Fire Rock Pale Ale - Kona Brewing Co.

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

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

This is a well crafted beer that shows moderate hops and a good balance. Nothing huge in the flavour department but instead an easy drinking beer that tastes great in a hot climate. I like the interesting esters in the Mehana Pale Ale but this beer is more true to form.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2004 04:01:08 | More by canucklehead

HochFliegen

Oregon

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

Had this beer in Maui just a few days ago. I remember enjoying it there last year as well before I joined the BA. What a great excuse to try it again...so I can make a review of it.

The beer has a darker look than the average pale. A slight amberish tint to it. The head was ok but quickly went away with no lacing. The smell was very strong of hoppy floralness. The taste was mild with a hint of hops and malt. Not overpowering at all. The mouthfeel was very small not much there. Over all an ok beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2004 06:42:24 | More by HochFliegen

dwarbi

New York

3.55/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I blinked and the head was gone. No lacing. But the beer sure is a perty color. A light orange, slightly red. Pleasant aroma. Tastes bitter, but not too. not very complex. Odd aftertastes.. hard to place. Definitely a decent beer, but there's just not more to it.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2003 00:33:55 | More by dwarbi

beerguy101

California

3.2/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Orange color. Medium head. Aroma is malty and floral. A medium bodied pale ale. Malts are fruity and mild. Hops are grapefruity. Mild flavored pale ale. Refreshing and drinkable. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and crisp. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2003 00:21:59 | More by beerguy101

jcalabre

California

1.73/5  rDev -52.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

I originally sampled this beer on 7 January 2002. I am writing this review from my notes.
Appearance: This pours a hazy amber color with a small head
Mouthfeel: It is sharp and stinging in the mouth.
Overall: Pass. This isn't a very good beer. Go find yourself a different brand

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2003 04:01:05 | More by jcalabre

marburg

Michigan

4.05/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A little cloudy, hazy... Definitely a flame-colored orange color. Thin white head. Pretty standard pale ale stuff. Great hoppy aroma with a sweet but roasted malt underneath. Very well-balanced flavor -- nothing too original but just a great, drinkable flavor and texture. Solid malt base with light citrus (borderline grapefruity) and decent herbal hops. Nice, clean brew. Hit the damn spot tonight. And hey, it was a present from good friends who just returned from their honeymoon in Hawaii. So it had a solid dose of love and affection to boot. Can't go wrong.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2003 01:32:17 | More by marburg

putnam

Michigan

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

Old copper colored liquid sways thickly beneath a quick, simple cream-colored head...

Expressive aromas of over-ripe oranges, vanilla and dry, charred sugars. Interesting...

Hey! This beer's not bad! It tastes like formula craft pale that you get in any competent brew pub across the United States. No challenging extreme hop extractions...no wild sour yeast issues. This is clean and forward with bold, loud Pale Ale flavor. Sure there might be a degree of disintigration on the finish, allowing for a watery neutrality to gain on the more immediate bitter, toasted sugar flavors. But then again, the bottle did come a long way.

Thanks to my friend Jason F. for the sample!

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2003 12:50:34 | More by putnam

TheLongBeachBum

California

3.95/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 12 fl.oz bottle. The last of the three Kona beers that I picked up tonight. The standard generic style label on this offering has an appropriate deep golden yellow fiery label and the silhouette of a Volcano. The bottle has a yellow dot matrix style ink mark that tells me “PKGD MAY2903”. After two previous Kona offerings tonight, I also just realized that it actually has a twist-off crown cap, as do the other two empty Kona bottles that I opened earlier with my Bottle Opener. Duh!!!

Appearance: Clear golden color with a deep fire-orange hue when held to the light. The head, as with the other two offerings, soon disappears to reveal a thin unimolecular covering. However the head on the Pale Ale really suffers. It looses serious marks here for the lack of any head after a very short period, has a flat-look which is a disappointment.

Nose: Quite a punchy nose that has plenty of character and strength. Decent roast malts dominate.

Taste: Roast malts and a rich fruitiness. Slight citric twang mixed with some orange zest all rise in the middle, but eventually all make way for a tangy bitter finish. Sharp but clean tasting. Crisp malt-bitter finish with a nice lingering taste in the mouth.

Mouthfeel: Solid and upstanding, pronounced and above average in strength. A smooth beer that coats the mouth well.

Drinkability: Highly quaffable. Lovely tasty malty Pale Ale that I immediately took to right from the first taste, right through to the last drop.

Overall: It looks like I left the best until last. Out of the three Kona beers that I tried tonight, the Fire Rock Pale Ale is definitely the pick of the bunch. Very nice, and one which I would love to try on draft on the Big Island one day. Aloha!

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2003 23:27:57 | More by TheLongBeachBum

Naerhu

Japan

2.9/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Opaque orange body with off white head that quickly disappears.
Rich malty aroma, almost citrus sweet.
Complex flavor. Rich malt flavor tastes darker than the color of the brew led me to expect. Buttered popcorn. Earth. It just does not balance out. Oddly sweetish earth on the aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: Medium
Drinkability: Not without food.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2003 11:22:18 | More by Naerhu

beernut7

Massachusetts

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

Every once in a while you just have to grab a brew with a lizard on the label. A hazy golden amber liquid greets the drinker. The quick thin lace gives way to a very slight earthy aroma. An initial sharper bitterness with a hint of floral spice. The malt presence is very limited at first, but grows heavier and becomes quite apparent in the finish.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2003 20:23:49 | More by beernut7

PhantomVodoo

Ohio

3.18/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Coppery golden in color with minimal amount of off-white head.
Aroma of lightly roasted malt and citrusy hops.

Taste: Decent roasted malt backbone with a hop bite that's respectable, but mild for a pale ale. My major issue with this beer is that something is off. There is an astringent, medicinal, bitter character that's overwhelming the good aspects of this beer. It's prominent on the sides of the tongue, but seems to be on the back of the tongue as well.

Mouthfeel is good minus the excessive astringency.
Drinkability obviously suffers due to what I am perceiving as an off-flavor.
I'm curious if this beer is better on tap, but I'd pass on a 2nd offering in the bottle although there seems to be a decent beer lurking underneath.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2003 14:00:25 | More by PhantomVodoo