Drifter Pale Ale - Widmer Brothers Brewing Company

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.83/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a little dark for a pale, approaching brown territory. Lovely Amarillo hop aroma on these.

Taste, good hop crispness, it does degrade at times into a woody mouthfeel, haven't been able to tell whether due to age or not. A warm up for hopheads and fans of good warm weather beer. Seen the price vary wildly for this, but is a good deal @ $7 I would say for a 6 pack.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2010 21:41:03 | More by Beerandraiderfan

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.23/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Purchased from BevMo in Sunnyvale, CA.

Pours a brassy orange-amber colour, with a fine, but filmy head of off-white, that sits rather limply and stagnant on the top of the glass. Lacing is excellent, however, leaving leopard-spotted patches down the glass. Overall, it looks a bit flat, but not too bad.

Nose is lightly tropical and fruity, like processed breakfast juice. Mostly orange sweetness, with a touch of something else, perhaps some apricot, a little pineapple and banana. It's a little bit flat and a little pedestrian, and I certainly hoped for more from the NS hops. Oh well.

Taste is also very flat, in fact probably worse than on the nose. Here, there's nothing to back it up either: minimal body, and minimal structure to the hop character, leaving that flat tropical character to coast across the palate rather listlessly. There's little else to provide balance, complexity or even a foil to it genericness.

Quite disappointed in this. Of course, the extra Nelson Sauvin addition raised my hopes, but there wasn't a lot to it. Drinkable in its way, but drinkable in the generic way that most beer is.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 22:08:55 | More by lacqueredmouse

DoubleJ

California

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

So far, I haven't had a lot of fun with Widmer products. Here's hoping Drifter will change that. On to the beer:

A little hazy on the pour, the beer has a hazy, brownish-orange color to it with a froathy inch-thick head on top. Leaves a few rings of thin lacing. In the nose, it is grapefruit and diacetyl. Pretty monotone aroma, and not terribly intense either. (Correction, it gets more hoppy in intensity as it warms, +0.5 in aroma).

Actually, Drifter has a pretty good balance going for itself. It's not as hoppy tasting as it smells, but there's still enough to keep me happy. A good mix of flavors....it's like a fruit salad. Well, first it's the hops, then it's the fruity esters, burnt sugar, and a pinch of diacetyl (no buttery popcorn, more like butterscotch). Goes down really easy too.

Oh yum, that hits the spot. Now I wish I bought another one. My favorite Widmer product to date.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2009 06:05:20 | More by DoubleJ

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a coppery-sunset orange with a bright clarity and dirty white fizzy pancake head that quickly dissipated away. No visible lacing while a macro bubbly carbonation rapidly rose but quickly faded within the first minute of pour.

S: sweet sugary grapefruit and citrusy tangerines. The malting takes a back seat here while the hopping was sweet, wet with some lemony pine scents on the close.

T: The flavor started out thin, with a wet lemony/citrus hopping, almost juice like before moving on to slightly more drier bitterness of grapefruit peels. The malting was light and bready with hints of toasted sweetness. A light floral bitterness of lemons and a crisp munich malting adds some overall dryness to an otherwise wet and sweet start. Overall not bad, the flavor wont wow you, but the bitterness is enough for you to take note, with better then average results. A decent lingering lemon fade finishes things out. The hopping was wet and juicy, finishing slightly dry, but lacked a crispness in delivery.

M: light and slick with a good tingle of carbonation on the tip of the tongue. Not much else noting here, okay.

D: Decent drinkability with moderate enjoyment. Goes down fairly well enough, with an overall worthy recommendation.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2009 22:23:51 | More by beerthulhu

kojevergas

California

2.53/5  rDev -32.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

33cl brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a hefeweissbier glass in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live.

A: One finger head of good cream, good thickness, and good retention. Textbook copper colour. Generally appealing.

Sm: Unwelcome bittering hops, light unexpected orange, barley, and cream. A moderate strength aroma.

