Loser Pale Ale - Elysian Brewing Company

beerandcycling88

Washington

3.8/5  rDev +3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a mug

A Pours a hazy orange topped with a thick foamy white head.

S Lots of sweet citrus mostly grapefruit with a hint of malt.

T Lots of citrus mostly grapefruit. A bit of bitterness and a hint of some bready malts.

M Good carbonation and a medium body, very easy to drink.

Overall this is a pretty solid pale ale with lots of flavor and its easy to drink. Definitely worth picking up if you see it.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2012 20:53:05 | More by beerandcycling88

Neorebel

New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is a nice hazy burnt orange topped with a two-finger frothy head. It is retained quite well. It smells amazing, with resinous hops, grapefruit, sweet citrus, and malts. The flavor is a subtle balance of hops and malt flavors. It has this very soft, plush mouth feel. The finish is dry with a slight tangy bitterness. Overall quite a good beer. I expected it to be a bit bolder by the aroma but actually the softness is welcome - my palate is currently 'spent' on big beers today. I also think my bottle has 'rested' a the store a while due to a different label than pictured - this probably mellowed the hop profile a bit.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 06:02:14 | More by Neorebel

JMWEB2

New Jersey

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Clear dark orange, nice small off white head which leaves behind some lacing as well.

S: Very nice ... some citrus sweetness, nice malty aroma, and some hops to boot.

T: Nice hoppy flavor, and a dry malt finish.

M: Medium body, and carbonation.

O: Nice pale ale here, I may try it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 20:48:14 | More by JMWEB2

augustgarage

California

3.73/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bomber into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Clear burnished safety orange with amber highlights and a fury of rising micro-bubbles supporting a fat finger of papaya whip foam. Rich soapy lacing; superior retention.

Fruity aromatics suggest pineapple, melon, wild berries, and plenty of citrus from hops. There is a mild malt base and an underlying touch of pine as well. Fairly acidic.

Marshmallow, varied fruit (banana, berries, citrus), and gentle malt on the palate with a wave of grassy, brackish acidity from the hops which contribute a mellow bitterness. Finishes not-quite-sweet.

Incredibly soft creamy mouth-feel...almost like carbonated cream.

Ignoring the SubPop connection, this is very quaffable, though a bit lacking in flavor and hops.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 01:48:59 | More by augustgarage

CHickman

New York

3.93/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Beer review from 9/2/2011; pours hazy amber color with a creamy tan head that fades quickly and leaves a creamy layer on top and nice foamy lacing.

Smells of sweet malt, syrup, caramel, brown sugar, grapefruit, orange peel, citrus hops, light lemon zest, floral hops, herbs, grass, light grains and a sugary sweetness with a fruity citrus blend. A nice fragrant nose that's soft, sweet and inviting.

Tastes of sweet malt, caramel, piney hops, citrus hops, grapefruit, orange peel, lemon, brown sugar, light coriander, herbs, floral hops, light grains and faint pepper; a pretty sweet pale ale that's very well balanced, with the sweet malt leaving a buttery coating and then giving way to a citrus hop light bitterness. The hops give off a little spice and blend well with the malt for an easy drinking beer.

Mouthfeel is light, creamy and fizzy, with a medium body, very light carbonation and a light bitter finish.

Highly drinkable, this was a very tasty pale ale that I would definitely have again. This was a session bomber that I’m glad I didn’t share. Overall it was very good and worthy of seeking out. The label is right, Corporate Beer Still Sucks. A solid beer with a rock edge for a good cause.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 03:50:06 | More by CHickman

scootpolute

Washington

3.65/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

1 Pint, 6 FL OZ. bottle into tulip glass.

A - Pours dark-golden, with a nice creamy, thick white head...- some great lacing.

S - Huge hop, malty and some hints of sweet citrus - some orange & grapefruit tones...

T - Hoppy, but not as much as the the smell lets you think! Many spice flavors were an unexpected suprise :~(

M - Good carbonation...There's a pretty good fullness.

O - Pretty good balanced beer...Just a bit spicier than expected.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2011 23:40:35 | More by scootpolute

thebrood1987

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On the smell I get a lot of thick rich toffee malts with a lemony, herbal hop in the back. Very smooth and the rich toffee malts dominate mostly the whole taste up until the very end where the lemony herbal hop comes in with taste and bitterness. Its very floral tasting as well.

The malt taste reminds me very much of how Rogue's Dead Guy Ale malt tastes. Its very similar. I actually like this beer better because of the Sorachi Ace hops which give it a unique twist on the flavor that I normally don't ever smell or taste in beers.

