Death Valley Pale Ale - Indian Wells Brewing Company

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

1.8/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Served from the tap in a pilsner glass at the Brewery. The beer had a cloudy and dull coloring from the glass, with a miniscule head. The aroma of the beer smelled of a little bit of nothing. I was truly hoping for some hops in the nose, but there truly wasn't anything remarkable. The beer itself was very light in the mouth, with hints of malt. Other than that, the flavor was overall nondescript. Smooth as it was, the beer would be easy to drink if the flavor were more inviting.

Pale ales tend to be balanced with malt and hops flavors, but the key part of that is the flavor aspect, which this beer could use a boost of.

Serving type: on-tap

11-12-2010 05:14:07 | More by GarthDanielson

LXIXME

New Mexico

2.88/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Big white head settles into a thin lacing above a clear copper colored beer.

An almost soapy lemony citrus aroma with a little bit of some caramel malts coming through.

Light caramel malts taste with a little bit of some citrus hops sneaking in there.

A light dry aftertaste on this medium bodied pale ale.

Not enough hops for me to consider this a good quality pale ale, This would be more of what I would expect from a amber or red.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2012 23:29:30 | More by LXIXME

Nerudamann

Arizona

3.45/5  rDev +28.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

Look - hazy light brown color, almost amber. Has about half a finger's worth of foam that dissipates quickly.

Smell - interesting earthy quality to it, almost a ginger-like aroma.

Taste - similar taste as to the smell, it has an earthy, ginger-like taste, fairly subtle, which gets a little bitter in the middle but mellows out in the end.

Mouthfeel - pretty well-balanced, but leans a little on the watery side.

Overall - not a bad brew. Somewhat interesting to think about.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 04:05:44 | More by Nerudamann

Offa

California

3.7/5  rDev +37.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pale golden amber, it has a medium off-white head steadily shrinking.

Aroma is full fruity/flowery grain, bread, apple, grass, a bit like a nice, full-bodied pale lager.

Taste is spicy-peppery & grassy hop bitterness with honeyish apple and toasty bread sweetness, some mineral. Bitterness just dominates the finish but in aftertaste is joined by the bready sweetness. It is a good, solid light, golden ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 01:25:53 | More by Offa

BryanCarey

Texas

2.05/5  rDev -23.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Indian Wells Death Valley Pale Ale is an American pale ale with some good and not so good qualities. The beer pours from the bottle to a hazy golden color with a nose that is one of citrus, pine, and paper. There is little foam and it falls apart quickly, leaving a hazy glass of beer behind.

The taste of this beer could be described as earthy, citrus- like, and somewhat bready. There are some Cascade hop notes, but the balance seems a bit off in the overall taste. It seems like they wanted this pale ale to be different in a good way by brewing it a little more toward the sweet end of the spectrum, but they didn’t quite get the balance right. You take a few sips and you are uncertain what direction this beer is going. The flavors almost seem to contradict rather than complement each other.

American pale ale products are varied in their approach and Indian Wells Death Valley Pale Ale is certainly different from the typical APA. But different isn’t always better and this is a product that should really be scrapped and started over with a completely new recipe to get the balance just right.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 04:54:05 | More by BryanCarey

elNopalero

Texas

3.13/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Apparently this is a limited release… once it’s gone, it’s gone for the year.

This pours a golden straw color with no foam. I don’t find much more than a lightly honeyed aroma to this. There’s a slight bittering to the flavor followed by some honeyed sweetness and a dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 22:19:36 | More by elNopalero

Fatehunter

Oregon

2.8/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass. Two finger of white head on top of transparent golden ale. The head was solid. Great lacing.

Faint smell of lemon.

Mild taste of bitterness, faint malt sweetness.

Soft texture, moderate carbonation, light to medium body.

