too bad. I get the Irish Red, I get the EPA, but nothing ground shaking here. Well put together for what it is though. Not sure that I'd buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 04:08:07 | More by barnzy78

scooter231

New York

3.4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear, rusty ruby color, quite pretty, with some off white head that dissipates quickily, but leaves some decent lacing around the glass.

Nose is faint, but from what I can smell, I get some malty and breadnyess, and after warming up, some sweet grassy... corn? scents.

Taste is very very malty, lots of bready, rye flavors going on. Nose, intensified, and much sweeter. Mouthfeel is pretty decent- sudsy, chewy, slick. Overall a pretty decent beer- much preferred over the light version. A bit too sweet for my taste, but not at all shabby.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2009 00:52:10 | More by scooter231

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I picked this up at the class six @ Fort Knox. From Alltech's Lexington brewery decanted at cellar temp into my Dogfish head shaped pint.
The bottle is an attractive color scheme of red, black, gold and white w/ alltech's logo behine a centrally displayed horse head and multiple horses on the neck label and cap let you know this ale is from the land of horse racing.

A - Medium amber like honey w/ a very ecru cap and evenly spaced bubbles to comprise a head of smooth texture. Bubbles steadily rise to upward to greet the head and indicate a fair amount of carbonation. The ale is pleasing to the eye w/ brilliant clarity.

S - Mild malt in the nose which comes off as simple and straight forward. Pale malt w/ perhaps a touch of corn or rice for sweetnes.

M - Subtle malt & fruit w/ a mix of sweet and dry in the malt textures. Rather grassy as the timid sweetness w/ slight cereal feel relaxes the bottle is absorbed into my gullet.

T - Very smooth w/ bready malt w/ a touch of grassiness and hinto of melon-like mild sweetness w/ a kiss of honey and a tad of grainy flavor w/ a yeasty tinge. There is a nice herbal interplay, but the flavor doesn't come off as very British - I consider this a nice golden ale w/ nice malt dominance.

D - This beer is very satisfying and drinkable w/ smooth malt quality that lasts from start to finish w/ a vegetal notes that deduct from the overall experience but still for $5.45 a sixer you can't really beat it.

A -

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2008 02:36:34 | More by Slatetank

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.34/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Wait, there's no barrel here? Anyway, this stuff pours a clear sunset brass topped by a half-finger of off-cream foam. The nose comprises mild honey, milder biscuit, light apple, and a vague smattering of flowers. It's light and simple, but fairly pleasant regardless. The taste brings in more of the same, with that pesky apple character playing a larger role. It's this apple-ness that really detracts from the positives a bit too much for my tastes. The body is a light medium, with a very light moderate carbonation and a generally fluid feel. Overall, a nice little English-esque brew, one I could see being a mild-ish staple if I found myself in Kentucky, but that damn apple character doesn't endear the beer to me all that much.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 21:48:53 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.33/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pale, clear tangerine appearance, slim, short-lived head.

lightly fruity nose, traces of citrus, sweet tints of honey & herb...

Smooth and soft, thinnish body, faint finish. Small citric astringency, gone in a flash. Not much flavor, but palatable enough. An easy-drinking, inoffensive, meek and mild ale.

Not exactly a thriller in my book, but then, wasn't meant to be. I wouldn't be so rude as to turn any down, however.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2006 01:29:53 | More by feloniousmonk

kinger

Ohio

3.33/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

All around solid ale. Amber in color with a decent head. The flavor is much better than I anticipated so I was quite pleased. Standard flavor for an english style ale. The taste is good and the price is right unfortunately it is hard to find in this area. I will pick more up if I ever run across it again.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2008 19:39:53 | More by kinger

Groomsy

Kentucky

3.33/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I scored a six-pack of this on my way home from Kentucky for Thanksgiving break from school. 12 oz. bottle with "bottled on" date of Sep. 10 2010, poured into a regular pint glass.

