Patriot Pale Ale - RJ Rockers Brewing Company

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

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

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

--Thomas Jefferson

Bright kumquat orange with honey colored edges and little visible carbonation. That didn't stop the formation of several fingers of fluffy foam that is closer to ecru than ivory. Nice lace too.

The nose isn't hoppy enough for an APA, but it's still enjoyable. Smells like mostly pale malt with a mildly musky-fruity hoppiness. Challenger and Cascade are reasonable choices... if they deliver on the palate.

Patriot Pale is pretty good beer that probably won't make it all the way to solidly good beer by the bottom of the bottle. It's fairly hoppy-bitter, which makes up for a lack of cleanliness and brightness.

The malt has a slightly toasted-earthy edge that is more Munich than caramel, which is never my preference when it comes to this particular style. Challenger adds an English pale ale vibe that is more interesting than good (though it isn't bad). In the end, slight tweaks to the ingredients list would have improved this brew.

The mouthfeel is pretty impressive, which reflects well on the brewery in general. The liquid expands to a fluffy medium-fullness on contact and doesn't lose its mojo halfway through the mouthful.

Patriot Pale is my second RJ Rockers beer (Bell Ringer was the first). It's pretty solid all the way around, but doesn't do the little things needed to be truly memorable. It's too bad I wasn't home on July 4th to do this review.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2010 11:17:29 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

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

Believe it or not had this one on tap at Hooters tonight! They are finally deciding to bring in some of the local breweries. Was really thrilled to see Rockers getting some more distro in the area. The more they get the better they will become. So I hopped aboard with a Patriot Pale.

A - Poured a clear golden yellow with a decent one inch head. This quickly faded to leave just a small thin layer of lace on the top. A moderate side glass lace was present. Lots of visible carbonation throughout.

S - Quite hoppy actually. A lot of fresh cut grass with a mix of cereal grains and a touch of citrus hoppiness. Very crisp aroma. Clean. Only fault here was a little bit light, could have offered more of a punch.

T - Wow, really impressed here. It was a quick, clean crisp bite of hoppiness straight from the start. A nice orange peel hit me in the beginning and started to meld into an earthy grass flavor. Nice bittersweet malt back that melded wonderfully into the rest. But overall a very hoppy pale ale for sure.

M - Super crisp and smooth. Great carbonation throughout. Went down with ease, sort of tickling the throat on the way.

D - Great. I could pound this all night long. It was perfect with the hot wings as it was very quenching and at the same time had enough of a taste to really let it blow through, very nice.

Overall again I was quite impressed with this one. It was alot more then your typical pale ale produced in these parts. I would love to seem ore of this kinda stuff come out of brewers. The y seem to be getting quite inventive with their brews, and this is a very good thing.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2007 00:03:59 | More by mikesgroove

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.88/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a medium copper body with an almost imperceptibly haze and topped with a thin ring of white bubbles.

Smell: Effusive caramel aroma with a light grain note and very minor background fruitiness.

Taste: Distinct caramel maltiness and accompanying sweetness with a light, brief taste of grain. Lightly earthy, lightly citrusy hops and bitterness provides a touch of balance, but, ultimately, the strong caramel taste shines through to the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: A decent, reasonably tasty malt-forward pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2008 14:18:06 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a hazy golden color with a prodigious head that leaves gobs of lacing

Smell: Caramel forward aroma with some earthy hops

Taste: Starts out with a caramel flavor that is joined, mid-palate by some bitter earthy hops; astringent finish detracts, however

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: All in all, a pretty decent APA

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2006 01:22:03 | More by brentk56

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

oberon

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I have seen this brewery at beer fests here in NC but this is the first time I have tried their stuff,poured a light golden with a fluffy white head that settles pretty quickly.Not much that will make u think aroma wise here mainly toasted malt a touch of caramel but where are the hops?Likewise the taste of this beer is muted toasted malt steals the show not much of a hop profile a touch of herb but its underneath the toaste grain and caramel no real balance here.Now its a sociable pub ale I think as it goes down very easiyt no complexities make it boring and one or two would be enough for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2005 23:58:35 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Patriot Pale is a pretty basic, straightforward, English-style amber ale that balances its gently caramelish malt with a spicy and leafy hop character.

