Omission Pale Ale (Gluten-Free) - Widmer Brothers Brewing Company

Docer

Washington

3.28/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: (3.5)

- This has a rather dark amber appearance, kind of like their Drifter. A little darker than I like a pale to be. It's rather clear, and had about a finger of spotty foamy head that settles to a thin spotty layer with light chunky lace about the glass.

Smell: (3.5)

- The smell is quite simple. Light sweet caramel malt with a light zesty hop aroma. Little floral, but mainly some pine, and an earthy quality. Little biscuit and bread. Smells balanced at least.

Taste: (3.0)

- Pretty light caramel flavor, and just lightly sweet. Certainly some big bready notes, and rather light on the hops. The hops up front have a little floral and grassy quality, and finishes with a bitter grassy touch with a zingy spice. Not bad, but pretty average. Compared to most gluten-free beers, I am sure this just smashes them.It has a certain tart flare to it.

Mouth Feel: (3.5)

- Pretty medium bodied and a touch drying. Well carbonated, and pretty basic.

Overall: (3.5)

- This is solid, and quite balanced.. and yes, it is missing something. Gluten. I am simply just judging the beer for what it is compared to all other beers, and both Omission beers are the only gluten-free beers I have had. I would be afraid to try any of the others on the market. It's a solid drinker, and I would drink one if it was handed to me. Sure to be a true delight for one whom can't enjoy a regular beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2012 00:41:21 | More by Docer

kangarooAdam59

Maine

3.95/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled June 1, 2012:

Into my nonic:

A: golden orange body leaves a one finger white head appears and lasts for about twenty seconds. No carbonation is seen rising. No lacing is left behind.

S: centers around yeasty bread and pine. Some other citrusy notes come out as the beer warms.

T: pine and hops up front giving a slight zesty appeal. Some floral citrusy tones come out stronger as the beer warms.

M: medium with nothing harsh on the tongue.

O: even though I bought this by accident, this isn't bad. If I ever had a problem with wheat, I wouldn't mind drinking this for the rest of my life.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 00:00:35 | More by kangarooAdam59

secondtooth

Indiana

3.15/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Nice amber color with a fair head. I do see some sediment, though, so points off there. Lacing is present, but thin.

Nose is mild, and what aroma I do get I hesitate to mention...cat urine. Not good.

Taste fares much better. I get plenty of hops, but with an odd malt profile. I can't put my finger on it.

Decent for a light, session-worthy pale ale, but not one I'd return to given the other choices on the market.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 15:02:50 | More by secondtooth

soju6

Missouri

3.13/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a clear copper color with a decent head that fades to some lacing.

S: Mild aroma of malt sweetness some citrus and and spice.

T: Fairly mild flavor of malt sweetness and some citrus. Muted bitterness and a clean finish.

F: Fairly medium body, smooth and clean. Seems to be lacking something, not bad but seems to be bland.

D: Decent drinker, not bad for the type of beer that it is.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 21:41:09 | More by soju6

bump8628

Oklahoma

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

Clear copper, thin white head. Warm graininess with a pleasant biscuit flavor. Earthy, spicy hop note on the palate that turns into a light citrus punch on the back end. Overall a balanced and decent pale ale. Not something I'd pick up regularly but if I was in need of something gluten free for a guest I wouldn't hesitate to grab a 6 pack.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 23:04:20 | More by bump8628

riversider76

New York

3.9/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a really nice golden orange with a one finger plus head. Decent retention, and a nice lace. Nose is of bready malts, with notes of fruity citrus hops. Body is on the heavier side of medium with some carbonation. Taste is a really good balance of malt and hops. Grapefruit in the finish. Nice Gluten free or not.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 20:40:47 | More by riversider76

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

2.9/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I was not as impressed with their Pale Ale as their Lager. Poured a 1/8 inch off-white head which faded fast. Hazy iced tea color with a touch of amber and no effervescence left in the body. Very little smell at all, even as it warmed. Taste is pretty bland and though it has hops it's nowhere close to the hops in an average Pale Ale. Only a mild brief hop finish. Pretty darn boring to me.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 11:10:56 | More by MoreThanWine

barnzy78

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle, pours amber in color with a frothy, off-white head, good head retention and nice chunky lacing on the glass. Aromas are earthy, piny, bready malt, bread crust, faint citrus, orange perhaps. Tastes are bready, earthy, pungent, piny hop, caramel, grain, some citrus comes through, balance seems off though. Medium bodied, has a nice resiny feel. Overall, not bad, but seems like it's missing something & balance seems to be off - maybe it's the flavors. I was hoping for better.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 00:24:20 | More by barnzy78

Flounder57

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle was poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: The beer poured a small head that has reduced quickly to a thin layer. It is a light orange color with crystal clear clarity and plenty of carbonation coming up through the glass.

Smell: pretty light aroma. Some bready and caramel notes along with a little citrus. Understanding that it might be tough for a GF pale ale beer.

Taste: some fruity and citrus notes, caramel, bready, and creamy notes follow

Mouthfeel: smooth, light bodied, medium carbonation, a somewhat extremely easy to drink.