I also like this beer a lot because the whole "grunge rock" scene is probably one of my favorite music movements to ever happen. I love the fact that Sub Pop collaborated with a brewery and put Nirvana as the forefront band of this beer. Hence the "Corporate beer still sucks" as a play on of the t shirt Kurt Cobain wore on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine that said "Corporate magazines still suck"

The malt really tries to win the battle here with the hops because of how rich and noticeable the malt taste is...but because of those Sorachi Ace hops it really adds a tropical fruity lemon herbal note to it that like I said...I'm not used to tasting in a beer. Very cool beer and Elysian has quickly become my favorite go to Seattle brewery.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 02:02:46 | More by thebrood1987

pitasoup

Tennessee

2.7/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A: pour hazy orange/brown with thin white head that quickly subsides.

S: dust, grass, perhaps a touch of vegetal and piney american hops, but faded. there is a slight lemonyness that lingers on the breath afterwards - probably the sorachi.

T: slight diacetyl, then sharp and lingering hop bitterness. grapefruit rind and citrus dominate, with a spark of biscuit like malt sweetness.

M: medium bodied. lingering bitterness makes this seem thicker than it is. there is a minerally feeling left on the tongue.

O: rather meh apa. sorachi hops intrigued me, but I couldn't pull much from it. there's a harsh and umpleasant bitterness - i'm hoping it's from a freshness issue, and not the terrible choice of crystal hops.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2011 02:16:25 | More by pitasoup

julian

Washington

3.95/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy copper color with a thick, lasting foamy white head. Nice lacing! 4

S: Smells of mild lemon, mildly nutty, earthy hops. 3.5

T&M: Very nice mouthfeel, creamy, smooth medium bodied. Nice taste. I like. Nice sweet brown sugar maltiness up front mixed with zesty lemon twang, caramel in the middle, hoppy spice on the back. Clean finish. Very nice. 4/4.5

O: I don’t know why I haven’t tried this sooner. This is well balanced, flavorful and refreshing. 4

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 16:33:05 | More by julian

merc7186

New York

3.4/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this beer from a bomber bottle poured into a chilled pint glass.

The beer pours decently with a nice straw/ambr color to it, a nice white one finger head with good lacing on the glass. The beer smells okay with a nice mild blend several malts and hops on the back end. The taste is decent with a great blend of malty flavor up front and a nice mellow crystal hop finish. The mouthfeel is decent with a nice mellow dryness from the hops and the beer is well carbonated. Overall, I liked this beer as I thought it didnt blow you out with over hopping and was a great blend of malts and hops together.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 18:17:11 | More by merc7186

JizackFH

New York

2.88/5  rDev -22%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A - This beer pours a nice clear copper color. It has a big fluffy 2-finger off-white head on it. The head has pretty good retention, and it leaves behind a nice sheet of lacing on the glass.

S - Smells of sweet bready malts and caramel. I am getting some fruit notes and some mild piney hop presence. I smells a bit syrupy to me actually.

T - Taste starts off with some bready malt and caramel flavor. There is a moderate pine hop presence that lends some bitterness, but not much. Also, there is some fruitiness and a bit of citrus. The finish is pretty clean' leaving just a little bit of lingering hops and citrus.

M - This has a medium body and average carbonation. It goes down pretty easy and has a smooth feel to it. There is a bit of a chewy quality to it.

O - This has alright drinkability. It goes down fairly easy, but it just was a little thick feeling for me. Also, I would have liked to see more hop bitterness. There was a little, but it didn't stick around for very long. It was decent, but I probably wouldn't spend money on it again.

Serving type: growler

08-24-2011 07:24:58 | More by JizackFH

Bfarr

Washington

3.8/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Hazy dark amber with orange highlights, tight off white head, good retention and lacing. Crisp sweet floral aroma. Balanced with a great malt profile of caramel, toffee, and notes of earthy hops. Clean, crisp taste and finish with a very light hop linger. Smooth with a light bite but fairly heavy.

Very interesting malt qualities make an easy drinking, full flavored beer. The flavor melds away slightly toward the bottom of a 22 but taking your time keeps it full throughout the bottle. It’s unusually heavy for a pale ale but I think that’s what comes with the malt profile. It’s not completely distracting and makes for a nice sipping pale ale instead of a refreshing outdoor beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2011 01:49:04 | More by Bfarr

thatruth

Washington

2.75/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

22 oz bottle from the Beer Junction in West Seattle, poured into pint glass.