It looks good in the glass, and the frothy/creamy white head holds well and leaves some nice lacing. The body is slightly hazy... hmmm, I wonder how old this beer is? There's no freshness date. I don't pick up any oxidative notes though.

The aroma expresses biscuity malt backed by leafy and spicy hops.

The flavor follows suit, and it's pretty cut and dried here. There's not a lot of complexity to it, but there is a good deal of flavor - it's very English in nature! The gently sweet malt is caramelish and gently toasty, and balanced by a firm bitterness and a good deal of spicy and leafy hops. A thread of fruitiness runs through it as well, and helps to tie it all together. I get some apple, a bit of tangerine, and some mild citrus.

Best when enjoyed at cellar temperature, this is a firm and flavorful ale that would pair well with lots of different foods. Greasy braised pork chops with buttery mashed potatoes and a dollop of apple sauce immediately comes to mind, but there are so many other possibilities I can't even imagine them. It's easy drinking and satisfying.

Ahhh, an add-on here: I see that this is supposed to be an American pale ale, and that it's "aggressively hopped with Challenger and Cascade...". I get the Challenger to be sure, and I can see the influence of the Cascade in the minor notes of citrus, but I wouldn't call it an "American" pale ale by any stretch. I'll leave it at that, and leave my review as it is. English or American in style, it's still a tasty brew and that's all I care about.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2009 17:10:05 | More by NeroFiddled

zeff80

Missouri

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

A - Poured out a clear, golden amber color with a three-finger head of tan, rocky foam. It left sticky rings of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled floral with some citrus notes - mostly orange peel.

T - It had a nice spicy bitter bite at the beginning but then brought some sweet caramel with a touch of roastiness. There was some citrusy tartness, too.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry, clean finish.

O - This is a good APA. Very sessionable and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2011 15:52:06 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

3.63/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is hazy light amber in color and poured with a thin off white head that slowly faded into lacy patterns of bubbles. A very slight amount of carbonation is visible.
S: There are light aromas of caramel malts and citrus hops in the nose.
T: There are moderately strong flavors of caramel and toasted malts in the overall taste, which also has a very mild amount of bitterness and notes of citrus flavors.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
D: The beer goes down very easily and is quite sessionable. The flavor isn't very overpowering so it would definitely pair well with foods.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2010 03:32:32 | More by metter98

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.55/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Acquired via trade from jayli so a big “Thank You” goes out to her. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a dark gold color, with a short off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a spotty lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains caramelized malts, some citrus and some hops.

T: The taste starts out with a strong but not over-powering burst of hops bitterness followed by some mildly sweet flavors of caramel and citrus. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and brings some balance. The after-taste is slightly hoppy and slightly bready.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, although it’s not one of the top beers in the style this is still worth drinking for a while.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 04:18:30 | More by TheManiacalOne

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

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

tempest

Pennsylvania

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

Picked up a variety 12-pack of RJ Rockers from State Line Liquors in MD. Appears a clear golden amber with a tall white head and lacing. The aroma is a mix of dry cracker and toast that reminds me of DFH 60 Min's malt profile. Not enough hops here though. It could easily pass for a hoppier amber. The flavor starts out with the same malts, but then dull grassy and pepper hops slowly roll in with a hit of pine and grapefruit - nothing big, but enough for a classic American pale ale. I really can't complain, all in all this is a clean session ale with a complex enough profile.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2009 04:21:33 | More by tempest

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Nice, tight head. Leaves good lace. Hazy with a dark golden (light amber) color.

Mild aroma of fresh hop and decent malt presence.

A solid entry in the APA field. More hoppy than malty. Rich mouthfeel with an appropriate level of carbonation. The aftertaste is a long-lasting bitterness from the hop.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2009 02:09:30 | More by smcolw

jlindros

Massachusetts

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

A light fuzzy 1/2 finger head rises and quickly falls, over a clear but yeast chunks floating pale orange wheat yellow color.

Nose comes with light pale hops, light malts, a light fruit, light grassy hops. Very light nose.

Taste is kinda meh, some light malts little toasty, light pale hops, little grassy, some chewy oldr hops, little creamy, very light on malts and flavor overall. Light astringency. Finishes with a decent bitterness, lingering sticky feel and astrigency despite not having a whole lot of hop flavor.

The mouth is medium to lighter body with decent carbonation.

