Fire Rock Pale Ale - Kona Brewing Co.

cyclonece09

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a 14 oz "pint" glass. Pours a red color with a small white head that leaves some lacing. Smells of piney and flowery hops and light malt. Tastes of bitter piney hops and slight alcohol, along with some darker malt with slight caramel flavor. Beer is medium body, good carbonation, and finishes nicely. Overall, an above average beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 21:59:23 | More by cyclonece09

Hopfenpeter

Maryland

4.38/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer was poured into my crystal mug and produced a clear amber with a white, one finger high bubbly head. It dissipates slowly and leaves great lacing.
The smell is almost IPA like, but that is a plus in my book! Flowery hops and a malty background.
Tasting the beer those flavors are confirmed. Fruity hops up front, balanced by some more earthy flavors and malt. Great bittersweet finish!
Great brew! A fantastic pale ale!

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 03:08:21 | More by Hopfenpeter

BlurryVisi0n

New York

3.85/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a pint glass.

Appearance: A very clear amber, light light bubbles on the body with a head that dissapates before sipping. Head white maybe 1/10" (maybe).

Smell: Toasty hops and believe it or not light floral essence. Granted it is light.

Taste: This bitter feel with light floral taste and believe it or not grapefruit. .It is still sweet and wouldn't be surprised if a little orange played a role in the brewing of this fine ale.

Mouth: Medium smooth and easy to drink.

Overall: Not a bad brew, for you that wonder this is very close if not already an India Pale Ale, little bitter and definitely quite tasty. Hope you enjoy as much as I did, Salud!

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 04:29:55 | More by BlurryVisi0n

flagmantho

Washington

3.55/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: medium amber-orange hue with a clear body and a light, lazy effervescence. Head is a thin layer of frothy ivory foam. Decent.

Smell: toasty malt aroma with hints of bread and biscuit. Hops are nicely present with a piney, earthy quality. Not bad, but I don't love the biscuity character so much.

Taste: flavor has a fair bit more caramel character that the aroma and overall is a lot more malt-forward; again, I'm not a huge fan of the biscuity malt here. Hop flavor is still present, but the experience is more of a malty-flavored beer with a big bitterness at the end. It seems to me a little bit more in the English style.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied with a good level of carbonation and a nice, satisfying creaminess. Probably my favorite thing about this beer.

Overall: a decent pale ale, but I probably wouldn't grab for this one again at the store. It just doesn't tickle my palate.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 15:52:13 | More by flagmantho

MadScientist

New York

3.93/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: A medium amber with excellent clarity. The cream off-white head settles to a thin cap but never going away, leaving light lacing on the glass.

S: Moderate malt and hop aroma having biscuit and caramel malt aromas with a citrus American hop character. The nose has a slight fruit ester. It's not as has hop forward as I'd like but it smells great. No Diacetyl.

T: Again it's no where as hoppy as most current examples but it absolutely sublime with a moderate bitterness and citrus hop flavor supported by a moderately-low malt sweetness. The malt shows notes of biscuit and very light caramel. The balance is what makes this beer so good, it somewhat favors the hops bitterness but the malt gets to have it's chance to shine as well. There is a light malt sweetness mid-way through but it resolves into a dry finish with a light lingering bitterness and slight malt taste.

M: medium bodied with a moderately-high level of carbonation, there is a pleasing moderate creaminess. No astringency.

O: A slightly hoppy fairly balanced beer that I could enjoy with a steak or a creamy comfort food meal or all on it's own, pint after delicious pint.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 23:46:02 | More by MadScientist

TBoneJones

Texas

3.68/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Two-finger head and nice rusty amber copper clean look with good bubbly action
Bready yeasty normality.
Nice bready bite with caramel. 
Malt dominates and hop presence is buried but carbonation is nice. Crisp for what's there... this is a brew I would try again, but because the hops played second fiddle, I wouldnt go out of my way to do so.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 22:13:22 | More by TBoneJones

SouljaSaia17

Massachusetts

3.4/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a dark red, golden-amber color with a 2 finger soapy white head that leaves some nice lacing as it slowly fades.

S: Smell is of spice and cinnamon with some earthy notes on the back end. Also get hints of roasted malts and a light fruit.