A: pours a half-of-a-finger head that lingers a while, moderate lacing. a nice, deep copper tone golden brown, slight haze.

S: apricot deep fried in hops and malt, chipper caramel aroma.

T: more malt than hops. not much there, tastes like old apple juice - and malt.

M: again, not too much there. damn malty. lingers like eating a bunch of whoppers candy at once.

O: my first offering from Elysian here in my new hometown of Seattle. "Corporate beer" may "still suck[s]" (as reads on the label) but Elysian isn't far behind with this Loser.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 22:09:30 | More by thatruth

drabmuh

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Beer is yellow and hazy with a thin white soft head of small bubbles, some lacing, spotty carbonation, looks fine.

The aroma is grassy and lemony...I smell sorachi ace hops.

Yep, beer is medium to light in body and quite sorachi in the palate. Lemony, almost a coconut style bitterness, decent, a familiar flavor, decent APA, but I'd skip it next time.

Serving type: on-tap

08-22-2011 03:32:09 | More by drabmuh

Bookseeb

Washington

3.73/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance is an orange amber with a thin but still head leaving spotty lace. Aroma of rich bready malt that makes up the backbone, orange note with citric hops. Taste again has that big malt backbone with just right amount of hops to keep it interesting, leaving a light dry finish. Mouthfeel is medium with good carbonation. A good malt ale without being heavy and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 00:10:07 | More by Bookseeb

coastiefish

Oregon

3.03/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

22 ounce bottle enjoyed in a tulip glass.

A - Cloudy, deep orange copper. Frothy one finger head dwindles down to an eighth of inch. Lacing has already begun upon settling into tulip.

S - Buttery toffee. Savory caramel. Bready

T - Bread & butter.

M - Smooth, creamy, medium body, rounded.

O - The diacetyl is very heavy in this beer. As it opens up and comes to room temp further, the more the diacetyl becomes present. It's fairly disappointing, Im wondering if this beer was possibly just a bad one out of the batch. I will rate this as is, and hope to either try it again in a 22oz soon or try it when I visit Elysian this winter.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2011 01:59:57 | More by coastiefish

dogfishandi

New York

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

picked up a growler of this at the orchard park consumers. fridge temp poured into a bulb style glass.

pours a cloudy reddish amber with a huge billowy, slightly off white head. great retention with a little lace.

in the aroma, lots of biscuit and a little caramel balanced by tropical fruity hops and a light dry citrus.

the taste follows the aroma almost identically. a really unique deelicious biscuit flavor from the malt while still having a nice hop presence.

a little dry on the palate in the finish, slightly heavier side of medium bodied.

overall: a solid pale ale, almost an IPA. i really enjoyed the flavors from the malt, and as a homebrewer, its nice to see the use of some ingredients new to the market, crystal, sorachi ace hops, and carahell malts. id drink this again.

Serving type: growler

07-23-2011 22:21:06 | More by dogfishandi

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance. Pours a pretty clear deep amber-orange with a massive, 3+ finger, frothy almost white head that leaves some moderate lacing.

Smell. Caramel and a little bready yeast. Some citrus and spice as well.

Taste. Toasty light malts, a little citrus fruit and apples. A little bitter with some hints of herby hops. Clean finish with pretty well hidden abv.

Mouthfeel. Medium body with smooth, medium-low carbonation. Crisp and a little dry. Really nice.

Overall. Fantastic drinker even with the moderately high abv. Nothing too complex but tastes great and goes down real easy. Will buy again.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2011 01:31:37 | More by Rutager

Docer

Washington

3.53/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: (4.0)
- Pours a dark clear copper brew with a big fluffy couple fingers of head. Leaving lace all the way down to a large bubbly ring and blanket of spotty cream. Very creamy and pretty head.

Smell: (3.5)
- Nice grainy and slightly sweet malt. Very bready indeed. Light fruit notes, fresh grassy hop, and light resinous pine. Overall very malt forward, but not a caramel malt so much... just more bready.

Taste: (3.5)
- Bready grainy malt. Light fruit and ester, bitter zesty hops with a fruity and grassy finish. Rather herbal, and light on hops. Big on bready and lightly sweet malts with maybe a touch of a brown sugar and cinnamon-like quality.

Mouth Feel: (3.5)
- Medium bodied, slightly drying from the bittering hops, and a bit chewy. Well carbonated. Lightly syrupy and sticky as well.

