Patriot Pale Ale - RJ Rockers Brewing Company

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.68/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from tap into RJ Rockers shaker at The Tap Room at RJ Rockers. Pours golden yellow with a one finger white head. Maintains excellent lacing throughout. The aroma was comprised of malt, grain, and wheat. The flavor was of malt, grain, and a nutty note. It was light on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was not too bad. Had a nice appearance, aroma, and flavor. I usually don't enjoy the nutty aspect to some brews, but this one was very subtle and not intrusive to the other flavors. In my opinion it might could use a little more malt, but other than that, not too bad.

Serving type: on-tap

08-12-2010 12:08:42 | More by thagr81us

hellomcfly

South Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Light golden yellow in color. Average white head.

Smell was citrus and grass hoppiness.

Taste was more citrus and grass hops. Very much a basic, but very well done, pale ale. Pretty much what I think of when I think of a pale ale. Doesn't knock me out but fulfills the standard of what a pale ale should be.

Mouthfeel was medium bodied with the right amount of carbonation

Very drinkable. A lot of people have compared it to SNPA but I think I like it better. Glad to see SC putting out a good example of hat a PA should be.

Serving type: on-tap

09-04-2008 00:20:13 | More by hellomcfly

dhd1491

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +26.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Doesn't get much better than last night, for a beer enthusiast. I was in Spartanburg, SC for a business meeting. The owners of the company that I do business with just bought into local brewer R.J. Rockers and are in the process of "taking it to the next level". Anyway, we held our business meeting at the brewery. We ordered in some kick-ass BBQ from "Pig Out" (off I-26 on the way to Asheville...highly worth seeking out) and liberally sampled from the five brews on tap and one bottled.

My favorite (and also the favorite of brewmeister Mark Johnsen) was the Patriot Pale Ale. Medium-gold clear with a decent head that lays down rather quickly, this pale ale verges into IPA territory with its generous Challenger and Cascade hops. Bitter hops balances nicely with sweet caramel maltiness. Very easy to drink. No disagreeable flavors at all and a nice complexity of tastes. They are justifiably proud of this brew.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2008 14:20:00 | More by dhd1491

aforbes10

Iowa

3.35/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had this on tap at Delaney's in Spartanburg. Looked brown/orange with a short white head. Smelled like mild malt, orange, basic american hops. Taste was smooth and hoppy, probably cascade or centennial, almost a doppleganger for sierra nevada pale but somehow not as creamy or delicious. i think maybe it didnt have the staying power or something. pretty good for a small local brew though and better than anything else at that place, imo.

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2007 03:42:36 | More by aforbes10

kangarooAdam59

Pennsylvania

3.49/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Found downhere in DE:

Into a mug:

A: golden body, one finger`s worth of white head, light speckled lacing, some rings,

S: pale malts take center stage, hopped just enough to make a presence as it warms

T: bitter and slightly sweet here and there, sweet aftertaste, sticky finish

M: light to medium, sessionable, carbonation is spot on

O: I say this is good for the style and good for me

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 18:36:55 | More by kangarooAdam59

cyclonece09

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured aggressively from a 12 oz bottle into a 14 oz "pint" glass. Pours a nice cloudy orange straw color with a foamy white head. Smells of flowery hops, very nice. Tastes of orange and light hop bite with earthy notes. Beer is carbonated a little heavily but it is a very drinkable light bodied beer. Overall, a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 03:57:27 | More by cyclonece09

KTCamm

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

Pours hazy copper orange with 1/4 inch white foam. Opaque. Bready malt nose. Some fruit too. Firm hop flavor, and chewy malt. Layer of caramel beneath. Firm carbonation lends balance. Good pale.

Overall a good beer, not outstanding, but worth drinking.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 17:27:11 | More by KTCamm

klkatz

Pennsylvania

2.58/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

the review below is done through voice recognition on my phone - i like how 2 and a half becomes tuna half... fun to leave for posterity... and it's fun to translate later... especially since I'll leave the reviews in for months and forget exactly what I said... enjoy the mayhem...