T: Light caramel and very light orange ester first act, with a barley foundation, and a slight bittering hop climax. The aftertaste suffers under the burden of the badly chosen bittering hops, which feel obligatory to satisfy fans of the style. It's unnaturally built, yet manages to remain balanced. I don't fancy it.

Mf: Smooth and wet, but a touch too thick. The texture isn't tailored to the flavours by any stretch.

Dr: Easy drinking for one or two bottles, but beyond that it suffers from those damned bittering hops. It's overpriced - especially for the quality.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 09:39:29 | More by kojevergas

Brad007

Vermont

3.7/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark ruby red color with a one-finger head into my glass. Are you sure this is a pale ale?

Aroma is nice and hoppy in the nose with a nice whiff of biscuit malt as well. Hops are quite floral and present.

Taste is mildly hoppy with a bit of biscuit malt upfront. A bit of malt sweetness shows up as well that doesn't seem like it belongs here. A bit buttery.

Mouthfeel is full of lingering hops and malt and that light, buttery flavor. Otherwise, it goes down good.

Starts out on the right foot but there's just something that's not right about it. Otherwise, it's drinkable and at least they got the hops part right.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2009 22:06:10 | More by Brad007

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into Sam Adams Sensory Glass.

Pours about a 2 finger, slightly tanned head, decent retention with great lacing. Color is an amber copper. Pretty decent appearance.

Smell is similar to an IPA. Heavy floral and citrus smells. Taste is some-what hopped up as well. Not as much as the aroma. The taste is more of the pale ale category. Honey and citrus zest.

Mouthfeel is somewhat bitter, but smooth. Goes down pretty easy, but leaves a sticky aftertaste. Low carbonation.

Overall, I really enjoyed this pale ale. It smelt a lot like an IPA which was pleasant. I could definitely have another.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2009 04:58:14 | More by mothman

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

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.9/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice semi-transparent mahogany with a decent pale beige head. Aroma is strongly hoppy and almost evergreen. Flavor is hoppy, slightly spicy and slightly floral with a subtle undertone of sweet apple. Smooth, lively, fizzy texture leaves a fruity and hoppy finish.

Serving type: on-tap

04-12-2010 00:35:47 | More by Cyberkedi

ccrida

Oregon

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance is pale bronze with an off-white head leaving scattered lace.

Smell is bread dough and limes.

Drifter has a huge citrus hop flavor, distinct and unique tropical notes that are nicely accentuated by the biscuit character of the malt. Not much bitterness, nor overly sweet, clean and quaffable.

Mouthfeel is lighter, leaning to dry.

Drinkability is pretty high if you like citrus hop flavor, a real nicely balanced, tasty Pale Ale from Widmer.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2009 22:03:27 | More by ccrida

RoyalT

Ohio

3.1/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance - This came out a nice shiny copper in color with a decent head that actually left a little lacing.

Smell - The classic PacNW hop profile is here albeit muted but the grain is a little cheap at the nose.

Taste - The hops don't carry over well into the taste losing their complexity and taking on a really one-dimensional citrus flavor. The grain unfortunately tastes like it smells. It's not bad but just not good. It's really not anything just kind of a mediocre effort at a grain backbone.

Mouthfeel - I enjoyed the sprightly carbonation of this ale but it was too thin and watery for the style.

Drinkability - This was OK to drink but it really lacked substance.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2010 01:18:39 | More by RoyalT

largadeer

California

3.63/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Copper colored with perfect clarity. The small off-white head recedes pretty quickly.

Smell: Biscuity, nutty malts balanced by a solid hop profile of citrus and spruce.

Taste & mouthfeel: Tropical, grapefruity hops supported by a toasted malt backbone. Light in body with a slight alcohol presence. Wet, hoppy finish, only mildly bitter. Solid stuff.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2009 22:04:32 | More by largadeer

ZAP

Minnesota

4.63/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A-Deep bronze color...very nice look.

