Alamo Golden Ale - Alamo Beer Co.

tomnoble

2.5/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

I have seen this bottle several times before buying one as a part of a mix and match your own sixpack. THis was the only of the six that was not an IPA and that was because coming from San Antonio, I have an affinity for the Alamo and Texas in general (five of the six were Texas brews). I struggled to figure out where in the world this beer came from. THe label indicated it is a product of Real Ale Brewing in Blanco, bu the website is a completely different company, so obviously Real Ale must be contract brewing for them while they build up the brand. I am a huge Real Ale fan and consider Fireman's Four (SMaSH brew or not) the best lawnmower beer around. Since I am firmly in camp with Real Ale I cannot falt their technique and must fault the recipe for what turned out to be a dissapointing experience. The brew is crystal clear, and pours with a slight head if agitated which leaves light lacing, but the hop profile is almost non-existant and reminded me of a BMC rather than blond ale (like Fireman's Four). THe malt is strangely out in front and does not seem well balanced with any bittering hops I could distinguish. I prefer a blond ale with a light malt body that is subtle and there mostly to support about 25 IBUs, but this seems closer to 5 or 6.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 02:08:42 | More by tomnoble

LacquerHead

Illinois

2.55/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I had this at the Executive Surf Club in Corpus Christi TX and it was poured into an American pint glass.

A:The color was pale golden with a very slight haze.

S:It was not very aromatic, but I could pick up signs of hops trying to come through. There were also hints of citrus. The head retention was not very good and it had very little aroma towards the end.

T:The taste was rather bland and there was not much to this beer. Towards the end of the glass the beer tasted flat.

M: It had large bubbles but did not taste very carbonated.

D: It did have a decent drinkability

Overall I would not buy this beer again on tap, but was worth trying once. I would recommend this beer to someone who wanted a simple beer with drinkability. Next time I will have to try Alamo in a bottle to see if there is a difference; maybe it taste better that way?

Serving type: on-tap

07-04-2010 19:54:29 | More by LacquerHead

MrHungryMonkey

Texas

2.73/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Light malt sweetness accompanied with a quaint little bitterness.

Pale straw, good clarity, little head.

Toasty, dry malt gives the impression of fermented corn. A little sweetness rounds out the dryness. A hint of hops comes and goes. Minimal bitterness. Good carbonation, a bit thin though.

What a fun idea - I love the Alamo. But is this the best we can drink to drink to the Alamo? Refreshing and light? Yes. Tasty? No, not really. I assume this brew is targeted to more-of-your-average-beer-drinker-crowd-type persons, but why can’t it taste better? It is just shy of good.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2007 03:53:58 | More by MrHungryMonkey

weissbierdrinker

Belgium

2.85/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a golden straw color with a white one finger head, despite my aggresive pour, and leaves some lacing around the glass.

Smell is sweet and mildly hoppy with some hints of clove.

Taste starts a little musky with some notes of clove, but it's watery there is also a little sweetness to it, the finish is dry.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2008 01:06:08 | More by weissbierdrinker

champ103

Texas

2.85/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I think Real Ale might contract brew this, or has in the past anyway. On tap at the Faust Hotel in New Braunfels.

A: Pours a clear golden/yellow color. A one finger white head forms, but recedes to a ring. A small film of lace is left.
S: Grainy, slightly metallic, bread, light sweetness.
T: Follows the nose and pretty neutral. Grains, bread, metal, some lingering sweetness. Like a week Rio Blanco.
M/D: A light and thin mouthfeel. Moderate carbonation, fairly clean, but way to thin. Not hard to drink, but there are usually much better options.

Very average at best. I think that is pretty much the point of this beer though. Even so, not a lot going on to keep me interested.

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2011 06:53:42 | More by champ103

elNopalero

Texas

2.85/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

This is a golden colored ale with thin to no foam. It has an extremely light , honeyed aroma. Very effervescent—force carbonated? Dare I say, fizzy even. It has a clean finish with some light malt lingering around. Not a whole lot going on here and what is going on is dialed down to a whisper.