T: Roasted malt sweetness up front with some spice, followed by a slight Saison after tone with hints of banana and earthy notes.

M: Very sweet and flavorful, has a complex character and no carbonation to speak of.

O: This is one of those beers that you cant put your finger on it, but you know its pretty good. Very tropical in texture and flavor, something that is the signature of Kona Brewing.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 03:35:52 | More by SouljaSaia17

CraftBeerTastic

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Ba Review #202
Served On: 07/26/2012
Glassware: DogFish Head Chalice
Labeled ABV: 6.0%
Date/ Code: 04/02/2012

Found this at Dewey Beach Liquors while visiting Coastal Delaware.

Look: The color was a fairly clear copper. Head was a frothy white foam at about 1-finger. Lacing was minimal.

Smell: Crisp and light medicinal hop aroma. Very clean nose with some sweet malts and grassy hops.

Taste: Sweet malts started things off with some faint grassy pine in the middle. The finish was rather dry and had hints of biscuit and lingering hops.

I found this Pale Ale to be very typical with a slight bit of complexity. I wouldn't put this one above SN Pale Ale, but it was certainly inline.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 19:35:49 | More by CraftBeerTastic

Shuffledaddy

Arizona

4/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I poured this beer out of a bottle into my trusty pint glass. Had many times and is arguably my favorite APA. Surprised I hadn't reviewed it yet, so here we are.

A - Pours a pale copper/golden yellow color. Light carbonation and a relatively small head, maybe 1 1/2 finger widths. Head retention and lacing are pretty unremarkable.

S - I notice a pineapple aroma with some citrus notes. Not very prominent nose for an American Pale Ale. Still pleasant, though.

T - Very balanced taste. In my opinion, the perfect blend between hops and malt. Hoppier than, say, a Sierra Nevada, but the hop character doesn't overwhelm the beer. Pineapple notes are apparent at the beginning, giving way to grapefruit accents in the finish. Biscuit malts also mingle alongside the grapefruit toward the end.

M - Pretty average. I think this is the only true weak point of the beer, the mouthfeel to me seems watery and slightly undercarbonated.

O - A very good APA that is a good counterpoint to maltier Pale Ales and is recommended as a session beer, especially if you like hoppier beers. A little more fizz and it would be truly amazing.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 06:28:23 | More by Shuffledaddy

jmarklan

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

A: Pours a nice, slightly cloudy copper, head dissipates somewhat quickly.

S: Slight hops with bready malts, a bit fruity with some caramel.

T: Bready/caramel malt debuts first but is quickly pushed aside by a nice wave of citric and somewhat tropical hops. Ends with a nice balance and a slightly toasted character.

M: Light bodied and crisp. Very refreshing and drinkable. Without even realizing it i threw this down pretty quick.

Overall: Very enjoyable. An excellent session beer and great for warm weather.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 05:05:25 | More by jmarklan

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark golden colour on the cusp of amber with limited white head and minimal lacing. Carbonation is muted but mouthfeel remains pleasant, albeit subtly oily.

Beautiful aroma of caramelized malts and tropical fruits. Flavours are well balanced and transition from those sweet malted grains into a citrus hop medley, delightful across the entire taste profile i.e. from start to nicely bitter finish.

The only "Hawaiian" pale ale I have tried before is a decent Ontario concoction brewed with pineapple juice (Spearhead). I expected something similar but this is a true American pale ale and is a much nicer surprise. Definitely a beer I would recommend.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 01:25:40 | More by hopsolutely

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle purchased from ABC store in Honolulu.

Appearance- Pours a pale copper colour with a half finger width of bubbly white head.

Smell- Roasted malts, caramel, plum/cherry

Taste- Roasted malts, caramel, and plum/cherry come through nicely. There is a light bitterness and toasty aftertaste.

Mouthfeel- Light to medium bodied with light carbonation.

Overall- A well executed pale ale. I enjoyed the aromas and taste form this brew. This is my first Kona Brewing offering and was impressed. A definite try while in Hawaii.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 20:17:49 | More by leaddog

ujsplace

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass.

Pours a deep copper colored brew that has a one finger thick frothy, white head. Nice lacing...clumpy and clinging to the sides of the glass. Nice island floaters here...