R Jay Rocker pale ale

Color Amber transparence three

Taste watery slightly better below-average2.5

mouth feel terrible to

smell Malathi very average average my son says it smells like a gorilla

Overall unimpressive tuna half

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 03:06:35 | More by klkatz

jkrich

Indiana

3.41/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from an undated 12 oz. bottle: murky, golden-yellow with an inappropriate, overflowing fluffy white-head.

Very pleasant malty aroma with light scents of fruit wafting upward.

The flavor is a little coarse with a zesty lemony flavor dominating at first with a sour, biting bitterness following through on the tongue. Not as bad as it sounds as the flavor mellows out after warming in the pint glass. The label states the ale has a "sweet caramel finish". I don't detect that at all, but it is refreshing.

Thin bodied and overly carbonated, the flavor and mouthfeel are short-lived on the palate.

Starting from the initial pour, this one was very uneven but did have some redeeming qualities. I wonder if I have an old bottle or a poorly bottled ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 23:44:20 | More by jkrich

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.15/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured into an Allagash glass on 8/4/12

3158 printed on the label

Thanks to PDXHops

Cloudy, dirty gold; looks like dark pineapple juice. The head is quite billowy, rising to three fingers before taking its merry time to deflate. One downside is that hardly any lace is left as the head dissipates.

Hoppy enough aroma with notes of orange, lemon and grass. Herbal overtones sneak in as the beer warms. Maybe a spritz of grapefruit. Tart apple. Crackers and doughy biscuit.

Grassy hop flavors are quickly overrun by pine bitterness and a sort of juicy lemon and orange mid-section. The latter half of the beer finds herbal pepperings and a grapefruit pith bitterness. Cracker and toasty bread drift about.

Medium-light body crisp feel imparted by vigorous, lively carbonation.

Overall impression - I actually like this one for the most part. It has some interesting things going on (starts to make me thinks of prairies after a while).

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 22:01:36 | More by Ryan011235

ZAP

Minnesota

1.4/5  rDev -59.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

Don't care for the mouthfeel....charged up....spritzy...lacks malt backing but not real bitter either...just not a lot of flavor...if anything a bit of green apples on the nose and a slight sourish twang on the taste...actually more than a slight twang...definitely pronounced...but still does not strike me as old....just a poorly made beer...the hops do emerge a little but they don't add much but some bitterness..

Not good....not impressed at all. Not sure if this bottle is indicative of the beer but it is what I have...and this bottle rates this low...seriously this would have to be 4 years old for most beers to taste this bad and I know it is not...only code reads 3122....a little internet research seems to suggest this was brewed in January but wtf knows with this backward ass codes....

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 04:16:14 | More by ZAP

bashiba

Iowa

2.7/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured a slightly hazy bright orange with a thin white head.

The smell is lightly hopped with grassy noble hop qualities and a touch of crackery malt.

The flavor has a very dull coppery flavor with light grassy hop flavors and a lingering tinny bitterness.

The mouthfeel is light and dry.

A pretty boring and flawed pale.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 21:31:18 | More by bashiba

Gavage

New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: pours a hazy orange color with a 1" head that lingers around awhile. Some moderate lace sticks to the glass.

Smell: caramel and orange sweetness rises from the glass.

Taste: caramel, orange, pear, and a moderate bitterness makes up a basic APA. There is a bit of a bready profile here.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Crisp at the start, less crisp and a bit dry late. Short lived aftertaste.

Overall: an easy drinking beer that wont blow you away, but is very sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 20:23:29 | More by Gavage

kojevergas

California

2.68/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a Hefeweissbier glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Acquired as part of an RJ Rockers variety box purchased at Hi-Time Liquor in Costa Mesa, California. Expectations are below average; this brewery seems pretty meh.

Served refrigerator cold. Paired with nachos.

A: Pours a one and a half finger head of white colour, fair cream, decent thickness, and average (~two minute) retention. Colour is a predictable transparent bright copper. No floating yeast particles are visible. Nothing unique or special here.