Overall: A good spin on the APA fomrat for being a GF beer. I would drink it again, but there are other ones I would go with over this.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 01:59:06 | More by Flounder57

garuda

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Orange-gold, hazed, white head has decent retention and lace.

S - Grapefruit flesh, caramel and bready sweetness, touch of pine.

T - Follows the nose, but has a buttery off-flavor mid palate which builds as it warms. Little bitterness from the hops, stays mostly sweet.

M - Medium body, good medium carb level

O - Needs a little more hop bitterness to balance sweetness. Buttery/diacetyl flavor doesn't help.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 13:05:15 | More by garuda

gpogo

California

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Slightly hazed golden amber body with a white foam cap. Lots of bubbles keeping the foam cap going.

A- Nice sweet bready caramel aroma with some, but not much citrus hop aroma.

T- Sweet malt with a bitterness throughout. Old hoppy bitterness finish. Meh.

M- Medium body and medium carbonation.

D- It's drinkable. It isn't anything special. I actually just found out it is "Gluten-free," but made with malt and the gluten is removed. The brewery checks each batch and publishes the findings on the website. Worth trying out if you have issues with gluten!

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 21:28:25 | More by gpogo

JamesMN

Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Appearance: Slightly hazy golden hue with visible carbonation floating up towards a thin off-white head.

Aroma: Not too much on the nose. A little biscuit and just a hint of earthy hops.

Taste: Not bad for gluten-free! Starts a tad bready with some nice earthy hop overtones. The hops overtake the malt a bit in the second half but a nice balance remains throughout. Average bitterness for the style, probably around 20-30 IBUs (their website lists it at 33 IBUs). Not getting the fruity/tropical notes I'd expect from Citra and Cascade hops but perhaps the process of removing the gluten from the grains affects the hop character. I'm not usually a big fan of straight up Pale Ales (more of an IPA guy) but the fact that it is gluten-free and has this much good flavor is surprising. Nice smooth and decently clean finish. Very sessionable at 5.8%.

Mouthfeel: Just below medium in body with average effervescence for the style. Easy drinking.

Final Thoughts: I would recommend Omission Pale Ale to any easy going beer drinker; gluten intolerant or not. It's a worthy beer for anyones glass and hat's off to the brewers who figured out a way of removing the gluten. Would I drink it again? Sure… now, if they could only come out with an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 04:06:03 | More by JamesMN

searsclone

Arizona

2.95/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

bottle into a pint glass

clear copper, almost amber, color with a nice tan head and great lacing

smell is very faint. maybe a touch of molasses or brown sugar

taste is synthetic sweetness and nutty. a bit of bitterness in the end, not very well balanced

mouthfeel is creamy, almost like a nitro

not a bad beer, but I wouldn't go to this for a pale ale-it reminded me of an amber lager

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 03:48:32 | More by searsclone

mastodonj

Colorado

4/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I grabbed a single bottle not knowing this was gluten-free.
It looks pretty average. Very little lacing.
Smell is very piney, citrusy. Juniper likely.
It has a lot of bitterness but at the same time, seems light.
The citrus makes the mouth feel very clean.
Overall, it is very sessionable especially for you looking for a beer to go with Mexican food and not wanting to settle for industrial.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 01:35:39 | More by mastodonj

jucifer1818

Florida

3.43/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: clear light amber, with ample carbination. a nice looking fizzy beverage. Very inviting.

Smell: Not much here. Little to no malt character in the smelll, with only some light hoppy characters. Overall not impressive, but not offensive

Taste: Very pale alish. No malty backbone, but supported by a decent hoppy character. nothing that wows me, but considering the fact that its a gluten free beer, Im giving it a .5 bonus from 3 to a 3.5

Mouth feel: Intense carbonation that bites your tongue from the moment you drink it. Little to no body present. I didn't like it, but it fits to style, so im giving it another 3.5 (because of the gluten free bonus )

Overall: a tough beer to rate. Overall it feels REMARKABLY average, however...it is a gluten free beer.

If your a gluten free person this is the beer for you, and deserves a 5. for everyone else you can do better

3 for gluten folk
5 for non-gluten folk

4 average

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 16:00:53 | More by jucifer1818

WissBrauSean

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Ah ha! I stumbled upon their secret on their website. It has been brewed with barley and the gluten removed probably via flocculation. Whether or not it is really gluten free and the ELISA test is accurate is debatable. If you have hardcore Celiacs, you will want to do more research into the contents of this beer and the fact that recently ELISA testing methods have been questioned as to whether or not they are 100% effective. For me, this is a great alternative as I don't think that I have full blown Celiacs. I haven't been tested as I haven't had medical benefits for a while. But it's nice to know that gluten can be mostly flocculated out with natural additives that are also used for clearing up your beer. I'm pretty sure that they are natural. Don't quote me on that.

The beer pours a coppery amber color and is crystal clear with an off-white thin head that fades to a ring and a tiny Friar Tuck type center cap. After a while it starts to fade, but while doing so during the drink it leaves a little bit of lacing.

