Coopers Original Pale Ale - Coopers Brewery Limited

dansmcd

Australia

3.08/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Looks like a witbier, cloudy and very pale with a finger of dense creamy clean white head, followed by some subdued sheet lacing.

S - Faint grassy hops and distant stonefruit, low malts.

T - Soft hops note leads to a slight bitterness.

M - Medium bodied and decent carbonation.

O - Fairly low profile pale ale, nothing spectacular but drinkable when faced with lesser alternatives.

Serving type: on-tap

05-10-2012 00:12:51 | More by dansmcd

vickersspitfire

Texas

3.68/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass, this beer has a semi dark(dirty blonde) with a gritty body and is topped off with a tan thick head that’s very frothy and has hints fermentation. It has some faint smells of lemons, apple, and orange. Its crisp and harsh on the tip of your tongue, the hops are pretty present but not overpowering-it is slightly bitter overall. It’s pretty easy to drink and the bitterness becomes more tames in its aftertaste. It does has a light to medium mouth feel.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 01:29:50 | More by vickersspitfire

Zimbo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

2.85/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

Well, it started well at least. Popping the cork brought a fresh sweet beery aroma and when it went into the glass the smell just expanded as I watched the bright hazy yellow fill the glass. Reasonably forceful beading though this turned out to be rather forced and fiery: much like what was to come. To taste, the mouthfeel just invades with a hugely unpleasant carbonic crunch in the mouth and throughout the drinking experience.

I love Cooper's Sparkling Ale, their stout, their Vintage but this really is a blemish on their reputation. and that's always been the case I'm afraid.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 23:51:26 | More by Zimbo

Cyberkedi

Georgia

2.95/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a clear, typical sunny yellow with a decent, if not persistent, white head. Aroma is - hello? OK, not strong, just malty, a teeny fruity, nothing special but still acceptable. Malty flavor has hints of fruit and hops, and is on the wan side. Smooth texture has average body and little fizz. This is best as a party beer or along with a meal.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2012 00:56:30 | More by Cyberkedi

avalon07

South Carolina

3.1/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a yellowish color and a cloudy consistency. There was a half inch of foamy, fairly long-lasting head. Average lacing.

S: A malty, slightly hoppy aroma, with traces of bread as well.

T: Tasted of light hops and malt, a little lemon, and a kind of biscuity/bready quality in the finish. There's something oddly off-putting and flat about the flavor. It never seems to rise above average.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a crisp, clean finish. Light-bodied.

O: Could have been better than it was. Not a terrible beer, but pretty forgettable.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 13:28:01 | More by avalon07

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

2.78/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Bottle at a pub in Melbourne. From notes.

A - Poured cloudy, dark golden. Good carbonation with a film of head. Yeast sedinment in the glass and a little lace and film of retention.

S - Citrus, grass, grapefruit.

T - Pear, apple, lagery-y. Lemon is strong, yeast and biscuit notes.

M - Strong carbonation, medium body and a lingering fruitiness.

O/D - Meh. Far too lemony and not an interesting pale ale. Doesn't really fit the style or taste like I'd like one to.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 21:43:24 | More by tbeckett

Everydayoff

Thailand

3.25/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

375ml bottle poured into a pint glass by freshness date.

A:
Cloudy rich gold/honey color, decent foamy white head with decent retention, the head recedes to thin white film on the surface and leaves with just tiny lace, rather high carbonation.

S:
The smell consists of yeast, fruity note, grainy malt, husk, honey, lemon and toffee.

T:
Yeasts produce fruity trait and slight tartness along with lemon zest from hop. Malt reveals by a trait of sweet and husky grain that slowly dries up the palate while slight bitterness from hop lies beneath.

F:
Medium body, smooth mouthfeel with some lively carbonation, finish is pleasantly dry.

O:
Another worthy brew from Coopers, no regret for picking it up.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 16:16:08 | More by Everydayoff

jjkatter

Australia

3.28/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

served on tap in pub in Singleton, NSW...