Sm: Some grassy and floral hops. Clean malted barley. That's it. A simple mild strength aroma.

T: Grassy and lightly floral hops, with bitterness emerging blatantly on the climax. The hops are neither fresh nor stale.Clean malts form the backbone. Hints of citrusy hop notes. Boring, bland, and dull. Very simple and predictable. It's balanced alright. Structurally uninteresting. Not at all complex or subtle in any way. There's nothing unique here. Largely unrefreshing.

Mf: Smooth and wet, with okay thickness. Adequately carbonated. Very meh. Suits the flavours merely generally.

Dr: Drinkable but forgettable. I won't be having this ever again unless it's the cheapest micro option available at some awful bar. Even fans of the style will be underwhelmed. Leave this one on the shelf where it belongs.

C-

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 01:23:10 | More by kojevergas

EricCioe

Montana

3.4/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to my sister for getting us the beer of the month club that this came in.

This pours a full gold with a small white head. On the nose there is a good deal of caramel and bread with an earthy hop mixture in the background. In the mouth there is an immediate but mellow hop bitterness backed up by a good deal of caramel malt. This is a very balanced pale ale, almost English in style, which is fine by me. The body is medium with a long finish of citrus.

Overall, this is a fine pale ale on the very balanced side of the continuum.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 23:15:42 | More by EricCioe

UCLABrewN84

California

3.4/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy light honey orange with a 3 inch puffy orange-white head that settles to an island of foam. A nice latticework of lace forms on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt and a very perfume-like citrus and herbal hop presence. Taste is of malt and herbal hops with a slight metallic flavor on the finish. There is a medium level of bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a high level of carbonation with an extremely bubbly and crisp mouthfeel. There is just way too much carbonation on this one. Overall, this is a pretty good pale ale but the carbonation issue takes away from the drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 00:47:51 | More by UCLABrewN84

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.18/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The date code on this beer was 2206 which I am not able to figure out what exactly that means.

A: Pours a crystal clear golden yellow with light amounts of visible carbonation. This beer has a huge and powerful head - two and a half fingers tall, foamy, and white. The head probably had some of the best retention I have seen in quite a long time. Significant lacing is observed. Additionally, there is a small amount of sediment/yeast in the bottom of the bottle.

S: Aromas are mostly of grassy hops with some subtle hints of citrus.

T: Flavors are primarily grassy and citrus hops with some sweetness (caramel and butterscotch). This beer has an earthy bitterness in the finish.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation.

O: Quite drinkable and better than I expected. This was an unexpected discovery at New Beer in NYC since I was not even aware this was distributed in this area, glad I had the chance to enjoy a beer from a brewery I do not normally see. Very sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 02:52:40 | More by dbrauneis

devilben02

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a gorgeous golden orange color, with a thick, frothy, cream-colored head on top. The aroma features a nice but understated balance of woodsy hops and light caramel malt sweetness. The flavor is likewise fairly balanced, but the hop profile shows much more complexity, with notes of pine intermingling with a caramelized sweet citrus character. There is also a slight dull, increasingly metallic quality that detracts somewhat from the enjoyment of the flavor. The light, soft carbonation is generally pleasant and allows for a slight lingering bitterness, although that dull metallic character lingers as well. Overall, this is a solid, drinkable pale ale that is only slightly less than completely satisfying.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 14:32:05 | More by devilben02

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.93/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from notes, consumed about a 5 weeks ago. Date Code of 11 5 10, uh-oh..

Pours amber with 2 fingers of cream colored head. Great lacing & head retention

S: Grassy & citrus hops in decent amounts

T: Follows the nose up front, much grassyness & biscuitty malt. Dryness as this warms, some caramel sweetness too, a bit of butterscotch sweetness with lemons & orange peel. Finishes strong, nice earthy bitterness, slight sulphury notes & slight caramel sweetness

MF: Medium bodied, firm carbonation

Not a bad PA, fairly drinkable. I don't this was a year old, this beer seemed fresh to me...

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 03:12:49 | More by russpowell

speter

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Very hazy pale yellow with a two-finger fluffy white head.

