Euphoria Pale Ale - Ska Brewing Co.

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass at The Royale.

Pours a nice strong copper with a nice dense white head. Sone slight amber colored edges. (4.5)

Hops up front in the nose with undelying tones of malt. Slightly toasty and bready with some nice earthy grain. (3.5)

Flavor starts off with some slight pine resin and some citrus notes. Then there is a nice mix of caramel malt and some toasty notes. Earthy grain mixed in there as well. The beer reminds me of a toned down Modus Hoperandi. (4.0)(3.5)

Good Pale Ale. NIce hop profile that is balanced by the malt. (4.0)

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2012 20:09:10 | More by JoEBoBpr

StlHopHead77

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Pours a nearly transparent coppery,orange body with a finger and a half of bone white foam that showed moderate retention and left clingy streaks of lacing.

S-Medium sweet citric hops initially.Grapefruit and orange zest followed by pine,caramel and pale,cracker malts.Bright fruit and bitter pine make up the bulk of the scents here.

T-More assertive citrus flavors of tangerine,grapefruit and a little nectarine with tangy pine and some sweet supporting malts as well.

M-Light/medium bodied with good carbonation and strong drinkability.Nicely bitter pale ale on the verge of IPA territory.

O-Extremely worthwhile seasonal that I'm sad is a seasonal.

Serving type: can

01-01-2012 12:36:02 | More by StlHopHead77

xpdrinker

Florida

3.8/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

12oz can poured into a pint glass (trade extra from Dolph1979 - thanks!)

A- Murky copper, disappearing eggshell head, minimal lacing. 
S- Grapefruit citrus playing leapfrog with piney hops, sweet malt
T- Solid pale, earthy hops with a splash of citrus, slightly peppery
M- Medium-low carbonation, somewhat hollow and thin, almost watery
O- Haven't had a straight up pale in a while and very glad to try this one. Very drinkable and I'd definitely keep some around when I'm not feeling like an IPA or anything stronger. Quite sessionable. Not crazy about its watery mouthfeel but the flavors break through and distract from it. Grab a sixer and a frozen pizza and you'll be quite content.

Serving type: can

12-30-2011 13:44:24 | More by xpdrinker

Kirch

California

3.83/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Glass: Double old fashioned inward taper
Aging Notes: None
Bang for the Buck (oz*%/$): 72*6.1/10 = 43.9

A: Pours creamy-textured, slightly off-white head that nicely laces the glass. The amber-colored brew is well-clarified.

S: Piney with a hint of earthiness (perhaps mushrooms_. A note of detergent seems detectable. Perhaps I'm hallucinating, but I get a little bit of band-aid in there.

T: Tart, lingering bitter. Hoppy for a pale ale, in a good way.

M: Dry, which, when coupled with the tart hop presence, seems astringent. Carbonation is nice, a little under-present perhaps.

O: Flavor doesn't hold up over the course of the beer. Pleasant. Recommended. One of my favorite pales.

Serving type: can

12-27-2011 07:32:01 | More by Kirch

mactrail

California

3.2/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Dark amber in the glass. Veers off into IPA territory. Quite bitter. Rather fruity with some candied grapefruit peel flavors. Watery mouthfeel. Big nose of resins. "Dank" is the word for this stuff. Starts with some sweetness, possible malt, but big blast of hops. Bitterness for the aftertaste, but lets some of the malt through for the finish.

I don't see this as an improvement of lots of other more interesting hoppy beers. But if you're in Durango in the winter, it's what's happening. Bought this can in Denver. "Best by" date is 02/28/12.

Serving type: can

12-23-2011 03:42:04 | More by mactrail

StLThrash

Missouri

4.47/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Another worthy effort from Ska. Very partial to Ska beers since my in-laws live in Durango, CO and I always try to hit up the brewery at least once when I visit.... so I've had most of their offerings. Very happy to have the chance to try Euphoria right here in the StL...

A - Orangeish, a bit cloudy. Pours with a hefty white frothy head. Left a lot of lacing.

S - An overly hopped pale ale. Lots of citrus and pine notes. Reminiscent of a good IPA.

T & M - Amazing. One of my new favorites. Not quite as hoppy as Modus Hoperandi, Ska's IPA, but still quite hoppy and bitter. Smooth and drinkable.

Overall - One of my new favorite beers. Too bad it's just a winter seasonal. I will be stocking up at my local liquor store.

Serving type: can

12-19-2011 21:57:36 | More by StLThrash

Vashtar

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

The beer looks dirty

It smells hoppy, but down to earth

It tastes like hops, but also has a really familiar taste. It's like a comfort beer. It tastes like grandma's house.

