APA
The Emerson Brewing Company

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From:
The Emerson Brewing Company
 
New Zealand
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
6%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.09 | pDev: 10.76%
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
12
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 01, 2014
Added:
Oct 26, 2005
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.25 by endless1408 from England

Jun 01, 2014
Photo of lacqueredmouse
Reviewed by lacqueredmouse from Australia

3.42/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
500ml bottle purchased from Slowbeer in Melbourne. Best before date of Jul 13.

Pours a pretty deep dark golden colour, almost tending towards an amber. Head is fine, but lacking a little persistance, leaving a scummy yellowish film across the top of the beer. Body looks slick, but rather light. Very little carbonation. Looks OK, not much better than that though.

Nose is slightly crisp and piney, but oddly flat as well: there's little rounded fruity characters, even the sharper citrus aroma is very muted. Mild dark caramel characters give it its sweetness, and there's an oily organic character: a bit like heavy grainy bread. I'm not overly impressed, to be honest.

Taste is light and clean, and pretty drinkable. Light grain characters come through again, giving a wholesome solid quality to the body. This body is flavoured with some light crisp hops, again sticking to the piney character, but the lightness overall allows it to flow into a mild tangerine sweetness on the back. It's not bad.

Feel is light but slick, but almost flat. Very little carbonation present at all.

Overall, I'd have to call this something of a disappointment from Emerson's. Were the best before date not well into the future, I'd believe this was a very old bottle. As it is, maybe it's just tame and pedestrian. I mean, it's not bad, but this brewery can do much better.
Jan 04, 2013
Photo of danieelol
Reviewed by danieelol from Australia

3.06/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours golden caramel with good head/lacing.

Just like the IPA, I get a kind of sour, leafy, meatiness. Not particularly what I associate with an IPA at all.

Flavours remind me of Natural Confectionery Company lollies.

Taste is herbal and bitter. Sweet malt flavours are quite good but again, the sour meatiness is just weird.

Massively off-style. Interesting.
Dec 10, 2012
Photo of willjansen
Reviewed by willjansen from Colorado

4.2/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From the bottle: "Brewed and matured with generous amounts of distinctive American hop varieties."

Appearance - Bright, hazy copper color with big, thick foamy head on medium pour.

Smell - Ultra hoppy presence straight away, with the typically-American piney, citrusy hop blast found in APAs. Cascade hops detected.

Taste - IPA-ish hop agression from the beginning, backed up by a solid malt body that eventually comes through. Big hop kick from the start, followed by a massive, bitter hop bomb through the finish. APA or IPA? What's in a name?

Mouthfeel - Oily body hits the tongue and creates a divine foamy watery layer that seems perfectly designed to deliver the flavor most effectively.

Drinkability - An excellent NZ beer and another great offering from Emersons. Seems hoppier than their 1812 IPA, but that's fine by me - especially considering the hop levels that APAs have attained and are famous for. Truly great beer...
Jan 09, 2008
Photo of brendan13
Reviewed by brendan13 from Australia

4.42/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured into a 500ml stein a copper orange colour with a pretty big solid head. Patchy lacing left the whole way down.
Big citrus aroma as would be expected from the style balanced quite well with a toffee maltiness. The aromas flow into the taste as well with some more subtle hop notes becoming evident towards the back of the palate.
Medium carbonation & quite a creamy mouthfeel.
This is one drinkable beer. Been a "must have" every time I go to Cookie and now Cloudwine has just got some in as well. Emersons can't seem to do a bad beer as has already been said.
May 16, 2007
Photo of belgbeerdrinker
Reviewed by belgbeerdrinker from Colorado

3.82/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
a: copper color with some bubble activity
s: grassy hops hit right away - hopefully a good sign
t: hops are tempered a bit and don't have a bitter kick at the end, which i like. but mild vs. a lot of other apa's.
m: smooth to drink, with nice finish. decent carbonation and medium body
d: have to admit i'm not the biggest fan of this stye, but this is one i enjoyed more than others. as with some of the other emerson's offerings, i'd be happy to have another of these!
Feb 01, 2007
Photo of ohitsbrad
Reviewed by ohitsbrad from Australia

4.8/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
12 November 2006, Best Before May 07