It looked really great. For a pale ale it's just too mild all around. It's a step about the standard BMC lagers but as an ale it should have a bit more to it.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2012 03:03:10 | More by Fatehunter

treque

Mexico

2.93/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: completely clear amber in color, some carb present and its average consistent, the head is small off white in color, but dissappears so fast

S: some honey, no hops, a little caramel malt, there are cooked vegetable aroma

T: some sweetness but not so pleasent, some bitterness, the body is medium light,

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 04:49:57 | More by treque

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a hazy orange-ish to lighter copper color with a light tan head. In the aroma, grapefruit and orange citrus hops. In the taste, dry grain like malt and a small hop presence. A small hop bite and medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel,, with a small dry citrus hop in the aftertaste. More citrus in nose and in aftertaste, it is ok.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 18:38:27 | More by OWSLEY069

BeerAmbassador

Arizona

1.8/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours an amber color with a thin white head. Sweet malty aromas along with another smell that is hard to identify, like cooked or canned something (not corn). Mouthfeel is thin and flavor is more akin to a brown ale as Beerandraiderfan said. first beer I have had in a long time that is a drain pour for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 02:06:40 | More by BeerAmbassador

genitempo

Texas

2.35/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A: First brew I've had from Indian Wells. If this is the best they've got, coming out of California, they have stiff competition. Label always catches my eye. Poured easy from bottle to pint glass. Dark yellow, hints of amber in red, white head, maybe 1/8 inch. Watery pour.

S: Nothing to write home about. The malted barley wins out over the hops the entire sip (maybe a hint of hop domination towards the end)

MF: meh. Don't swish at all or the carbonation will set in.

O: Definitely not worth the purchase. The kitsch label is probably the best and only thing worth mentioning. Always a skeptic with the American Pale Ales because it's almost a dumpster term for beer types. Which is probably why it takes a really good APA to catch my taste buds.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 02:58:57 | More by genitempo

Mora2000

Texas

1.95/5  rDev -27.5%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a yellow color with a white head. The aroma is heavy on the skunk spray with a little bit of grain mixed in. The flavor is not as skunked as the aroma, but the grain notes are still there. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. There is nothing good about this beer. Avoid at all costs.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2011 02:03:14 | More by Mora2000

tigg924

Massachusetts

3.35/5  rDev +24.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: high carbonation, 1/2 inch head, orange/brown in color, hazy

Smell: toasted English pale malt, grass, earth, and pumpernickel

Taste: follows the smell

Mouthfeel: sweet with a slightly bitter backbone, medium-high carbonation, medium body

Overall: A decent slightly above average APA. I would get a single of this if I saw it again, but would not invest in a six pack. It tastes different from other APAs.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2011 13:22:52 | More by tigg924

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

2.03/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A dark copper and brown appearance, looks a little dark for a 'pale' ale. No head. Aroma is nothing approaching hoppy, or nice smelling for that matter.

Tastes like a brown ale. Nutty, no hops, weird aftertaste. A little bready. Slight bitterness accompanying the aftertaste. Just seems weak in about every flavor component.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2011 18:00:58 | More by Beerandraiderfan

ChadQuest

Illinois

1.65/5  rDev -38.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Oh my this smells aweful. The looks are nifty but you forget that fast when you dip your nose anywhere near this. I havent taken a sip yet and am sorta afraid to. This beer smells sweaty. There is bready notes, but this bread has been dipped into sweat. High school locker room style. Flavors have a stale water taste along with faint hops and breads. I might not finish this one.
I am glad i now know what TickD17's running joke with this place is about.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2011 04:11:27 | More by ChadQuest

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

2.05/5  rDev -23.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

My thanks to optimator13 for his inclusion of bottles in a recent CANTrade! I am not averse to bottles, but I won't personally ship them. This beer caused me to look at a map and sure enough, it comes from the shadow of China Lake, a naval base that I visited a couple of times while stationed in Alameda.