The mouthfeel is neither sharp nor smooth, but then turns smooth. It's very full as well. So nice

Overall, this is probably my favorite hoppy beer.

Serving type: can

12-17-2011 07:05:04 | More by Vashtar

allforbetterbeer

Colorado

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

Poured into a snifter. "Best By" date stamped (and smudged) on can.

This looks much darker than average for a pale ale; if it were labeled as an amber I would believe it.

Smells of light fruity hops, displaying particularly the tropical notes. A little swirl brings up more pineapple and some bitter notes.

The taste contains a fair bit of the pineapple-hop notes from the nose, and they come off well. A fair dose of bitterness and a balancing but not very prominent dose of malt is present. This could be a low-powered IPA.

The mouthfeel has lower carbonation as is typical with cans (which I like). Otherwise it is unremarkable.

Conclusion: This is a hoppy pale ale that fits well into this overgrown and plentiful category of American beer. This particular example focuses more on the hops and doesn't include much in the way of specific malt flavors (but more so than a typical IPA). Tasty but generic. Tasting this blind would leave me clueless, as it could be one of hundreds (or thousands)...

Serving type: can

12-16-2011 23:30:41 | More by allforbetterbeer

climax

Kansas

4.22/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours nice and creamy from the can, the head is especially soft and smooth. It's a copper color with quite a bit of sediment floating around the glass. Head retention and lacing are very good.

There's not too much aromatic intensity fuming from the beer, but a crisp assertive hop character is certainly present. Grapefruit, mint, and grass are the most obvious flavors. The malt is subtle, with fleeting whiffs of oats and caramel.

Intensity is boosted that extra notch in the taste, which is greatly appreciated because it has excellent flavor. At first sip, sharp grapefruit and resiny cannabis flavors strike the taste buds. There's not too much sweetness coming from the malt, just a bit of caramel, yet more sugary citrus and bubblegum flavors from the hop side of things help to even things out. The toasty backbone of the beer looms in the shadows, but is always present. It's not balanced 50/50 but, but there's enough malt intensity to hold a candle to that bold complex hop character.

The feel is nice and resiny, and the body on the medium side. Carbonation is very crisp, and it all finishes dry. So easy to drink. This beer sure has a load of flavor, not at all skimp on the hops either, satisfying for sure.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 18:44:34 | More by climax

rsdaugherty

Colorado

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

Can into pint glass
A – 1+ finger dusty cream head on a clear light brown amber brew, reduces to a lumpy layer while leaving lacing all around the glass 4
S – Aroma enticing and noticeable upon start of pour, very nice grassy nose also has mild citrus & pine resin notes with a soft caramel sweetness 4
T – Caramel malts out of the gate are eclipsed by a surprisingly large hop presence of grapefruit zest and substantial bitterness, suggestions of a candied tartness 4
M – Medium body, smooth with a dry finish, moderate carbonation 4
O – More hops than your standard pale ale but malts are not in a minor role, good drinkability, a good beer I will buy again sooner rather than later 4

Serving type: can

12-04-2011 04:48:39 | More by rsdaugherty

SkeeterHawk

Texas

3.7/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a mildly cloudy burnt orange color with a small 1/8" head of antique white bubbles after a pretty slow pour. There were some bubbles rising to the top, but they didn't really stick once they got there.

Aroma: The hops are the first thing you notice with American citrus being the most noticeable of them, but there is a strong earthy component to the hops as well. The malt is reserved in the very cold beer, contributing a little bit of caramel mixed with some light toffee.

Taste: The flavor is pretty close to what you expect from the aroma. The hops are in charge, but the flavor shows more contribution from the malt than you get in the aroma of the cold beer. There is some definite mouthfeel to this beer, and it comes across the palate pretty substantial. The malt never leads the charge, but the hops have their work cut out for them and take the finish with a mild dryness on the back of the throat that lingers for a while after the sip. There is some acidity that is mixing with the hops to linger as well. The carbonation is light, and I think that the beer would benefit from some more.

Opinion: Overall this is a pretty good beer. It has a nice balance to it so that you still know that you are drinking a beer instead of hop juice. I would like it to have a little more carbonation from both the standpoint of the appearance and the mouthfeel and finish. Either way, this is a good beer, and I will gladly finish the rest of this six-pack.

Serving type: can

12-01-2011 01:45:00 | More by SkeeterHawk

syrupjoe

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz can into pint glass.

Pours a medium amber color with eggshell colored head.

Nose gives off a strong lemony citrus scent with a pungent almost oniony "dankness" - also a bit of caramel malt sweetness.

Moderate to slightly high carbonation, this is a nice, hoppy, dank pale ale that finishes rather dry.