Appearance: A smooth pour yielded a thin one-finger eggshell colored head which disappeared very quickly to an outer rim of foam, leaving very little if any lacing. The beer itself is a very light amber/copper color, very close in appearance to most pale ales. To note, Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale is very similar in appearance. The overall appearance is average for its style, but its head retention and withering carbonation was a little bit of a letdown.

Aroma: Honestly, it smells like a regular pale ale... mostly. There are some sweet and earthy malts which smell kind of roasted but certainly not sweet enough to make one think of an Irish Red. The hops are also fairly standard and earthy with some zest to them, but the somewhat strange part about the aroma of the beer is its undertones of grains. Wheat, maybe? (That doesn't sound too out there for this beer.) Again, fairly standard "beer" smell with some of its own character in the grain undertones, but nothing too crazy.

Taste: Very crisp and refreshing at first, some very sweet malts hit the tongue initially. This is followed by a slightly spicy hop profile, but the beer finish is a weird blend of caramel malts and and the mentioned grain overtones. I guess if I had to sum it up, the fusion of the two flavors goes in linear fashion: The crispness and freshness - particularly the hop profile - of the English Pale Ale comes first and is followed by the slightly roasted character of the Irish Red and the sweetness in the finish. The beer is balanced, but the fusion of the two flavors can be disconcerting; it makes one wish that the beer would do one or the other, considering that the flavor profile of each is slightly watered down: It's like a mix of Killian's and a standard - but not spectacular - EPA.

Mouthfeel: Fairly smooth and slick, though the carbonation at first can mask some of the flavor. Very dry and crisp finish.

Drinkability: This a fairly balanced and simple beer; I can see it going with just about anything as far as food goes. While not spectacular on its own, this beer may serve as my local go-to brew for its consistency and its originality. A big step above many macro-brews, and a drink like this is probably a good crossover beer for macro drinkers.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2010 05:11:53 | More by Groomsy

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Lexington Brewing : Kentucky Ale

LOOK: Pours a bright crystal clear copper.

SMELL: Pale and Caramel malts, toffee, small hop.

TASTE: Caramel, toffee, spent grains, mild hop bitterness.

FEEL: Medium bodied, crisp and well carbonated.

OVERALL: An average session ale, not that theres anything wrong with that.

Serving type: on-tap

04-22-2012 21:20:55 | More by Stinkypuss

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.3/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Another fine extra that we chose to grab out of the fridge for a recent tasting, this one was served cold and poured into a pint glass, enjoyed on 03/26/2010.

The pour was decent enough. Golden amber in color with a big head of white that capped the top nicely. Rich lacing down the sides of the glass eventually gave way to a small broken crown that was reinforced by a constant stream of carbonation. Aroma is light, bready and musky with only a hint of caramel and light hop to balance it. Had a bit of a wet hay note as it warmed to which did not do it any favors. Clean, very light feel here, well carbonated and easy to drink but the flavor was lacking any real punch. Better then a common macro lager as the caramel malts and light grains seemed to work well, just needed more of a kick to make it interesting. Still a decent showing through and it went down easy enough with a long flavor of caramel sweetness on the tongue after the final sips.

Overall not bad. Nothing I would probably go after again, but I would have a hard time saying this one was bad in any way. Certainly average.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2010 03:02:25 | More by mikesgroove

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Had this on 2013-01-21 in Columbia, PA

A - Yellow-amber with a huge 3.5-finger pillowy head that sticks around. Not a great pour as there wasn't much room left in the glass for the liquid.

S - Fresh-cut sweet and tart apple, mild yeast and a touch of grain.

T - Toasted white bread, nut, apple, touch of caramel. Mildly bitter with a little hop spice.

M - Light-medium body and medium-high carbonation. Smooth.

O - Decent, not great.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 21:16:33 | More by Tucquan

yankeeheel

Maine

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

Pours a translucent gold with a two finger whiteish head. Little retention or lacing.

Smells slightly of caramel with a little citrus coming through.

