Mission St. Pale Ale - Steinhaus Brewing Co.

kristenspaintings

California

1.68/5  rDev -53.5%
look: 1.75 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.75

Unfortunately, this beer is not at all close to what I expected. I usually am pretty happy with the company’s product, but not this time. Starting off, it has a very odd color and smell for a Pale Ale. The aftertaste reminds me of soap, so much that I even tried some in a separate glass. To my dismay, the odd soapy flavor remained. And talk about hops!! Wow, way to bitter. Simple, pass on this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 18:59:54 | More by kristenspaintings

gnaussea

California

2.3/5  rDev -36.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Golden ale, with a weak head that settles quickly. Smells of.. well. pearle hops. Tastes of... pearle hops.... let me say that again... PEARL HOPS! We get it. It doesn't need to be so pronounced. It's right on the foretaste and lasts all the way until the flavor is gone. It is not necessary. Truly, it tastes kindof rdiculous, because they probably had to add quite a few ounces of such a low bitterness hop to get this flavor. It's almost as if they added no bitterring hop and, to make up for it, added about a pound of pearle 5 minutes to the end of the boil to make up for it. It taste like the extract of the smell of hop pellets. This beer was made to do one of the following possibilities: to demonstrate a concentrated version of the hop, to fool people wih no palette that its a beer worth buyng more than once. I know this is a harsh review, but in strange way, it actually offended me.'


But.. as far as these hops go, I enjoy the taste. It is pleasurable, just plain and pointless.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2004 10:30:04 | More by gnaussea

RoyalT

Ohio

2.3/5  rDev -36.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Appearance – Light orange in color and very clear with a nice, white, foamy head that left some terrific lacing.

Smell – This has a nice orange and pine hop aroma with a solid malt base.

Taste – Whoa! Something’s rotten in the State of Denmark. I’m no brewing guru, but something went wrong here.

The piney hops found their way into the taste, which was good. But the rest of the beer is completely absent. The malt base that I thought I smelled at the nose was completely AWOL. However, the taste wasn’t as bad as the mouthfeel . . .

Mouthfeel – As Stephan King would say in a hushed tone with a dramatic swoop of his arm: “Thinner.” This was like drinking hop-flavored water, which isn’t bad if it’s supposed to be hop-flavored water but when you’re selling it as an ale it sucks. I think if you cellared this for six months or so it would break down into pure tap water.

Drinkability – I sure liked smelling it, but I won’t ever buy another bottle to drink. What a disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2004 02:26:23 | More by RoyalT

Ryan011235

Ohio

2.3/5  rDev -36.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a pint glass 7/24/10

Cloudy, dirty golden color with amber highlights. One finger dissipates to a small, but decent layer of foam, leaving a few splotches of lace. Consistently thin retention, but wanting for lace.

Malts abound! Aromas of caramel, bread dough & biscuit. I'd imagine some crystal malts, too. Musty old yeast notes. Overtones of ripe, nearly tart fruitiness. Possibly this is what passes for hops? Pretty much dull.

This doesn't taste particularly good, but it isn't offensive. One-dimensional bitterness is astringent with a metallic bent. Seems like there are vague ghosts of decent hop flavor, but they're resigned to the graveyard. Thankfully the malts cut down on the astringency. Similar to the nose, is a collage of caramel, toasty bread & biscuit.

Medium body & lower carbonation; pretty average in those respects. Mostly clean finish; subtle malts & a faint bitter twinge.

Drinkability is so-so. Definitely the best of the Trader Joe's beers I've had so far. Doesn't seem the freshest, though. Maybe it's an old bottle.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2010 01:41:26 | More by Ryan011235

kojevergas

California

2.38/5  rDev -34.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Heard the rumors this was a Firestone Walker brewed ale and the price was right. I'm not a big fan of Firestone Walker, but I do quite like their unfiltered DBA and the price was indeed right, so I picked this one up. My expectations are high. 12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap acquired at Trader Joe's and served into a Uinta pilsner glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. 4.6% ABV confirmed. Bottled 08/29/12.

Served straight from the refrigerator. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

Paired with pretzels.

A: Pours a three finger beige colour head of nice cream, fair thickness, and pretty good retention - though the ABV is rather low. Lacing is okay. Colour is a clear translucent pale yellow. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Not all that vibrant. Meh. Pretty standard appearance for the style.