Smells of oily, earthy hops with a faint biscuit malt.

Tastes of roasted caramel malt with a nice, mild, earthy - oily hop character some bright fruits and a hint of spice in there as well.

Light, crisp and refreshing.

A slightly different take on a traditional pale ale. Kona brewing has been in my rotation recently. I have not been disappointed in the least. A crowd pleaser for sure.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 00:49:28 | More by ujsplace

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a 10 oz chalice.

A- pours caramel color with a 1 finger white head. Blotches and trails of lacing remain on the glass.

S- sweet caramel and some light pine, citrus notes.

T- sweet varamel, candi sugar, some light vinous notes and light pine hop bitterness.

M- light body, medium carbonation. Slightly syrupy but drinks well.

O- average pale ale. Very sweet and light bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 01:21:25 | More by kawilliams81

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.65/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A 355ml bottle with a bottled-on date of April 2012 (according to their website). Bought recently at my local beer specialist. According to the label this is named after Hawaii's famous volcanoes.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. A clear orange-amber hue with medium carbonation. Yields a large head of creamy white foam that lasts for a few minutes before reducing to a surface layer. Aroma of rich, sweet malt with notes of grain, citrus, faint tropical fruit, yeast and a mild whiff of diacetyl.

Tastes of sweet malt with a spicy hop finish. Notes of mild citrus and pine, along with grain, dry yeast and stewed hops. A prickly yet restrained bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and spicy, with good body. Somewhat astringent - the hop flavour feels like it's clinging to your taste buds. Aftertaste of sweet malt and subtle aromatic hops.

Rather nice, but falls short of exceptional. Pretty heavy on the malt, while the aromatic hops seem indistinct and lacking in presence (especially in the taste). The body is good, and it has a pleasing spicy quality. Surprisingly dark for a pale ale. Overall, a highly drinkable ale that goes down easily but is unlikely to leave a lasting impression. Worth sampling.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 00:26:33 | More by jazzyjeff13

Rhettroactive

Virginia

3.88/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From tap to shaker pint glass at Tarpon Bend Food & Tackle on 6/4/12
*From notes

A: Amber dark sunset golden. Clean and filtered. A half finger fizzy head leads to no lacing and a small white collar.

S: Sweet bready grains, some floral hops and maybe a bit of lime or some type of citric fruit.

T: Bitter and slightly juicy up front. Golden, untoasted malt dries the mid to finish. Dried fruits unload on the finish.

M: The feel is solid enough. Medium bodied, properly carbonated and the texture is well above average.

O: More then decent stuff. I could drink a few of these in a night, no problem. I'm finding myself warming to many of these Kona offerings, as I may have judged this book prematurely by it's CBA cover. Recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2012 04:55:06 | More by Rhettroactive

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

First had: Philly Beer Scene Tasting panel with Matt Falco at Victory Brewing Company, Downingtown, PA

I was privileged enough to be on the tasting panel for PBS Magazine, along with Bill Covaleski of Victory and Greg Ramirez of Exton Beverage. This was one of 21 beers we sampled during the session.

Poured a mostly clear copper color with a small white head. Aroma is simple: fair balance of pale malts and slightly citrusy hops. Again in the taste, decent balance of malts and hops up front, but the maltiness soon comes to dominate, leaving a bit of staleness in the finish. Medium body, and decent for the style.

FYI Kona comes from Portsmouth Brewery in New Hampshire, not Hawaii, contrary to popular belief.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 01:30:53 | More by Rifugium

Raven3464

Japan

3.48/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Beer pours a clear, copper body with a soapy head. There is a light amount of carbonation:

Smell: Citrus, pine and sweet malts are noticed right away. A floral aroma starts to take over as the beer warms.

Taste: Sweet fruit, like pineapple and orange, are tasted at first with a light hop bite at the end. It would have been better had the flavors been more pronounced.

Mouth feel: It is light bodied for the style. A little more carbonation also would be nice. Otherwise, it is refreshing.