Overall: (3.5)
- Overall the beer is very solid. It's hops shine in the bittering end, and it has an even more unique malt quality. Very bready, smooth, and tasty while still remaining unique. Overall I am not too impressed with it, but it is worth the shot. I wonder how this beer would be on tap.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2011 00:47:36 | More by Docer

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another hard to resist offering at the Capitol Hill location - Sub Pop still exists? Well, according to the sub-title "Corporate Beer Still Sucks" - truer words...

This beer appears a cloudy golden amber colour, with one finger of soapy white head, which leaves some sparse splattered lace around the glass as it settles. It smells of caramel cream, lemon pie, and bitter leafy hops. The taste is more caramel/toffee, grapefruit, passionfruit, buttery chardonnay, and aged lemon. The carbonation is moderate, the body skewed just beyond smooth. It finishes with an herbal, buttery maltiness.

Yet another pale ale strangely (but still well) affected by the exotic Sorachi Ace hop. While I can't seem to get barrel treated white wine off of my mind, in this case, it's not such a bad thing.

Serving type: on-tap

07-05-2011 06:37:32 | More by biboergosum

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy orange-ish to amber color with a light tan head. In the aroma, big gingerbread like maltiness. In the taste, big gingerbread like malt and just a pinch of alcohol. A smooth and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry gingerbread like aftertaste. Quite English, but nice balance.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2011 12:53:38 | More by OWSLEY069

Kendo

New York

3.95/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

"Everybody's bragging and drinking that wine;
I can tell the Queen of Diamonds by the way she shines.
Come to Daddy on an inside straight.
I got no chance of losing this time.
No, I got no chance of losing this time."

-"Loser"
Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Music: Jerry Garcia

Got it on tap at Blue Tusk in Syracuse on 6/28/11; served in a mug.

A: Body is honey-amber in color with a foamy (and active) white head. Lots of streaming carbonation keeps that head well-fortified. Finally leaves behind good lacing.

S: Faint overall nose - basic hops (light citrus) and a touch of generic malt sweetness.

T: A solid caramel malt foundation underneath. Finishes with hops that at times seem citrusy (lemony more than orange or grapefruit), but at other times there's a spicy quality to the finish. Citrus is mellow, nowhere near IPA levels. I didn't know the ABV was 7% when I drank it, but that explains the heat I get at the finish. The overall finish is clean.

M: Good creaminess, medium in heft.

O: Good stuff. Overall impression is that it's sweeter than expected, but that might just be because I'm used to IPAs, not APAs.

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2011 23:26:51 | More by Kendo

WesWes

New York

3.35/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a beautiful gold color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a dry and grainy, pale malt scent along with a bit of Munich malt sweetness and some grassy hop bitterness. The taste is average. It has a complex malt flavor that's grainy with a hint of Munich malt sweetness. The hops are up front and provide a grassy character that doesn't seem to meld well with the malt bill. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is an interesting beer. It's complex. It's flavorful. It's not that great.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2011 20:51:42 | More by WesWes

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I picked up this beer based on nostalgia. The beer is dedicated to Sub-Pop records which was the biggest label to release the grunge style in the 90's. Since I was in high school when grunge blew up, this made it very attractive. It helped that Sub-Pop is based out of Seattle, and I grew up in Oregon. And yes, I do remember where I was when I heard that Kurt Cobain died.

This is a very good beer on it's own. It looks good, the head is proper, and the lacing is nice as I drink.

The aroma presents quite a bit of hoppiness, which was a little stronger than expected for a Pale.

The flavor is also very hoppy. I really taste all the malts and hops. Unfortunately, this was very overwhelming as a Pale. The brewer should consider re-labeling this as an IPA. This hurt the scores a little.

It is important to review the beer based on type (which is why I don't review Pilsners), and the flavor and aroma just doesn't match the style described.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2011 00:28:16 | More by ummswimmin

MADhombrewer

Oregon

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance- Clear deep orange with an off white cap that leaves spider web like lacing behind. 4/5

Smell- Citrus hops. Small malt backbone to make it even. 4/5

Taste- Lots of grapefruit, lemon and peach flavors. There is a sweetness that is reminiscent of a citrus flavored hard candy. Nice bitterness and caramel to back it all up. 4/5

Mouthfeel- Good mouthfeel. It leaves a little left in your mouth after each sip. 4/5

Overall- This is a good, solid beer. Very easy drinking. I may pick this up again if I see it. 4/5

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2011 03:33:01 | More by MADhombrewer