This is—although it pains me to say it—an utterly forgettable golden ale. (Why does it pain me? Because it’s a local microbrew and I wanna give some love to the home team.) It is not the same recipe as Real Ale’s Firehouse 4, although until they open their own facilities it’s contract brewed in Blanco.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2012 19:51:50 | More by elNopalero

Vancer

Illinois

2.88/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to my daughter for bringing one back from a business trip to San Antonio.

Poured a hazy golden yellow in the Bitburger pilsner glass, topped with a frothy white head that's laying some lace down.

Not digging the cabbage, corn, and a pop of euro skunk in the aroma. Also seems to come across in the quaff, which finished a bit harshly. The corn adjunct is dominating the overall flavor here.

A good looking beer, didn't match it in the taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2008 22:32:03 | More by Vancer

kyleelton

Texas

2.93/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I don't know what I was expecting from this beer. I suppose I wanted it to be...better.

Anyway, it looked good out of the bottle. Poured into a pint glass the color was golden as advertised with a good head that laced nicely.

Smelled sweetness and some hops. Balanced.

Taste left some to be desired. The malts and hops were well balanced enough but the aftertaste was not terribly pleasant. There was a slight adjunct taste to this beer. Does not compare to other blonde ales I've had, even though it wasn't horrible.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2011 22:02:44 | More by kyleelton

mactrail

California

3.04/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Attractive in the glass with a decent head on the golden brew. Adequately spritzy and while light bodied, it does have a little malty mouthfeel. More of a Kolsch sensation, with a lemony hint. Nothing much of an aroma. Maybe a touch of crackers for flavor. Faintly sourish, though not unpleasantly so. Not much of any bitterness to describe. I let this warm up quite a bit, and it doesn't help much.

Not much to stir the imagination here. I guess I have to admit this is quite drinkable, but it's no better than the average Blonde. From the 12 oz bottle bought at Texas Wine Cellars in Fredericksburg, TX.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 04:45:12 | More by mactrail

jasonjlewis

Texas

3.08/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Decent head and fairly good retention. Cloudy yellow color.

I think i smell faint crystal malts and I'm going to guess cascade hops. It's really faint though.

Taste is of simple crystal malts with a very low cascade hop bitterness.

Dry mouthfeel. Not bad though.

A no frills beer. I believe this is brewed by Real Ale Brewing according to the bottle. Contract brewed?

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2007 05:17:43 | More by jasonjlewis

YonderWanderer

Colorado

3.1/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Alamo Ale, of course, being in San Antonio for the first time, I had to try it. I was a bit disappointed, as I thought it could definitely be better. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. It poured a clear, slightly-darker-than-straw color, with a decent head on it that hung around a little bit. Smell was of light malts and a touch of hops. Flavor followed suit. A decent hit of malts, blended with a light flavor of hops. Produces a clean and crisp flavor and mouthfeel. It's nothing spectacular, but it's a decent ale. It could be improved with only a little work. However, that said, given the Alamo theme, my feeling is that it's more targeted towards the average beer drinker who's visiting Texas and gets pulled in by the novelty of the label. Still, it's worth a try. I could see it being a great hot-summer-day type beer. Better than a macro lager.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2008 14:29:34 | More by YonderWanderer

kimcgolf

Georgia

3.15/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this while enjoying spicy food on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. This was not necessarily a bad beer, but just nothing stuck out. Hard to pick up any aroma or taste, and despite having a slightly tingly mouth, it went nowhere from there.

As the description says, it will help put out the fire, but so will a tall glass of ice water.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2009 01:34:56 | More by kimcgolf

Atlas1

Texas

3.18/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Having just moved back to San Antonio (SA) after 11 years away, i was excited to try out some of the local beer samplings from the region that I couldn't find in Washington, DC. But I kinda put this one off for a while. Golden/blonde ales don't really do it for me. Still, this is the Alamo City, and this is Alamo Gold.