A-Top notch...one of the best aroma's for a pale ale I have smelled. Juicy citrus...oranges, tangerines, sweetened grapefruiit, pinneaples and more...Better than Itasca Pale Ale from Rock Bottom which to me was always the standard.

T-Bright citrus jumps out at you....same fruits...great hop burps...I love the use of hops in this beer. Just a hint of caramel malt backing evident...it lays down a nice firm but not big backbone for this.

M-Medium bodied at best...not a big beer but not watery at all.

D-This is an awesome pale ale...maybe the best I have had.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2009 03:41:52 | More by ZAP

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.9/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bought as part of a mixed 6 pack.

This pours from the 12oz bottle(bottled or best by Jan 2109?) a bright clear copper colour with a 1 finger head of foam.

The smell is very hoppy....floral and citrus notes abound. I smell a very faint sweetness here but that was a tough chore to pull it out. I don't think the nose will be the best feature of this brew.

The taste has the hops up front though not as assertive as in the smell. A plus, I think for an APA. Much better presence of malt as well. Good sweet caramel tones with light bread and a touch of earth. Caramel is starting to grow the more I sip. Good. Much closer to being balanced.

Close to medium bodied with a lighter than I expected amount of carbonation, it finishes just slightly bitter. Decent head retention and with some spotted lacing.

Drinkability? On par for the style me thinks. It surely goes down easily enough and is tasty enough. Widmer did a good job with this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2009 23:02:19 | More by Bitterbill

Tone

Missouri

3.63/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear, amber/copper color. 1/4 inch head of an off-white color. Decent retention and slight lacing. Smells of strong hops and slight sweet malt. Fits the style of an American Pale Ale. Mouth feel is smooth and crisp with an average carbonation level. Tastes of hops up front, slight sweet malt, slight grain, and some earthy malt. Overall, a light and refreshing pale ale with decent body, but very little complexity.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2009 02:09:38 | More by Tone

beertunes

Washington

2.73/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Served in straight pint glass. Poured a clear, light brown color (not any of the shades of yellow or gold as expected for the style), with a clean, white head that had some retention and medium lacing.

The nose is greeted with a very sweet aroma containing no hop presence. The taste was very pleasant, not too sweet and had just a slight tinge of hop on the finish.

The body was good, full without being heavy, and well balanced. This is a very drinkable brew, having several of these easy, well balanced, very enjoyable brew would not be a problem. Overall this is a good beer that is in the wrong style category. The appearance, smell and taste would all rate higher if the brewers chose not to call this "brown" beer a PALE ale.

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2009 20:30:36 | More by beertunes

kylehay2004

Florida

3.85/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: amber and clear with a single finger head nd lots of lace

S: light on the aroma, mostly pine an grapefruit, some malt

T: spicy hops with pine, grapefruit and ginger notes. Not too bitter. Hops are a little lighter than I was hoping for

M: moderate to high carbonation , medium body

Overall: an average pale ale without many memorable aspects to it. Very refreshing for a pale ale

Serving type: on-tap

11-05-2011 18:20:16 | More by kylehay2004

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle. Pours clear and copper colored, thin cap of foam. A hoppy pale ale aroma, a little citrus and maybe cat pee (just a little), some caramel malts beneath. Malty tasting, sweet and grainy, with some bread and grapefruit in equal measure, but not too much of either. Middle of the road flavors, not objectionable at all but not memorable either. Light bodied, fairly easy to quaff but nothing really stood out for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2011 01:57:28 | More by TurdFurgison

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into an Imperial pint. Bottled on 062009. No other info.

A - Crystal clear with low bubble action after a rough pour. The color is a beautiful orange-amber but the overall appearance is tarnished by a weak off-white head that settles to just a tad more than a ring and only leaves a little wave of lacing on the glass.

S - The aroma of a freshly cut grapefruit squirts out with a touch of orange citrus. Light pine notes around the edges. No hint of malt as the grapefruity hops overflow!