S: Honey and orange juice alongside a toasted biscuit. Mmm, breakfast.

T: Very nice orange-like hops playing off the honey malt notes.

M: Brisk carbonation and medium body combined with mouth-coating hop oils.

O: A very nice American Pale Ale. Too bad we can't get it in NJ.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2011 23:42:19 | More by speter

rangerred

Tennessee

3.95/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

Pours a hazy gold with a 1.5 finger off white head. Lots of floating sediment which knocked the score down a bit.

Smell is of citrusy hops with orange being predominate. There is also some bready malt detectable.

The taste is a nice balance between citrusy hops and bready malt. Bitterness is held and check and is at an appropriate level for this beer. Mouthfeel is spot on.

This is really a pretty respectable APA and one that I enjoy on a regular basis.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 21:03:48 | More by rangerred

Schneic8

Ohio

3.03/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a mug. Bottled on 6/1/10

Appearance: Poured a cloudy orange color with a foam white head.

Smell: Light/faint aroma of fruits. It has a sweet caramel smell as well.

Taste: I taste the caramel and toasted malt. Not a ton of flabor and kind of boring. I also get a strong fruit flavor afterwards.

Mouthfeel: High carbonation with an initial crispness. Has a slight bite going down and finishes with a mild bitterness.

Overall: Okay beer that I was not overly impressed with. Seemed to be a pretty standard beer with not many overpowering qualities. I would probably try again.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 03:47:13 | More by Schneic8

socon67

New York

4/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got this in a Box of Rocks sampler.

A - Pours amber with a solid white clingy foam. Some carbonation and there is nice lacing. This looks like a really nice beer.

S - Aroma of cascade hops. Has a fresh wheat smell also.

T - A bit of caramel flavor, but mostly a fresh tasting beer that has a refined hoppy finish.

M - Crisp, medium bodied, and a raspy hop finish.

O - Pretty impressive. A good APA that is just solid in every aspect.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 18:07:39 | More by socon67

Lolli1315

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- A hazy orange color with a creamy white persistent head. Little lacing, but not much.

S- Sweet malt smell with a citrus middle. A grassy hop aroma compliments the citrus starting in the middle and continuing to the finish. Slight off smell that I can't quite point my finger on.

T- Prominent malt beginning and follows the smell into low levels of citrus. Grassy and citrus hops emerge in the middle. Moderate bitterness begins to rise in the middle and continues into the end.

M- Medium body with a moderately dry finish.

O- Not bad, but nothing great either. Really nothing special sticks out, but don't mind drinking it.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2011 02:21:19 | More by Lolli1315

damndirtyape

Ohio

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

12oz bottle poured into a Shaker pint glass. Bottle had no clear date stamp, but "061010" was on the side. Hmm...this beer could be over a year old.

Appearance: Cloudy orange-yellow beer with a thin off-white foam across the top. Persistent strands and small sheets of lacing here and there. The pour brought along some sediment, so some fine particulates can be seen throughout the beer - some bigger than others. Good color and lacing, not so sure about the particulates.

Smell: Orange citrus, a hint of pine, and some definite sweetness in here. Maybe even a hint of biscuit. Initial smells were much more hoppy, but as beer sits and warms up a tad the other smells described above are more prevalent.

Taste: Quick orange citrus, then honey and biscuity malt, and then a mild bitter (citrus again) finish. I think I would describe this beer as malty with hop highlights - kind of like the hops frame the beer start and finish, but the sweeter malt is the theme of this beer.

Mouthfeel: Just right carbonation, slick, and just thicker than water. A tiny hint of hop oil sticking to the teeth.

Overall / Drinkability: Not bad given what I think may be the date on the bottle, and if the beer is over a year old, it has held up well. I wonder if it would be more balanced in regards to the hops if it was fresh, but hard to tell. I think in the end it's okay. An above average APA with an interesting smell but I'll have to leave it at that. I may visit it again when I know it's fresh to see what happens to the malt flavor.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 22:31:02 | More by damndirtyape