Drifter Pale Ale - Widmer Brothers Brewing Company

PintOHops

California

3.38/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance/Smell - Appears amber with an orange hue, and a thin head that's basically just a ring. Quickly reduces to a broken ring as well, has lite-medium carbonation and leaves some spotty lacing. Smells of pungent to mild pine and citrus notes, but more on the mild side. Wonderfully fruity pineapple and raisin aromas. Lots of hops, and some nice orange zest. A little dry as well.

Taste/Mouthfeel - Tastes of zesty citrus like hop bitterness, finishes with a wonderful pineapple fruitiness. Malts on the finish as well, and the hop bitterness lingers on the palate just a tad. Some orange peel, again pretty balanced. Mouthfeel is smooth but a little thin, with some lively carbonation on the palate. Has a lite-medium body.

Drinkability/Final thoughts - Not my favorite APA but affordable & extremely drinkable. I could enjoy about 2-3 of these on just about any day. I liked the zesty fruity flavors of this beer. Pretty sessionable, not bad. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2009 00:56:09 | More by PintOHops

JohnGalt1

Idaho

4.53/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

12 oz picked up today at the Coop... poured into my Chimay goblet...

3/4" head with nice lace and a firm cap atop a clear orange amber brew....

The nose is resounding citric... tangerine even..

Flavor is the same... zesty orange.. some doughy maltiness adds a little bit of sweetness.. with a light smack of caramel.. really balanced yet you still know this is a fresh PNW pale ale... medium body with a lively carbonation... even the burps taste like tangerine juice essence..

This is actually pretty damn good pale ale... I could see drinking this one for a while in the long run, and it makes me wish I would have picked up a 6'er today to have a fridge beer...

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2009 05:13:19 | More by JohnGalt1

Zorro

California

4.18/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dark amber colored ale with a small tan colored head. This is a shade of amber I could call Bronze.

Smell is strongly of northwest style hops, very much a pine and grapefruit scent. Very strong hop resins, the malt is just a honeysuckle trace this is very much a hop beer.

The taste starts out neutral in sweetness and very hoppy, grapefruit in the first taste. Tropical fruit flavors and pine, just like the scent this is a hop beer. Little bit of lemon shows up after a while, wonder how many IBUs this is.

Mouthfeel is good.

Quite a bit better than expected. Website says 32 IBUs seems stronger than that.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2009 03:20:19 | More by Zorro

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a clear bright ruby color. The head is one inch in height, and recedes into a small cap of lacing. The aroma is of floral hops, tea, hints of citrus. It is very nuanced. The taste leans towards the hops, but it is quite balanced. Tea, flowers, cirtus, and nice caramel notes throughout. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with lively carbonation, and a smooth texture. Overall, this is a very good APA. I was really not expecting something this good from Widmer Brothers so kudos to them. I will certainly drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2009 23:32:55 | More by KarlHungus

djeucalyptus

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours a surprisingly rich bold amber hue with hints of gold and ruby. A strong one-finger head of an eggshell color erupts seemingly from nowhere and has impressive retention, deflating to a foamy cap leaving impressive spongy lacing down the glass.

strong citrus hop aroma with green, floral and herbal notes. almost reminds me of simcoe hops... I suppose it's the summit hops? vanilla, cakey malt... rich and slightly sweet. Smells intoxicating.

Taste is delciously hoppy with that same cakey malt... almost banana bread and vanilla muffin malt backbone, with some amazing grapefruit and herbal hop notes. a light but delicious clean bitterness. Deliciously bright juicy citrus hop profile without being overly hoppy - the pale and caramel malts balance almost perfectly, yielding something not all that far from perfect, and more citrusy and vibrant than your average APA.

mouthfeel is smooth, a touch thick for the style, fairly creamy with ample carbonation. Truly enjoyable to drink, it goes down smoothly and has just enough crispness and light drying to keep things feeling light and uplifting.

I'm sold. this may be my apa/ipa six-pack choice for a while. Enjoyable on all levels, with enough character and pop to make each sip enjoyable. definitely one of my favorite recent bottled offerings from Widmer (by a long shot, actually). Definitely worth a try if you have any appreciation for balanced hopping what-so-ever.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2009 18:08:00 | More by djeucalyptus

wagenvolks

Texas

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

12 oz. bottle into a Dogfish Head Off-centered Pint Glass. (best by Jan. 27th 09)

Pours a burnt copper hue with good clarity and a sizable tuft of off-white head. Good retention and excellent lacing...liking the looks of this one. The smell is even better. Dare I say it? Fuck yea'. This is the best-smelling American Pale Ale I've encountered. Pungent, skunky-green & citrus hops (Simcoe & Centennial?) burst forth from the pint, balanced perfectly by a juicy, sweet caramel malt presence and tropical fruits. Mouth-watering, to say the least.