A- golden amber (mostly golden) in color with slight head and fair carbonation.

S- nice hoppy aroma. Slight citrus notes.

T- a nice upgrade from the typical lager-only offerings of most pubs in the area. Hoppy and flavorful with a dryish finish. Drinkable.

MF- medium body with fair amount of carbination and dryish finish. Nice

O- with lager being nearly the only option at most pubs of the area, its nice to find something to revive a guy from a boredom induced coma. There are better examples of Oz Pale Ale, but there are worse too. This is worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

01-03-2012 04:08:52 | More by jjkatter

rjimlad

Australia

2.7/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours an opaque amber with foamy energetic head that dissipates quickly. Little on the nose except some bread notes. Flavour is crisp and bready but no mid-palate which makes it a little unsatisfying. Pride of Ringwood hops are very bland and are a common Oz hop which explains a lot I suppose. Drinkability is good with a nice sparkly mouthfeel so it is good at a BBQ. Not a great beer for art's sake.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 08:08:38 | More by rjimlad

mikechance

California

2.17/5  rDev -31.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

A ---- light and clear soft yellow, almost no head

S --- earthy and not much else. It really lacks any nose

T --- acid and flat/not much life too it/no strong presence of hops or malts

M --- low-medium body, lightly carbonated

O --- Boring and lacking. i'm not sure what the goal of this beer was, but it misses it on all fronts.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 07:43:23 | More by mikechance

opalchemist

United Arab Emirates

2.65/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Nice hazy gold... a good start.

Nose is fruity [not so citrusy] hops.

Taste: well some malts, some yeasty aromas - and soft hoppy bitterness.

After-play: clean finish with some bitterness, which turns into a slightly metallic mouthfeel - not too bad - but definitely also not very enjoyable...

Overall - not remarkable - though still better than the average joe beers around.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 02:31:48 | More by opalchemist

gtermi

Texas

2.88/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: This beer is a cloudy yellow with a very thin head.

S: The beer smells way too much BPR. Maybe some corn and wheat, but cant really figure out exactly what it is.

T: This tastes a lot like a basic adjunct lager. I am shocked, because I was expection more of a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Just not much there.

M: The beer has a decent amount of carbonation and crispness. It isnt bad, but not very good either.

O: This is a very basic boring beer. I know that the beer is suppose to be like this, but man I want more hops. Just not very good.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 05:12:08 | More by gtermi

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out with a golden color and a ton of flakey sediment in the bottle. The head was fluffy and white. The smell of the beer was a little bit on the hoppy side and then there were some malt aromas too. The taste of the beer was pretty crisp I thought, leaving a bitterness in the back of the tongue. The mouthfeel of the beer isn't too bad, It's light and drinkable. Overall not my favorite pale ale, they could have filtered it a little better I think but too each his/her own.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 04:47:03 | More by Knapp85

mariposafan

Wisconsin

3.1/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Slightly hazy with a decent creamy head that fades to minimal lacing.

The aroma isn't bad but it is unremarkable. Some sweetness, a little mild hoppiness, maybe just a hint that somewhere some yeast had had a 'hand' in the creation of the beer.

The flavor is sweeter than I expected but there's not a whole lot more there than a little biscuitiness and some herbal hoppiness that leads to a mild but annoyingly persistent bitterness. Mostly it comes off as slightly bitter sweetened water.

Thin bodied and the carbonation is a bit too much on the prickly side - creamy carbonation would have helped a lot here.

Overall it's not too bad, better than other (non-Belgian) pales ales I've tried, but nothing I'd seek out in the future.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 22:06:21 | More by mariposafan

soju6

Missouri

3.4/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a light golden color with a nice head and lacing.

S: Mild aroma of citrus and fresh grain. Noting exotic.

T: Mild malt sweetness, fresh grain with an easy bitterness and a clean finish.

F: fairly medium body, subtle crispness and decent balance.