Copper colour with a large solid white head. A thick cap is left behind with clumps and rings of lacing. Fresh juicy citrus fruit aroma. It's zesty, hoppy, piney and perfumy. Taste is hoppy and tangy with a toasty vanilla malt background. Awesome bitter citrus fruit and pine flavour. Long aftertaste. Medium bodied. 6.0% alcohol suits this well. This beer has an inviting aroma, big flavour, is hugely refreshing and ultimately satisfying. Haven't had a better APA.
Nov 12, 2006
Photo of alexgash
Reviewed by alexgash from Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Slight haze, rich dark copper body with an orange glow. Sticky, creamy, light tan head. Toffee malt with a little butter aromas give way to dates and pineapple fruit. Appetizing floral hop aroma with a slight resin quality. On the palate, light toffeeish malt base quickly gives way to an American-style hop onslaught. Resinous, herbal, citrusy, and deliciously bitter. Sweet roll and tropical fruit sweetness round off the palate and the finish is sappy bitter and dry. Medium-bodied, creamy soft feel. Dry finish. The hoppiest beer I've had in NZ and another quality Emerson's beer. Good on ya'!
Mar 02, 2006
Photo of Brauluver
Reviewed by Brauluver from Australia

4.15/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Colour was sensational

Aroma was excellent

Flava was malty backbone with a big hop finish

Mouthfeel is what sets this apart from other antipodean versions of this style,body,body,body.

Hops from start to finish with a subtle lingering bittereness

It's the sh*t
Jan 24, 2006
Photo of feloniousmonk
Reviewed by feloniousmonk from Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Hazed bronze appearance, creamy, thin layer of froth.

Big, fresh aroma, alert and lively, fruity, piney, herbaceous, an intriquing blend of American hops, ...reminds me of my Mama.

A burst of fruity hop flavor floods the palate from the start of the sipping. Delicious bitterness, rings loud and full in the mouth, before softly, surely slipping off. Medium bodied, longish, lightly bitter, fruity finish. Slightly oily...almost an IPA, this one, but I understand where they're coming from in the appelation. (Love the label, too, an American Bald Eagle, wings spread stands in the center, with white red, white and blue stars and stripes all around. A surprise and a treat to see a brewery from across the globe salute the U.S.A. and it's beer innovations in this way.)

Yum, very full of character. If I were a New Zealander, this would be a daily delight for me. Emerson's quality comes through again!

Drinking this from a Summit IPA pint glass, and it reminds me of that same beer, a local favorite of mine. Great big thanks to Danny from Dunedin, who brought his hometown pride all the way from Kiwiland, just for me.
Nov 14, 2005
Photo of jarmby1711
Reviewed by jarmby1711 from Australia

4.22/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Deep bronze to red in colour with a very fine bead , and a head that did subside a little too quickly.
My nose said this smelt of hops and flowers . And it was pretty persuasive.The taste reflects the smell but adds a blended bitterness and the hint of esters in the background.
For people wanting to experience a hop riven beer , then this should be on your agenda. What I cant figure is why only 2 people have reviewed it
Like the previous review I commend Emersons , as every beer I have had of theirs hs been great
Nov 12, 2005
Photo of diablo14
Reviewed by diablo14 from Illinois

4.32/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
these fellows just dont know how to brew a bad beer, and here they are again with a new offering. and what an offering it is. a marvellous interpretation of a classic american pale ale, they have nailed everything to the spot.

reminded me of a sierra nevada pale ale, just a little fuller in flavor and body. classic cloudy orange color, plenty of zip, and a full light colored head. big malt aromas, plenty of fruity tones, and a floral hop blast backing it all up. awesome full malty flavor, some tropical fruit style elements and backed with big time hops leading to a dry finish that is in perfect harmony with the rest of the beer. i could drink this all the time and never get sick of it, even if it is kind of a clone of some of the great true us pale ales. that said, even tho this beer is brewed in nz, and least the name is not a misnomer, as it usually is when a brewer outside of the country of origin attempts a style such as this.

an APA the US of A would be proud to call one of its own, emersons APA sits alongside their other truly great brews quite comfortably.
Oct 26, 2005
APA from The Emerson Brewing Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 12 ratings