Overall: It is an average pale ale. As stated above, flavors could be more pronounced and a little more hops would not hurt either. Overall, it is a decent attempt at the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 12:31:29 | More by Raven3464

kangarooAdam59

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Into a pint glass:

A: clear brown colored body that yielded a small white head appearing as a film over top of the body that quickly dissipated into lumps. Spotty yet a minimal amount of lacing was left. Small bubbles of carbonation were close to the sides of the pint glass yet there were larger bubbles in the center.

S: centered around the malts with the hops barely showing up at all

T: centered around the malts yet had some floral tones that came in nicely to create a slight bitterness.

M: medium body with a moderate amount of carbonation and left a creamy aftertaste and finish.

O: this is a decent brew despite the smell not having any hops. I didn't mind for my tastes. I would have this again.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 00:11:28 | More by kangarooAdam59

bump8628

Oklahoma

3.85/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Copper colored with a healthy head of white foam. Just a dang solid American pale here. Mild caramel and biscuit with a balancing dose of clean hop bitters. Mint, orange zest, and bit of herb and earth fill out the hop flavor/aroma component. Clean and balanced. Classic, flagship-type pale ale that should pair with all types of food. This bottle washed down some street tacos like a champ.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 19:52:39 | More by bump8628

BrownNut

Florida

3.28/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This is an utterly forgettable beer. There's nothing bad about it except that it's round and bland and nothingy. I like their Koko Brown and their Wailua Wheat but this is a generic beer and I'm surprised they call it a pale ale. They should just call it "ale". If it was the only beer on tap in a bar, you'd drink your pints and not think twice about it as you focused on talking to your friends. But the beer would not factor into your memory of the night at all. You know how sometimes you just want a beer while you watch tv or eat and don't want to think about it like you do with a potentially really good beer? Here you go. It's beer-flavored beer.

EDIT: Well now HOLD on. Roast chicken comes to the rescue of yet another beer. I mentioned that this was a beer to have while you eat, just a generic beery accompaniment that wouldn't distract, so that's what I did. Roast chicken and veg with pan sauce and this beer. Suddenly these other flavors come out. It was actually pretty tasty. Almost tasted like a pale ale. A little floral or fruity something going on. Some slightly sweet caramel. I'll give it an extra half point for that. And interestingly I had another after dinner and it was back to where it was before, nothing wrong but nothing interesting. I feel like trying all beers with roast chicken now. Try it!

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 04:58:52 | More by BrownNut

ale1

Florida

4/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

we found this in Publix supermarket and picked up a sixer,

poured into a Guinness pint glass

i feel redeemed after the last 3-4 ales we recently have tried here's a keeper,

served @ 50°
clear light amber colour, carbonation 2 inches tall,with lacing, appears natural carbonation ..malty & hop nose, crisp light hop finish ...cascade hops .... nice balance,hop finish not strong but there.
This is a very good ale, the way it should be, sorry to hear the owner has passed on, but a tribute to his zymurgy craftsmanship.

-cheers ale1 jupiter, fla

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 22:27:07 | More by ale1

kylehay2004

Florida

3.23/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: half finger head on a crimson with golden hues body. poor head retention.

S: pretty light on the nose with hops being scarce and mostly malts.

T: the hops are weak and provide mostly and floral note. This one is pretty malty with a subtle bitterness throughout.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: under hoped even by an APA standard.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 00:51:03 | More by kylehay2004

bubseymour

Maryland

4.13/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A = copper and clear with 2 finger soap sudsy head. Moderate carbonation.

S = malty

T = Very nice pale ale. crisp finish with sweet and caramel start

Mouthfeel - very creamy on toungue. Feels much heavier than it is

Overall - A really nice pale ale. One of the better ones I've sampled so far.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 22:55:50 | More by bubseymour

ryantho00

Michigan

4/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Taken from notes in Kauai.

Didn't pour this into anything, taking a tour of the Napali Coast on a catamaran.

I got hints of fresh hops, citrus, a slight pineapple tinge. This was most drinkable, wonderful balanced frshness and an underlying grain and toasted malt, citrus, great wonderful smoothness. Very well done, I had heard Mauai brewing was the only 'good' brewer in Hawaii, but from my Kona experience, there is at least another!!! (By looking at their lineup, I wish I would have visited their brewpub!!!)

Cheers!!

Serving type: can

05-01-2012 21:32:02 | More by ryantho00