The drinkability is ok with lower abv and light taste, but a long bitter astringent taste and some sticky feel.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2010 21:43:16 | More by jlindros

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.18/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to derrickt007 for this in the GIF7...
Appears a light pale orange with a small white cap that fades out within a minute. Little bits of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of orange, flowers, honey, and light caramel.
Taste is of the same aromas with a slight step down. Seems like a decent Pale Ale. Not knocking my socks off but not bad either.
Mouthfeel is slightly thin but a light-medium body. The mild hop and sweet caramel and flowers die out quickly.

Serving type: growler

05-19-2006 17:57:01 | More by weeare138

glid02

Georgia

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

Bottle purchased at Hop City in Atlanta.

Pours a hazy copper color with a one-finger off-white head. The head recedes into a patchy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of sweet caramel malts with hints of earthy hops. As it warms the hop aromas intensify just a bit.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Light aramel malt flavors up front with hints of earthy and lightly floral hop flavors midway through the sip. The ending is equally sweet and bitter.

Mouthfeel is good. It has a solid thickness with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is alright. I finished the bottle without a problem but I'm not so sure about another.

Overall I thought this was closer to an English IPA than an APA - too much malt, not enough hops. Not a terrible beer by any stretch but not worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2009 05:18:15 | More by glid02

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

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

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

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

Metalmonk

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

[Hails to jabocu for the trade]

Yellow/orange body is made to look like a ginger ale only because of the soda-type bubbles clinging to the side and rushing to the head elsewhere. The head is a soapy 1/4" thick one. Good-looking sticky lace as the glass emptied.

Smells are not out front at all, but the sour grapefruit aroma tells me I'm gonna get some hops in the taste. Some other citrus tweaks too, but everything's pretty laidback in the nose.

The taste is various citrus elements, followed by a mellow hops bitterness. There's a unique, odd aftertaste that's hard to place, but for some reason makes me associate with it charred veggies on the grill. Go figure. I dig the flavor here. It's not a hop-bomb but it's not supposed to be.

Really easy, enjoyable drinking. A bit plain but certainly a step above most American macros. Unfortunately it's let down by the mouthfeel, which is like watery 7-Up or something. Other than that, pretty good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2006 22:04:57 | More by Metalmonk

DavoleBomb

Ohio

2.93/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a pint glass.

4.5 A: Clear golden yellow color. First pour yielded about 6 fingers of creamy/frothy hybrid head with (unfortunately really good retention and lots of lacing.

3.0 S: Pretty neutral in all regards. Slight graininess and even slighter fruitiness. Hops are just about nonexistent. Not bad smelling, but not really good either.

3.0 T: Incredibly boring. Nothing with a side of breadiness. Hops are a bit more prominent than in the nose, but that's just because the malts are so weak.

2.5 M: Light body with too damn much carbonation. Reasonably creamy, but not smooth due to carb.

2.5 D: Glad I only have to drink this once. Really boring.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2010 02:26:48 | More by DavoleBomb

Pencible

Virginia

3.05/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This poured a slightly hazy bright gold with white head. It smelled like bland earthy malt with lemon and copper hops, and some cultured yeast. It tasted like orange and copper and pine hops with some caramel malt. It was slightly thick with some carbonation, and had a bitter aftertaste. Overall this beer was mediocre. The scent and taste didn't match, and it wasn't very clean either. The body was ok, and it wasn't difficult to drink. But it wasn't very good to drink either.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2009 15:47:22 | More by Pencible

Jayli

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Acquired via beer of the month club
Served in a pint glass

A: This beer pours a hazy copper color with a 1/4 inch of white head. Head recedes immediately and leaves minor wispy lacing.

S: Nose is definitely a more malt forward pale - heavy on the caramel and breadiness, with minor citrus notes.

T: Taste starts with a good deal of caramel sweetness, quickly followed by a mixture of sweet breadiness and a hint of toasted malts. Finish is an oddly balanced citrus bite that still carries a touch of the sweetness.

M: Lighter side of medium body, medium carbonation, a bit of a thin feel to this.

D: Goes down already, somewhat tasty, not too filling, mild kick, ok representation of style. This wasn't a bad beer, could have been blended better, and I'd most likely opt for others of the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2011 20:35:45 | More by Jayli