Pours a bright pale golden (naturally) color with a frothy, one-finger white head on top. Fades a bit quickly, but does leave behind some decent lace. A golden beer, to be sure, but nothing fancy. A dry musty malt nose here. Some fruitiness to the aroma as well. Earthy, but muted on the whole. Not bad, but not great. Hmm, this tastes interesting. Much richer and maltier than I expected, but still bland overall. A strange taste indeed. I was expecting a thinner, duller brew, but this actually has some body to it, if not much flavor. Mouthfeel is richer than expected too. Smooth and dry.

This beer actually delivered more than I was expecting. It's fuller and more robust than I imagined it. Still, that's not to say that I would go out of my way to drink this beer again, because I wouldn't. But it was somewhat better than I expected it to be, and that's always a good thing. Worth trying, if you're working your way through all the beers in Texas.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2008 21:57:56 | More by Atlas1

ZenAgnostic

Texas

3.23/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Appearance - Nice white head and pale clear straw body.

Smell - Slightly nutty malt.

Taste - Nice slightly bitter amber lager body. Stale cardboard aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with good carbonation.

Overall Drinkability - This beer has some good aspects but the cardboard finish ruins the drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 03:07:46 | More by ZenAgnostic

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle with a best by date of 09.08.11. Pours a pretty clear gold color with a fluffy white head. Fades fairly quick and leaves minimal lace.

Nose is earthy, almost caramel-esque malt with a fair amount of nuttiness. Very little hops or fruity yeast presence. Pretty boring, actually.

Taste is grainy and fresh with a light hint of fruity yeast. Biscuity and there is still a hint of pecan nuttiness. Hops are a no-show on the palate. Not bad by any means, but totally and utterly forgettable. It is just slightly above average for a blonde ale. The fresh, grainy malt flavors are the saving grace here.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2011 00:44:08 | More by twiggamortis420

TownDunkel

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

The Alamo Golden Ale - Almost thought this was a shiner at first!

Appearance - This beer a bit darker than your usual brew but mostly yellow to brown

Smell - A nutty (peanut) scent that is almost a bit off from that. It was good but not enough there to fully satisfy

Taste - A Shiner (light) but with more of the peanut and barley flavors in there. I wish there was some more to this and more umph to it (technical word)

Mouthfeel - This is where this beer excels, the taste sticks with you for a good several minutes leaving a satisfied taste

Overall - an okay drinker

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 01:43:19 | More by TownDunkel

ByMySword

3.38/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: A very smooth pour. Had a very golden color and very prominent head.

Smell: The smell was not personally to my liking. It was very overwhelming.

Taste: The taste was very salty. Not at all what I was expecting. Yet it was good and was complimented by the mouthfeel. Towards the middle of the glass, the taste became much more prominent and pleasurable. The taste is very unique.

Mouthfeel: As was said above, the mouthfeel complimented the taste very well and was probably its saving grace. The mouthfeel had a healthy carbonation which also complimented the salty taste.

Overall: Not a bad beer, if you don't mind a smooth but salty beer. I hesitate to say it was bitter. It really wasn't and the bitterness was felt mostly in the aftertaste. All in all, a beer you would expect out of Texas. But I'm Texan, so I'm biased.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 04:22:16 | More by ByMySword

cheers2beers

Texas

3.4/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle served in a pint glass

Appearance: Pours a dull and dirty but not quite full golden hue. A pure white head rose up two fingers then setteled into a nice quarter inch layer on top of my brew. Generous beading is noted throughout.

Smell: Fresh and slightly hoppy. Im suprised by some sweet malt as well. Maybe even a little peppery in the nose. Can't wait to take a sip.

Taste: Grass and grains baby! Actually, the flavor is somewhat subdued and relaxed. The hops are showcased not by there bitterness but buy there grassy, herbal, medicinal properties. The pilsner type malt is there to balance but plays more of a supporting role than that of a co-star. Very refreshing and non-offensive.

Mouthfeel: Spritzy yet smooth with a body that dances on the fatter side of thin. The carbonation keeps things livley but not overly so. Spot on for a Blonde!