T - The unbalanced yet delicious smelling aroma takes a bit of a different turn in the flavor. The powerful grapefruit aroma mellows out a bit as the malts are brought forward; a good balance of pale and maybe just a pinch of caramel? The pine and orange citrus are still both evident.

M - Initially smooth, it turns crisp and dry as the citric hops and fair carbonation balance out this medium-bodied beer.

D - Not too shabby at all. It's an easy drinker with a nice aroma and a good, subtle flavor that balances well. A six pack of this wouldn't last long around me especially if I wanted to session a few brewskis.

Also, the label is very cool. The selling point of this beer to me when I first saw it. Very well designed.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2009 03:27:46 | More by BeerFMAndy

smakawhat

Maryland

3.39/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A real wonderful booming four finger light tan head is made, with super even bubbles all around. The head settles with a frothy and big bubbled retention cap, with lots of clingy lace chunks. Body is a crystal clear textbook amber copper color, real nice, but not much noticeable carbonation. Real good looking.

Very light toasted malts, faint sense of caramel. Some soft hop sense but very muted with maybe a touch of spruce/pine and citrus.

Palate is a little uneventful. Very light bodied almost wet with an almost soda gaseous feel. Palate comes with a light Marzen like malt quality and hints of sticky toffee. Most of the taste though is in the finish but it's quite weak. Slight toasty grain a bit, on the finish also.

Overall not awful but not getting that excited about this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 22:28:57 | More by smakawhat

Brent

Kentucky

3/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Even allowing for the style, the hopping was sub-par and muted to the point that the malt competed for dominance in the flavor profile. Mild caramel malt with equally mild, slightly fruity hops. Finish was clean with slight astringency. While this would certainly make a more than acceptable lake or lawnmower beer, on the pale ale scale it ... well, .... pales.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2010 13:05:22 | More by Brent

champ103

Texas

3.88/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: Pours a murky reddish/brown color. A very small white cap forms and leaves light patchy lace.
S: Citrus and piney hops. Fruity aromas of orange and lemon peal. A malty sweetness balances out the nose. Very enjoyable.
T: Follows the nose. At first a fruity and citrus hop bitterness. Sweet caramel malt for balance. A lingering hoppy bitterness in the finish.
M/D: A medium body, but thin and watery. Over carbonated for my tastes. Smooth and easy to drink. I quaffed a few of these at the bar.

Enjoyable and balanced is the name of the game. I would recommend this.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2009 19:34:09 | More by champ103

alexgash

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle. Bottled on July 31, 2012.

Hearty copper body. Clear and clean. Finger of moderately thick, light beige head. Not much lacing. Toasted, almost nutty, malt aromas mix with fruit, pine, and citrus zest. A little resin around the edges too.

Toasted grains lead off, quickly followed by piny, resinous hop bitterness. Biscuit and light fruit malt fill in. Resin and citrus hop bitterness into the dryer finish. Lingering caramel, orange citrus and leafy hops. Moderate body with a smooth feel. Decent pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 21:47:40 | More by alexgash

tdm168

North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a pale amber with a quarter of an inch of soft, foamy, white head that has decent retention. The nose has a citrusy, piny, resiny aroma. The taste is light and mildly malty but heavily hopped; there are notes of citrus, primarily grapefruit, as well as some very faint bread notes. The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied, smooth, and perfectly carbonated.

This is a well hopped, balanced, sessionable, enjoyable beer. In the APA category in my opinion it is among the most refreshing and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 00:32:06 | More by tdm168

merlin48

Kentucky

3.83/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle pours a hazy rusty orange body with a small beige head that quickly falls to a cap. Some spotty lacing on the glass.

Subdued aroma has toasted caramel, pine, and grapefruit notes.

Light medium body is crisply carbonated.

Taste is well balanced. Toasted biscuity caramel malt is edged nicely with bitter hop notes of citrusy grapefruit and a hint of pine. Nothing really stands out but it all integrates well.

Pleasantly drinkable and spot on for style.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2009 12:17:00 | More by merlin48