My aggro pour netted me a finger-and-a-half of tawny head with good retention. Color was a slightly hazy orangish-amber. Nose was caramel-malt forward with some pine hops underlying. Mouthfeel was leaning towards the thin side and the taste was really muted, more caramel than hops and pretty weak at that. Finish was really bland for the style. There just was not a whole lot happening with this beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 18:59:54 | More by woodychandler

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

2.4/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

But for a slight chill-haze, it's mostly clear, tannish to orange in color, slight fine rising bubbles, not that much head but nice lacing.

A bit of a musty, off, gym-socks smell to it. Really malty but also dry-earth in texture. Not good on the smell.

For a pale ale, one of my favorite styles, it's not that good.

Feel is ok. Medium and smooth carbonation. But the bitterness is a bit lost on continued musty flavors.

Not that great.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2011 04:52:29 | More by AlCaponeJunior

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Nine orange/amber color, solid finger of off-white head.

Aroma has a touch of grassy, citrus hops, but mainly there's a lot of bready malts.

Taste is pretty similar, but a bit more balanced with the light hops and sweet, bready malts.

The feel is light, nicely carbonated. Sort of slick and dry.

Average drinkabilty. Not the worst IW brew I've had by far, but still not great.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 20:21:33 | More by EgadBananas

deadliest

Texas

3.73/5  rDev +38.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Clear light copper with an eggshell head that's craggy and lasts a good while and leaves some small lines of lace.

S: Smell is nice, but a little weak. Clean smell of piney hops and some breadiness.

T: Overall quite good. Pine needles balanced with a heavy doughy taste. Only thing off-putting is there is a kind of soapy taste hanging out in the back.

M: Clean and crisp. Well carbonated unlike the other Indian Mills beers I've tried. Smooth.

D: Nice drinkability. I like the doughy aftertaste. Could go for another.

I was worried after picking 3 of their beers for a mix-6 and being let down hard by the first 2, but this one turned out to be pretty darn good.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2011 22:34:21 | More by deadliest

nickfl

Florida

2.7/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - Pours with an anemic, half finger head of off-white foam on top of a hazy, amber-brown body. The head settles quickly and leaves little lace.

S - Light malt with just a hint of toffee and little else.

T - Moderately sweet malt up front with a little bit of caramel. Dry toast and a slightly sour grainy flavor crop up in the middle. These flavors fade out toward the finish leaving mild bitterness and some very weak toffee and toast character behind.

M - Medium body, moderately high carbonation, and a dry finish.

D - Weak malt and virtually undetectable hops leave this beer feeling very light and watery. There is a fairly high level of carbonation which, combined with the weak flavor, creates an odd, club soda like twang in the finish. Not much going on here and what little flavor is present isn't particularly good. Not worth drinking.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2010 08:58:42 | More by nickfl

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

3.43/5  rDev +27.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Death Valley Pale Ale has a thin, off-white to beige head and a cloudy amber appearance. Carbonation is low. The aroma is of some sort of citrus (apricot?), and the taste is mostly of hops (good) and water (not good), although just a shade of barley can be picked up. Mouth-feel is light and watery, and Death Valley Pale Ale finishes fairly refreshing. I guess this is okay, but it's too watery for a California pale ale.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2010 16:31:53 | More by RonaldTheriot

charlzm

California

2.45/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Consumed June 11th, 2010. Bottle obtained directly from brewery on May 30th, 2010. Consumed in "special" Samuel Adams glass.

Beer is a clear copperry orange with plentiful carbonation. A small, off-white head less than a finger tall becomes a thin but still beer-covering skin in short order, providing creamy, moderately sticky lacing.

Smell is indistinct hops with a bready malt note.

Flavor is unpleasantly sharp and somewhat metallic. Mineral water notes. Traces of bready malt (even yeast?) and a piney hop flavor. Bitterness is moderate, thin and only appears on the finish.

Slightly astringent but otherwise unremarkable mouthfeel.

Not an especially good beer, save for its appearance. I did barely finish the bottle, but it wasn't any fun. Not recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2010 07:08:30 | More by charlzm