On to the taste...unfortunately it's a slight letdown. The hops start off with a spicy-fresh burst of greenery, but the malts pursue with somewhat of an off-putting flavor of burnt caramel and nuts. A slightly sour finish lingers too long. Mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium (a bit thick for the style), but with a good carbonation level. I do like the bitterness on the beginning, but unfortunately this beer doesn't hold up in the long run. Still, it's a decent brew that deserves at least one try from the hop-lovers out there.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2009 02:45:03 | More by wagenvolks

farrago

New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thin white head but with good retention and lots of big, popping bubbles, not much lacing. Red copper color just deep enough to hold your gaze and get past transparency, nice fade to burnt orange hues along the rims. Admirable mix of pink and white grapefruit in the nose, floral with chamomile tea notes, spoonful of pine sap, no herbaceous nor ultra-sweet elements, stays within itself and on message, you could sniff it for some time. Medium-bodied, however, most of it is palate pressure and a sense of marching forward rather than flavor. The grapefruit and tangerine citrus starts things off well, after that there's momentary pine, green hay, wet stone aspects. But after that it's evanescence leads to homogeneity. Credibly, the carbonation ratchets it down to fit the body profile. It's drinkable enough for a bottle or two before your mind starts to wander. If the palate could match the nose, that would be something.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2009 02:31:28 | More by farrago

Reidrover

Oregon

3.65/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

New one from Widmer here in Salem.
In appearance, amber,clear with a nice sized frothy eggshell white head.
very strong hop aromas, citric mainlly but a touch of pine.
Again the hops dominate the flavour, making it seem somehow like a lemon flavoured ale!!! Odd. Some small malt in the undertow but not much.
I found that the palte let it down, slightly too thin.
Its drinkable OK..like an IPA lite. I would compare it to Weinhard's IPA from last summer. Good but not great

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2009 01:24:02 | More by Reidrover

fcarreras

Arizona

4.13/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Disclaimer - I was recovering from a cold when I tried this.

Had this beer on tap at Cadillac Ranch in Tempe, AZ. This was the closest place I could find that was already carrying it, but the place is not my favorite.

Hard to judge the color as the bar was dark and lit with red mood lighting. There was virtually no head, and very little carbonation detected.

The aroma was very distinctly grapefruit, as was much of the flavor. Again, I was still a bit congested drinking this.

The taste was refreshing and clean. Very little maltiness to balance out the citrus hoppiness. Aftertaste very reminiscent of grapefruit juice. Finish had a bit of a drying effect (think tart lemonade), so not really a thirst-quencher, but a solid refreshing beer none the less.

Overall, I enjoyed this beer very much (four times over). I look forward to trying it out of the bottle at home.

Serving type: on-tap

02-06-2009 17:32:31 | More by fcarreras

mjryan

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Nice clear copper colour with no head to speak of (none of the beers at the bar were pouring with much head, so Ill put that on them and not the brewer). Hoppy, tropical fruit aroma. Tangerines, nectarines and the like. Sweet caramel malt aroma in the finish. Flavour is great, lots of fruity hops and a nice caramel sweetness, not overly sweet as to be cloying though. Bitterness is very understated and smooth, its there but doesnt bite if you know what I mean. Pretty light bodied for a beer of 5.7 % ABV. Carbonation is medium. This one falls somewhere between an APA and an IPA. Its to strong and hoppy to be an APA but just not aggressive enough to be an IPA. I really like this beer and hope that Widmer sends some bottles my way.

Serving type: on-tap

01-30-2009 20:08:50 | More by mjryan

JonathanL7890

Texas

4.13/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the dig pub
1finger light amber head fairly clear.
Aroma. Sweet malt. Piney hops
Taste. Very unusual. Very well balanced. Not bitter at all.
Late addition piney hops used. (summit?)
Mouthfeel. Sorta thin but drinkable
This spa was a nice surprise. The second widmer beer to surprise me lately -- I liked brrr a lot also

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2009 23:01:11 | More by JonathanL7890

RobH

Maryland

4.4/5  rDev +17%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. brown bottle

Sample bottle obtained via area Widmer rep. I'm not generally an APA fan, but having been told this one has unique hop characteristics, I was anxious to try it.

A: Lovely copper color with a two finger off-white head leaving nice lacing as I drink it.

S: Hops fruit comes through on the nose. Different and pleasant.

T: This is certainly a hops-forward beer, but the hops neither bite/rip the tongue nor plaster it with bitterness. Definitely the citrus flavors shine through and envelop the character. Seems very drinkable thus far.

M: Smooth. Nice carbonation but not overly bubbly. Just right it seems. Yes, I am enjoying this beer very much!

Drinkability: Indeed, a highly quaffable brew. Worthy of the high scores it seems to be generating out of the chute. Well done and looking forward to this beer hitting the east coast soon!

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2009 02:16:43 | More by RobH

beernut0875

Texas

4.55/5  rDev +21%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Copper carmel color with nice head retention and carbonation.

Smell: nice malty nose with the hops coming through, lots of citrus

Taste: WOW, this is very different; these hops give a lot of grapefruit notes, with other rich fruits following through. Not much in the way of bitter aftertaste, very smooth and inviting.

Mouthfeel: Decent amount of carbonation for a PA. Silky-smooth easy to drink

Overall: This beer has a flavor of no other pale ale, It is very approachable and has great flavor, making me yearn for another.

Serving type: on-tap

01-09-2009 13:51:36 | More by beernut0875

madtappers

Washington

4.6/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had chance to sample this beer before it's release.

It is suppose to be the W'07, but I would say the have kicked the summit hops a bit.

Beer has a very notable citrusy hop aroma and flavor with a malty sweetness to balance the hops. There is an aroma of tangerine, mandarin and grapefruit to this beer.

Not your average pale but rather a twist on the same old pales that are on the market today!

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2008 02:02:04 | More by madtappers