Sm: Surprisingly hoppy. Fresh evocative floral hops are notable. It does flirt with soapiness, though. Clean malts. No yeast or alcohol is detectable. An average strength aroma.

T: Floral hops, clean malts, and barley. A hint of soap. Some crispness there. It's a bit stale, actually. The aroma was fresh but the flavour is not. Simple, even a bit bland. Not real well balanced. No yeast or alcohol comes through.

Mf: Too dry, actually. A bit too thick for the lack of flavour as well. Weird coarsenesst that never quite feels right. A touch overcarbonated.

Dr: Pedestrian. Priced alright. I won't get it again. If you're buying cheap from Trader Joe's, go with the Stockyard Oatmeal Stout. This stuff is just plain mediocre. But what did I expect? After all, it is Firestone Walker. It's drinkable but rather mundane indeed.

D+

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 05:50:12 | More by kojevergas

Zorro

California

2.63/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a clear yellow gold brew, ho hum.

Smell is about evenly divided between hops and malt smells.

Taste is mostly lemony hops with a grain after taste. Lots of hops flavor but it isn't thick enough to get bitter. Taste is "HOPS SELTZER WATER." It's better than Budweiser, but not great. There is also a raw carrot flavor to this brew, strange.

Mouthfeel is decidedly thin.

More drinkable than Budweiser. Mission St. is in San Francisco; I sure as hell can find an Anchor Steam there that blows this out of the water!

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2004 01:54:47 | More by Zorro

JISurfer

South Carolina

2.68/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Wow, this was one of the hardest beers to review for me. The reason it was so hard, is it was so average. Just take your average APA and you have this beer. The only thing, was that this one was a little worse in the taste catagory. It had too much of a hop presence with little to nothing to back it up. To me, that makes it no good. I like my beers a bit more complex than this one. Sorry.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2005 04:20:32 | More by JISurfer

goschool

California

2.73/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

I don't have a Firestone Pale Ale to compare this too, but Steinhaus Brewing Co.'s Mission St. Pale Ale comes from Paso Robles, the bottle is that slightly rounded, semi-stubby bottle just like FW's, and the brew's aroma is a lot like I remember FW's. Hmm...

The pour is bright light orange with a white head that shrinks, but never leaves the beer exposed. The nose has orange and pine hops with a British character. The taste is well, not so good. It's one dimensional, with way more piney and citrusy hops than malts, but the problem is, it's not exceptionally hoppy. It still has that British character in the taste, which makes me wonder if Firestone Walker contract brewed this by taking their recipe and cutting out a quarter of the hops and almost all of the malt bill. Combine the blah flavor with a watery mouthfeel and you've got the first loser in my "Trader Joe's five-pack of beers I've never tried."

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2006 04:49:07 | More by goschool

illidurit

California

2.75/5  rDev -23.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass. Light amber color with a nice beige head. Aroma is floral hops with some citrus and bland malt. Flavor is crystal maltiness (iced tea) with a hoppiness that tastes like fruity pebbles. Way too sweet, no bitterness, thin body, high carbonation. Pass on this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2009 06:40:29 | More by illidurit

Cresant

Kentucky

2.78/5  rDev -23%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured this 12 oz. bottle into a shaker pint glass. Dated: 11/15/11. The body was medium gold with a light haze. The head was white with fine bubbles. Clots of foam remain on the cap.

The smell was citrus. Spices and lemon.

The taste was balanced. Spicy hops and mild pithy bitterness. Jammy marmalade and apples. Maybe a bit too much apple.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied with good carbonation. Nothing worth revisiting here.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 14:56:47 | More by Cresant

MeanMotaScootah

California

2.89/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

A: light straw golden color - very little lacing, minimal foam

S: A very light citrusy malt aroma - definitely not dry hopped

T: Malty, refreshing, crisp – almost like a Pilsner but definitely not a pale ale (at least not a west coast pale ale.) That being said it is a nice refreshing summer brew. The taste is good but not for a pale ale category. I know this is made by the same brewery as Firestone so maybe this is a less hoppy Pale 31? Malty upfront, dry finish so it’s no overly sweet.