Tastes like an average pale ale. Nicely toasty/buttery up front with the pale malts doing the talking. Perhaps a little underhopped as the end just kind of fades off without any real character.

Mouthfeel is moderate. Carbonaton is acceptable.

It's ok, but so are a thousand other pale ales.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2004 00:22:15 | More by yankeeheel

secondtooth

Indiana

3.23/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours an attractive transparent amber. Nice head that quickly dissipates with no lace.
Flavor is malty and sweet, hinting at honey and biscuit, with no detectable hops presence.
Not terrible, and a nice, light brew. However, this one's got no complexity or any trace of a unique flavor profile. Very average, any way you cut it. I wouldn't buy one of these again.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2011 15:24:28 | More by secondtooth

billab914

Virginia

3.23/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle given to me in a mix of beers from a family friend from Ohio. It poured a clear, light amber color with a thick, foamy head filling the top inch plus of the glass.

In the aroma I get some floral honey flavors really coming out. Some pale, sweeter malts are there as well as a little hint of caramel. I liked the honey notes I got out of it.

The taste shows more of the pale malts up front with some sweet, malty, caramel like notes to it. Towards the finish some of the honey flavors start to come out and mix with some toasted malts.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with carbonation being moderate. Overall it was a lighter, easy drinking beer with some pretty decent flavors to it. I liked the honey, floral like flavors that got out of it. It wasn't bad at all, but it just didn't have anything that really stood out either.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 01:17:35 | More by billab914

Pauly2X

Wisconsin

3.23/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- Light amber with a very slight haze. Half finger head is supported by obvious carbonation.

S- Very malt forward, sweet, nutty and biscuity. Little to no hop aroma noticed.

T- Caramelly malt with mild toasty, nutty notes. More biscuit character joins the middle before trailing off into the finish.

M- Fairly smooth even though the carbonation is a bit high.

O- Nothing really great, however it still manages to be a pleasantly drinkable beer. Not a bad choice for intoducing someone to craft beer either.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 11:47:42 | More by Pauly2X

ElGeordie

Virginia

3.2/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Hilton hotel bar, lexington Green.
I ordered this knowing nothing about the beer or the brewery. Visually it was a clear copper colour with a tight white head. Tastes like an American pale ale with a touch of another grain in there (rye or wheat maybe ?). The hops were very restrained and the adjuncts left a strange after taste. Not bad but I couldn't drink it all night.

Serving type: on-tap

07-21-2009 18:18:42 | More by ElGeordie

maximum12

Minnesota

3.18/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to BEERchitect, who sent me this brew along with a bunch of other Kentucky beer I'd never heard of & am looking forward to.

Very light amber on the pour, & quickly settles into looking still & coppery in my New Belgium goblet. Smells grainy with a handful of rice thrown in.

I'll admit to being a little leery of the Kentucky Ale, since I was in London last month & every English Pale Ale I sampled was blah, or slightly better if I was lucky. Can America do a better English Pale? The answer is yes, a bit. This has more character. The grain is up front, followed up by a busted up bread, all on a bed of slightly sweet malt. I can see this being a great session brew, or a fine way to intro people into the "craft" movement.

Overall decent enough brew. Nothing stands out about it, but I'd take this over any EPA I had in the old country!

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2009 23:47:51 | More by maximum12

Brenden

Ohio

3.18/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The color is a very pale amber, basically yellow-orange. A white head has fair retention but leaves little of itself behind in the form of lacing.
The nose is a little malty, a little earthy, and mildly sweet with a seemingly fruit presence. There a musty grains note underlying. It's pretty underwhelming.
I've rarely had as much difficulty describing a beer's flavor profile as I do with this one. Mild, with very little hops or malt presence at all but a sweetness and earthiness that combines for an odd funk make up the basis. There's an odd flavor in the aftertaste as well.
This beer is light-bodied, somewhat crisp but not exceedingly smooth.
I don't see this as being a good representative of the EPA.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2010 20:37:04 | More by Brenden