O: Easy drinker, not a unique pale ale but still an enjuoyable beer. Goes good with food.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2011 10:44:35 | More by soju6

BerkeleyBeerMan

California

2.33/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Nostalgia hurts the stomach and the wallet. I remembered enjoying this beer a few years ago before I started my beer tasting hobby. I even like Cooper's Lager. But, this beer is a serious disappointment and reminds me why beer tasting has become such a useful hobby. The beer pours a murky peach yellow. It's supposed to be bottle-conditioned but there is no noticeable sediment.

I'd prefer some life in this beer with dulle lifeless aroma of grains. I'll give it credit there is a light juice-like quality to the beer. Some marmalade. But the hop characters are so at a lack that this beer almost smells and taste like a poor example of a hefeweizen. The balance is strange and overly malty. The taste is too tart, the body to watery for my liking. This ale makes me grieve. It's too insipid to inspire me.

Sorry Cooper's I wanted to like this. I'll give you a try on tap if I ever make my way down under, but until then it's adieu to Cooper's Pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 06:22:46 | More by BerkeleyBeerMan

EmperorBevis

United Kingdom (England)

4.63/5  rDev +46.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A little beaut of a beer alright.

Pouring a light amber body with a tight white head perfectly carbonated giving off a zesty malty aroma.

well hopped with plenty of bitter tones the bottle conditioning doesn't overpower the brew but compliments the tastes and produces a lively highly drinkable beverage.

probably my favourite bottled pale ale right now.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 17:37:58 | More by EmperorBevis

Sachsenfreude

Germany

4.2/5  rDev +32.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

appearance; cloudy pale yellow with fine sediment. Nice white head that sticks around through the drink leaving nice lacing of rings and messy spider webs.

smell; upfront some herbal hops with hints of lemon that form a bridge between the hops and malts. The malts are at first weak and watery but with patience some complex notes of warm cereal and brown sugar come out.

taste; nice mild hops, somewhat herbal and lightly bitter, leaving a lemony aftertaste that is softened by some bready yeast. All in all very well balanced and no one flavor overpowers the other. Malts are grainy yet very subdued but not off balance, really a pleasant example of the style. Some sourness in the backround.

mouthfeel; really pillowy and soft with active but gentle carbonation, medium bodied. Slightly puckers in the finish but very smooth and easy to drink.

overall; this was a pleasant surprise, a pale ale with some saison-like hops. A great pale ale for people who appreciate hops but don't seek their overwhelming dominance in a beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 03:48:57 | More by Sachsenfreude

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

you know what? in australia where by and large, beer is awful and over priced, this coopers product really gets the job done. its much more of a beer than tooheys or carlton or any of the other domestic offerings, and its available everywhere. pours a cloudy (bottle-conditioned) golden color with a good head on it. its a crisp beer with a body on the lighter side of medium. i cant count the nights i split a slab of these with the boys on the beach. always refreshing, and even better on tap. if you live in australia, this makes a great daily brew.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 22:58:00 | More by StonedTrippin

ckollias

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed this 12.7 oz bottle out of a large snifter glass.

A: Slightly hazy pale blonde ale with a thin one-finger white head that quickly dissipates into a wispy lace.

S: Whiffs of lemon and wheat grass fill the nose.

T: Very light crisp tasting ale, similar to the smell, lemon and wheat grass cross the palate. This brew has a pale maltiness, good yeast backbone, and herbal hop flavor.

M: Light body and medium carbonation

O: This is a decent pale ale. Nothing extradionary but pretty well rounded and balanced.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 03:21:46 | More by ckollias

aeolianshredhead

Australia

2.48/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A- Pours a very cloudy light amber colour with a 2 finger head which slowly dissolves. Looks like a pale ale which is good.

S- Not a whole lot. Smells a little yeasty with maybe a touch of POR hops but I'm left a little wanting. It doesn't actually smell bad though.

T- What? Where's the robustness? Hell, where's the actual flavour? All there is is basically yeast with the FAINTEST hop character and a doughy lingering aftertaste. This is hugely disappointing, I suspect this beer may be more geared towards macro-drinkers. It's not horrible, it's just incredibly boring.