Overall a good pale ale with a biting hop presence... perhaps a bit lacking in malt backbone.

Serving type: can

11-29-2011 00:35:48 | More by syrupjoe

jbphoto88

Texas

3.98/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Medium orange beer with a thin but ever present cap. The slight layer of white suds sticks to the glass and accurately represents your consumption progress.

The nose is clean and simple with a strong sweet malt and a firm hop presence. Just what a pale ale should smell like and nothing more. Very pleasant.

Taste is also in the simple yet good category. A fine sweet malt intro that's nicely flanked by a light touch of hop citrus. It's clean and super drinkable with nothing really out of wack. This is probably one of the most satisfying beers I've had from ska.

The mouthfeel again is delightlfully simple and in that simplicity lies the beauty of this beer. There is a nice compliment of slick malts to hop bittering. This is a strong beer, not in ABV but in the fact that it does everything well. A nice find and one that will find it's way into my fridge again and again.

Serving type: can

11-13-2011 22:29:33 | More by jbphoto88

dostom

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A very good beer. i drink straight from can. If you like other ska beers you will really enjoy this pale ale. it is very hoppy just to warn you. i personally recommend this if you like hoppy beers. very flavorful and goes down easy. It is only around a few months a year so if you want it you will have to wait until the months of oct/nov

Serving type: can

11-09-2011 23:26:58 | More by dostom

kmatlack

California

3.38/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz can into a stemless wine glass. Best by date 01/28/11 on bottom of the can.

A- Pours a clear orange-brown that has a one finger head due to a vigorous pour. Head goes away and leaves small bubbles on top of the beer.

S- Smells fresh, grainy, bready, a little hoppy. Citrus, earthy, grassy, almost dirt like notes?

T- Sweet almost tangy at first on the tongue, bitter, citrus, orange peels, just tastes clean.

M- Decent for a pale ale, would like a little less carbonation, but what else is new.

O- A great pale ale. Not the best, but slightly above average. It seems to me that, like Modus Hoparandi, this beer would be much better on tap.

Serving type: can

11-05-2011 03:25:09 | More by kmatlack

lawlerj

Nebraska

3.78/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. can into a nonic pint glass.

A - pours a translucent amber with a frothy, off white two finger head. Leaves blotchy lacing and retains a bit of foam on the top as its going down. Apperas to be fairly carbonated.

S - big hops in this guy - fruit and pine both in the mix. Caramel malt backbone in there underneath the hops.

T - not quite as aggressive as the nose; caramel malt up front that opens up into the pine and citrus hops. The transitions are smooth between the flavors - very nice.

M - medium bodied, very smooth. The carbonation was not quie as heavy as I had anticipated based on the appearance.

O - more aggressive than many other pales ales, particularly in the nose. Very fruity and easy drinking. Not that it matters, but nothing about this really screams winter to me. But I sure like it. I'll drink it any time of year.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2011 22:49:05 | More by lawlerj

denver10

Colorado

2.42/5  rDev -36.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

A: A thick amber, with some orange tint. At the onset there was a nice head that drops down to aslight lacing that covers most of the surface.

S: A little sweet citrus at the start followed closely by some pine. The best aspect of this beer for me.

T: There is some sweet malt backbone there but not enough balance for me personally that I remained focused more on the piney hops. Some bitterness to it.

M: Medium bodied, some stickiness that gets washed away from the carbonation.

Overall: Not bad, probably good for what it is, just not really my deal.

Serving type: can

10-26-2011 01:30:16 | More by denver10

TenHornsProud

Colorado

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

Pours a darker orange with huge, thick white head that laces and sticks around.

Smells of creamy, caramel malt with big pine hop character and some grassy notes.

Tastes of bready/biscuit malt up front and pine/spice hop, earthy, and slightly nutty. Some lingering pine, resinous hop character.

Lighter to medium body with lower carbonation work well.

This is a fantastic almost English-style pale ale that balances biscuit and pine hops character. Easy to drink and satisfying.

Serving type: can

10-19-2011 23:09:13 | More by TenHornsProud

oberon

North Carolina

3.55/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

oured into a standard pint glass a rich copper with a well defined 1/2 finger white head atop,sweet caramel/biscuit malt with leafy "green" hops in the nose,a real big sweetish malt aroma to this APA.Leafy and citric hops show thru overtop of a hefty sweet caramel base,again its quite sweet for the style but there is a nice shot of hops to somewhat balance it out.Not bad but I would like a little less sweetness in the style,still a decent beer.

Serving type: can

10-10-2011 21:11:46 | More by oberon

StoneTSR

Colorado

4.08/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

APPEARANCE: The Euphoria pours a clear, brown copper. The head is white and foamy with some decent retention. Scattered bubbles race from bottom to top creating a lively appearance for Ska's blue canned offering. Strong lacing.