M: Light to medium body, with decent carbonation

O: Tasty beer for $5.99 a sixer. If I had paid more for this then I would have been disappointed. It’s actually a nice brew to have after a heavier IPA

Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 23:03:18 | More by MeanMotaScootah

Dubbercody

Washington

2.93/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Oh, beer from Trader Joe's. Lightly citrus, easy drinking, not too much going on. Heavier than I expected for a Pale Ale. Tasty, another pretty decent beer available at TJ's. Not a whole lot of qualities, but an easy drinker that'll do for under a dollar a beer. Not my favorite, but pretty good for pretty cheap...beats nasty crap from marco-pushers anyday.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2008 05:37:52 | More by Dubbercody

nbree00

California

2.95/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A: Bright gold color hints of orange, completely crystal clear, typical for a filtered beer but not really my cup of tea. A perfectly white foam head appears, and than runs for cover quickly.

S: Beautiful west coast hop aroma with a hint of honey and caramelized malts.

T: This beer really tastes more like any IPA than a Pale Ale. The hops tend to dominate with a bitter-lemon flavor coming through. To be honest I would guess this brew to be between 6%-7% ABV but really its not even close, 4.6%, odd.

M: Not that impressed, I guess I enjoy unfiltered so much more these days that all other beers seem to have the uneventful texture of water.

D: I didn't have to much issue with the drinkability of this beer, however I like stronger ales, for its low 4.6% ABV I would say its not that easy a drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2008 09:58:52 | More by nbree00

TheHoppiest

Ohio

2.95/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I must admit to having difficulty setting aside my bias on this one. See, I purchased it from Trader Joe's, and I understand that this is a house brand of their's, kind of like "Two-Buck-Chuck" is a wine house brand. Since I can't square the idea of good beer with Trader Joe's, please keep that in mind as you read this review.

Poured from a squat 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Pours a honey-yellow, with a 1/2" head that reduces to a thin skim in short order. Minimal lacing as the beer is swirled.

Smell is thin to non-existent; mild malt and honey are present, and not much else.

Has a grassy taste, with a mild floral undertone that carries it to a slightly bitter finish. There's a hint of caramel malt that rounds out the middle.

Light to medium bodied, there's a bit of a funk taste in the front-to-mid tongue area that just kills the feel for me.

Well, I'd love to give this a great coda, such as, "Mission Street proved me wrong, and showed me I shouldn't pre-judge a beer just because of its provenance, it was totally awesome!" Unfortunately, it lived up to exactly what I thought it would be; a mild, uninteresting pale ale aimed at the liberal Trader Joe shopping masses. Don't bother unless you're idea of a good wine is Two-Buck-Chuck. Then, you'll love this.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 02:51:55 | More by TheHoppiest

badbonez

California

2.98/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Another cheap-o from Trader Joe but a decent enough beer. I was struck immediately with the hoppy aroma as I openend the bottle. Too bad that the taste doesn't quite match up. I would characterize the flavor as basically unbalanced, tipped mightily to the hoppy side. The hops had a tangy, slightly fruity flavor but the malt flavor was decidedly lacking. What flavor I did fet from the malt seemed very generic. And there was hardly any body to speak of. Still, @ $4.99 a six pack, much better than your average POS American lager. And being a hop head, I did enjoy the couple I had.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2004 23:25:56 | More by badbonez

Bcant

Michigan

2.98/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

According to the label “Beers should be great tasting and have a good price.” Well, this beer as a good price, something like $4.50 a six. But a great taste….

Appearance: golden, slightly oily looking, with a small white head made of tiny bubbles that dissipates rapidly but leaves some lacing.

Smell: strong hop odder, very piney.

Taste: thin, no malt depth. The hops bidder but do not give tremendous character.

Mouthfeel: watery though also slightly greasy.

Drinkability: rather refreshing; quenching with some lingering bitterness to wheat the palate.

….is ok. Probably a good bet if you are entreating and need to buy lots of beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2005 04:18:56 | More by Bcant

photomike

California

2.98/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Purchased due to a sign declaring that this beer won some kind of award at the Great American Beer Festival. I'm skeptical.

Pours a very pale yellow with a small, pure white, quickly dissipating head. This looks disturbingly like a Corona.

Smell is actually quite nice. A lot more hops than I was expecting...almost like a toned-down version of their IPA (which is a hell of a value). A malty smell starts to take center stage as this guy warms.

Taste is where this beer really falls apart. Very mild flavor; slightly malty but with something funky is really the most prominent flavor. The review before me mentions something about this tasting like a corn or rice adjunct, and I have to agree. This really tastes like a mediocre macro. Not tasty.