The aroma is an extremely pleasant and balance mix of floral west coast hops with a bit of caramel malt sweetness and the tiniest aroma of citrus. It's quite nice.

This beer is an APA. It starts off a little flat with a hop bite and as it moves across the tongue the malt sweetness comes through while the citrusy hoppy flavor stays along for the ride. The finish is a little flat and dry with a little bit of black pepper, but it's pretty well balanced.

As for mouthfeel and body, well, the body is a little light. If you put it side by side with your avarage APA you'd think it was a little watery. It is, however, mildly sweet balanced with hops and is a great alternative for gluten intolerants like me. I hate to use the word "Glutards" as it grates on my soul to think that most people think this is all in our heads and we should just "man up" and eat pizza. Can I hear an "AMEN" from all the Glutards? How many think you are crazy too? Has the term "bitch-slap" ever crossed your mind in relation to such folks? Anyway, this is great. The carbonation is moderate and not too lively.

Overall, I'd say that this is the best Gluten Free that I have had, BUT is it really gluten free? That is the question. It is more like a modifed American Pale Ale. If judging by APA standards, I'd say that it was watery. That is not always a bad thing because it makes the beer sessionable. Will I seek this beer out again, HAYLE yes! In the gluten free realm, this beer scores overall 4.25, or better, out of 5. In the APA world, 3.6 or so.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 00:22:10 | More by WissBrauSean

jjamadorphd

Florida

3.79/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Omission - a pale ale unlike one I've had to date.

The brew pours out a cloudly orangish-brown color, not so appealing. The head is frothy, lite, thin, and short lived, but it had surprising staying power with good lacing. Very nice smell for a pale ale - citrusy, apples, oranges. The beer had just the right amount of carbonation, even though it had the distinct after taste I dislike to IPAs and pale ales. The taste was like most pale ales but at least the taste of oranges and apples came through - a nice touch. Overall, I gave it a good score since it was by far the best smelling and tasting pale ale I've had to date. What ever it is they omitted, more pale ale makers should omit as well.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 02:36:36 | More by jjamadorphd

SeaOfShells

California

3.85/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. poured into a Duvel tulip

DISCLAIMER: A friend with celiac disease left this over after a party. I've had 2 already, and I actually quite enjoy it. I'm going to review it against other gluten free beers, because it isn't to fair to rate it against "traditional" beers.

A: Brilliant burnt orange with a very nice 2 finger head which left some lace. It looks great, and I'm loving the color.

S: Honestly, it's just okay. I'm only getting hints of hops, otherwise it's a "malt" bomb. I believe this is sorghum based, but I could be wrong. I haven't had very many gluten-free beers, but this one smells decent all things considered. There is an underlying sweetness.

T: Okay, if you had told me this was gluten-free, I would have spit it in your face and called you a filthy liar. There is NOTHING to suggest this is gluten free. Sure, it may be light in flavor, but it's actually really good. I could drink this regularly. I'm not getting a ton of hop quality, but who knows how long this sat on the shelf. There is just a hint of bitterness on the back end, followed by a surprising sweetness that I think plays well with the bitterness. Of all the gluten free beers I've tried, this is the best. There really isn't even a close contender.

M: It's a tad thin, but it has enough carbonation to distract me. It feels kind of oily in a way. Very slick. Nothing offensive to speak of.

O: I consider this a winner based on the fact that I would drink this over some traditional beers. It's very drinkable, and refreshing. If you are rating this beer low, you need to lower your standards for this style. It's a pale ale, and it's the best GF beer on the market (that I have had). In fact, I would drink this over every year round Widmer Brother's offerings.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 21:26:57 | More by SeaOfShells

LCB_Hostage

Pennsylvania

3.21/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Served from a bottle into a pint glass

A: Deep coppery orange with moderate head and virtually no lacing

S: Nothing much of note. Some bready yeast and a little ripe fruit, but not much on the nose at all.

T: A surprisingly rich, drinkable brew. Enough hops to cut through the substantial malt. A bit of sweetness up front, quickly subdued by the hops.

M: Crisp and refreshing. Doesn't linger for long, but does sparkle a bit.

O: Not sure if this is a beer that ages surprisingly well, or if I was just in the mood for it tonight, but I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle after being pretty unimpressed with the the lack of flavor presented by first two I drank several weeks ago. I don't know as I'd actively seek this out, as there are many pale ales I enjoy more, but if you have gluten issues, this would be a great option. Light enough to serve as a session beer, but with enough flavor to enjoy every glass.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 23:47:53 | More by LCB_Hostage

openmind

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Pours a nice amber or golden brownish glow. Features a nice creamy white large head that leads to a disorganized thick lacing. Nose is slight. Some sweet citrusy notes. Taste is of a quality standard pale with some citrus and nice malt. No flavor really comes to the fore. Apparently they can't call it gluten free. I' d like to see what my gluten friends think about it. I also worry about what they have to do to get the gluten out. Chemicals?

If glut people can actually drink this, it's got to taste better than the glut free brews.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 19:28:29 | More by openmind