M- A decent, crisp mouthfeel saves this beer somewhat. The body is maybe a little too light.

O- What a shame! I find this brewery can definitely make some good beer. It's just, their pale ale recipe is quite mediocre. I was expecting a fair bit more than this.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 13:40:06 | More by aeolianshredhead

MrKennedy

Australia

3.48/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

375ml bottle thanks to my Dad (his go-to beer for as long as I can recall) and poured into a small tumbler.

Pours a light golden colour, with some suspended particles and a bit of haze in the appearance. Has a modest head of white foam that dissipates quickly.

Smell is yeast mainly with a touch of pear and some farm cereal aromas coming through early.

Taste is yeasty and slightly fruity and refreshing.

Mouthfeel has the aforementioned refreshing manner to it, a touch dry.

Overall a decent beer that suffers a bit from comparisons to style guidelines.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 08:28:38 | More by MrKennedy

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

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

An afternoon of AUS beers continued at my aunt's house and ain't that the truth!

From the bottle: "Real Aussie Ale"; "Brewed in Australia"; "No Additives-No Preservatives-Australian Made-Australian Owned"; "Best After [!] 19 Nov 10"; "Coopers Ales and Stout are brewed using the centuries old top fermentation method and natural bottle conditioning, resulting in a characteristic fine sediment forming on the base of the bottle. This sediment is completely natural and can be gently mixed before drinking or poured carefully leaving the sediment in the bottle."

Again a film of bone-white head thanks to my gentle pour. Color was a slightly hazy straw-yellow. Nose had a more pronounced apricot/peach/pear fruitiness than the Sparkling Ale, but the yeast strain was certainly in the family. Taste was crisp and fruity, this time putting me in mind of the Fall season. The flavor profile was just different enough from the Sparkling Ale to make it noticeable. Finish was as dry as a cider, reinforcing the concept of this as a Fall beer. My my.

Second pour, aggressive, lees incorporated: A finger of rocky French Vanilla head with low retention. Color was a murky orangish-yellow, much akin to fresh-squeezed apple or grapefruit juice. Nose was very musty, but not much else. Mouthfeel had become thin and I got a perfume-y/yeasty sweet mustiness on the tongue. Were hops involved here? I began to think of a gruit. Finish was bone-dry, not quite gasping, but close. Worth a try.

Note: NOT reviewed to style.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2011 21:30:18 | More by woodychandler

ADZA

Australia

2.85/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a see through pale straw hue with floaties and decent carbonation that leaves behind a fast vanishing two finger head and only a rim of lacing,the smell is grains,herbal hops and pale malts,the mouthfeel is light bodied and has tastes of white grapes,grains and herbal hops and overall another average big Aussie brewery beer thats better than a couple but not alot.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2011 14:14:16 | More by ADZA

laituegonflable

Australia

2.73/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Pours a pale straw colour with odd green tinge to it, mostly just from the thick organic haze throughout the body. Bead is slow but very prolific. Head is white, tight, hangs around. Pretty good, but has that look of chemical enhancement. Flaws add character; nowhere is this truer than in the look of a beer.

Smell is mostly organic and bitter, plenty of dry aroma with straw, soil and starchy notes. Slight green apple touch and perhaps some tobacco. Pretty dour and non-uplifting smell.

Taste is bland from the get-go, organic and soil-esque with notes of steamed greens, grass and cardboard. POR bitterness reaches an apex of off-putting grittiness midway with a slight metallic flavour. Finish has a real cloying yeast note to it - not overblown but definitely a duff note as far as smooth enjoyment goes. It's not really an offensive palate because it's all organic form the ingredients used, but the flavours just aren't pleasant, certainly can't love this.

Lots of fizz for the texture that really seems out of place in an ale. Bland, thin body. It's a lager texture, not very good.

Bland, and at times unenjoyable, this is a very meh drop of ale.

Serving type: on-tap

07-06-2011 05:15:00 | More by laituegonflable