Drinkability: This one was quaffed with ease. Im not a big fan of these lighter styles but Alamo kept it somewhat interesting with this offering. In my mind this is still too light to be a gateway beer but I envision this beer holding that new persons hand on there way up to the gate!

Cheers2Beers

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2006 19:14:07 | More by cheers2beers

mdunman

Texas

3.43/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Slighly hazy gold with a decent white head and some linger.

S: Heavy malt, some citrus and light hops.

T: Malt up front with a twist of rose, some light biscuit and a slightly hoppy finish.

M: Light body, decent carbonation.

Pretty good beer, worthwhile on a summer day. I enjoyed it, but I would rather try something new next time.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2011 03:54:14 | More by mdunman

TWHartman

Minnesota

3.44/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- pale golden with clean white head, head retention pretty good for the style

S- light grainy sweetness balanced with grassy hop, pretty standard

T- lightly sweet from grain, maintains a nice finish. Grass and some spice from hops. Taste mimics smell strongly.

M- body is the most pleasant feature of the beer, flavor sticks to sides and back of tongue but still maintains a crisp finish

Overall a nice beer to drink outside on a nice warm day, I'd drink a couple.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 21:07:10 | More by TWHartman

mgdeth

Montana

3.45/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Indeed, this one is golden colored. However, it is hazy, which is not so good. The white head dissipates quickly.

Smell - Aroma is light and malty. The beer has a number of aromas in it. Fresh grain seems to be prominent.

Taste - Crisp and refreshing. The hops hit mid-mouth and bring out a brightness in the beer. Other flavors: slight buttery taste, floral, grassy, slightly tart and sour. There might even be a grainy flavor in there. The flavor is not particularly to my liking.

Mouthfeel - Light to medium-light. The beer has a tiny bit of oily or slick feel to it.

Drinkability - This one is a pretty easy drinker. I suspect that many will peg this one as "boring." Given a chance and some patience, the subtlties in this beer begin to shine through.

Comments - Although the beer has many positive characteristics, I am not really fond of it. This would make a good summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2005 04:25:39 | More by mgdeth

beerdiablo

Texas

3.45/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

In this case, what one needs to remember about the Alamo is that like the real Alamo, is that you can only see it in San Antonio. Additionally, this beer is contract brewed by our friends at Real Ale. This is the bottled version of Firemen's #4.

This is as close to a lager that Real Ale is going to get:
This light bodied blonde ale is perfectly balanced with a touch of hops.
Its a great choice on any hot Texas summer day or pair it with spicy foods to help you put out the fire.

This beer makes for a good session ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2005 04:48:58 | More by beerdiablo

depechemode1983

Texas

3.48/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Color is golden with a slight haze. Head is white a thin foam with moderate retention. Lacing is minimal and splotchy. The nose has some sweetness to it. Lemongrass, orange and some pepper spice. Getting just a small amount of bitter hops in there as well. Just like the taste. Sweet upfront with a bitter middle that sort of even out towards the finish. All previous characters are still present. The mouth feel is very refreshing. Just under medium bodied with crisp carbonation. Not bad at all. This one is a bit above average. A good drinking beer. Great for summer weather no doubt.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2012 01:38:32 | More by depechemode1983

brewQ

Missouri

3.5/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The name says Golden but the tap I got was towards brown.
No head off this pour. The aromas were subdued, grassy and sweet with a fleeting note of hops.

Taste had some malt and was refreshing.

An easy drinking brew if not especially interesting.

The bar staff along the Riverwalk couldn't tell me anything about the Brewer. I began to suspect contract brewing.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2004 21:03:58 | More by brewQ

Brent

Kentucky

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

Blonde tilting toward amber. Moderate malt aspect, with some mildly sweet grain notes closely followed by an equally moderate hops presence. Not a bad representation of the style, although a tad less smooth than the frontrunners in the category and fell a little short of what I would want in a session ale.

Serving type: on-tap

03-26-2012 13:16:25 | More by Brent