Mouthfeel is ok...very clean and crisp, but perhaps overly carbonated.

Drinkability is high, assuming you like this sort of thing. Low ABV and very light...but kinda nasty.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2009 22:30:53 | More by photomike

Gusler

Arizona

3/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer after the pour is a limpid golden amber color; the head is mastodonic in size, spumous in texture and the color a bright white with the lace a tight skirt upon the glass. Nice hop floral aroma, sweet malt, citrus crisp and fresh, the start is sweet, lightly malted, top is rather thin. Finish is benignly acidic, the hops dynamic in their spiciness, dry long-lasting aftertaste, an average Pale Ale, could have a bit more malt, to balance out the hoppiness.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2004 20:02:08 | More by Gusler

Boilermaker88

California

3/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This was another part of my "on the cheap" six-pack I occasionally get at Trader Joe's. At only seventy cents a bottle, you wonder what you might be getting set up for...
Well, Mission St. Pale Ale looks harmless enough; clear yellow color with a good amount of carbonation helping kick up a good sized brilliantly white head. The nose was mainly of floral hops with a light citric note in the backgorund and no real malt notes. Light and clean in feel, this pale ale had a severely understated malt flavor (as in, where's the malt?). Occasionally, I'd get a little taste of malt but it seemed random, as if they were an afterthought. A spicy hops flavor took hold mid-palate and didn't let go through a long dry finish.
Even as one-sided as it was, this brew didn't come off as anything other than a totally benign, aimless and, finally, average beer designed to wean macro drinkers off their macro of choice. With the vast numbers of better pale ales available, this will be the one and only time I'll drink this one (unless it's this or a macro).

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2004 17:31:07 | More by Boilermaker88

treehugginslug

California

3/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Fine, don't really care about this category

S - Smell was average, not like Sierra Nevada, but average.

T - Taste was average, good malted barley.

M - Good amount of carbonation.

D - It was good.

Would I buy it again? Maybe, if I needed to bring something to a party.
Would I drink it at a party? Sure
Would I recommend it? Probably not
Did my wife like it? "Not a big fan of that, something in the aftertaste was gross."

Overall: Not a great beer, but for the price, it was good. Would definitely bring it to a party, but would probably drink Sierra Nevada if I ever wanted a Pale Ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2011 05:49:02 | More by treehugginslug

GossageBrewery

Missouri

3/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass, it poured a clear yellow color, produced a average white head with average retention. Decent amount of lacing left on the glass. Aroma of pale malt and a decent citrus hop aroma. Medium in body, taste of pale malt, overly sweet, piney hop flavor some hints of citrus. Very average pale ale, excellent value- nothing special. Prost!

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 02:29:20 | More by GossageBrewery

sloejams

California

3.03/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Picked an "orphan" single up from Trader Joe's. I know I've had this before but really didn't remember, so went for another.

It had very little head on its apple juice color body. A roasted malt aroma - very subtle. The taste was just plain average. Nothing terrible, nothing memorable. My score says average. Average beers are not good enough. I won't be buying this again.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2007 01:57:12 | More by sloejams

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.03/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had this many a times from Trader Joe's, but for some reason tonight, it came through very thin and weak.

Pours nice, decent yellow dark pale ale color, but it goes inconsistent from there. Usually, it seems like a SN Pale clone, but instead, now its thin, like SN Summerfest almost, minus the lemony citrus zest in it.

Little mouthfeel, but I guess its drinkable still, not bad, just seems watered down these days. If it gets better, I'll revise my review, because this stuff has been better traditionally.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2009 03:47:33 | More by Beerandraiderfan

mikeg67

New Jersey

3.03/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle from Trader Joe's. Pours a golden color with a thin, quickly fading head. Lively carbonation and not much lacing. Light aroma of citrus hops with biscuit malt notes. Body is too light to my liking. Earthy hops and grapefruit dominate the flavor, there are slight malty notes as well. Finish is long, bitter and dry. I will try their IPA also. I suspect this is watered down version of IPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2010 21:58:02 | More by mikeg67

stephendr

California

3.05/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. glass bottle- color of hazy golden, with a white thin head - nose of fresh hops, light spruce, and slight citrus – taste of biscuit, citrus hops, and rind - body is light , and with medium to low carbonation – aftertaste of hops, and citrus rind

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2008 07:03:34 | More by stephendr