SMELL: A big malty aroma is cut by some big, piney hops. This smells like a classic West Coast IPA, but it isn't, so we'll see how the nose translates to the palate.

TASTE: OK, so the taste is that of a classic West Coast IPA as well, but maybe with more pine for the winter months. Malt up front, hops in the back, with plenty of pine, grapefruit and other citrus flavors throughout. A touch of grassiness finishes each sip in a beautifully bitter way.

This is an exceptionally balanced beer. In some well balanced beers it seems as though the hops and malt are fighting for every drinker's attention. In this beer it seems more like they are in a happy, loving, married and healthy relationship where they both share the same desire to pleas the drinker's taste buds. Also, an ever so faint hint of licorice kicks in at the end of each sip.

MOUTHFEEL: A little on the oily side, but with just enough tickle to prevent it from being too oily. The finish is on the dry side although early in each sip it seems sweet.

OVERALL: This is a ridiculously easy beer to drink. It works well as a late-fall/early-winter IPA.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 10:18:43 | More by StoneTSR

wedge

North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dim orange with a solid cap of creamy goodness. Fresh, deeply hoppy nose. Very fruity and juicy...sticky, flowery hops over woody pine and a good bit of caramel malt sweetness. Sticky, resinous hoppy fresh flavor upfront. Grapefruit and orange juiciness with a leafy/piney bite. Some underlying malty sweetness. Seems a little undercarbonated, but it's otherwise medium bodied with a solid bitterness. Pretty much an IPA or at least a hopped-up amber, but whatever...good stuff if you're looking for hops. It doesn't make me think of winter...what the hell is a winter seasonal doing out in late September anyways?

Serving type: can

10-06-2011 01:54:17 | More by wedge

mastodonj

Colorado

4.53/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A 12 oz can poured into a diconic.
This Pale Ale kicks the butt of many IPA's in terms of its nose and balanced bitterness.

Nice lacing; typical IPA/PA color of dark amber.

When you pour this into a glass, the fresh hops and citrus jump
out...as good as it gets.

The balanced malt and bitterness make for a very good ale.
There's some alcohol content sting at the end of the swallow.

Feel is fine; goes down easily but the sting noted above
makes it that much better.

This is going on my list of "when in doubt, get this" beers.

Serving type: can

10-05-2011 01:39:42 | More by mastodonj

ChugginOil

Illinois

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

Big thanks to Ed at St. Charles Binny's for the recommendation.

Pours a translucent amber color that shows about one finger of white head. Webby lacing.

The nose yields aromas of a strong hop profile. In some way, Euphoria smells quite bitter and @ this point, very fresh. Pine resin approaches my nostrils first, followed by a slight bit of sweet malt. Hops take over the nose.

The taste is definitely hop forward. Some bittering hops hit my palate first and make way for some balancing malt. The hops are bringing some pine and a tad bit of garlic to the profile. Pretty well balanced and damn tasty @ that.

The mouthfeel is dry and quite palatable. Ample carbonation makes this one well rounded. Medium bodied and easy to drink. Definitely liking.

Overall, this is an impressive pale ale that is tasty, drinkable, and affordable ($8.99 a sixer). This beer is really good while fresh but will still be nice throughout the winter months.

Serving type: can

09-28-2011 06:17:23 | More by ChugginOil

AleWatcher

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I feel like I'm always prefacing reviews with this, but here we go anyway:
I love pale ales. They are my favorite style. This does tend to make it so I rate them a little harder, but I do it out of love.

anyway, with that out of the way...
Trying to clean out the voice notes on my iphone...
Reviewed from those notes.

Can into a pint.

Dark, honey-touched amber color. Mostly off-white head of 1.5 fingers that settles to a froth. Decent retention and lacing.
The nose has some sweet malt with grapefruity citrus hops. The flavor is good. Very little bitterness-- and I see this as a negative. I prefer more bitterness to keep me in line, you know, remind me I'm drinking a beer. The flavor profile is nice in and of itself though.-- just not outstanding.

Medium body, light carbonation.

This is easy drinking. I could finish a 6 pack easily... but I find myself not wanting to. It is leaps and bounds above BMC stuff, but not even orbiting around my top Pale Ales.

Serving type: can

09-12-2011 02:27:28 | More by AleWatcher

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.98/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Copper colored brew, off white head to it, nice hoppy aroma, floral, light, not overbearing, just right for a pale ale.

Taste, a little bit of a spicy hop kick to this one, pretty cool. A little bit of pine. Its pretty much like a softer more sessionable Modus, although not as good (but what is?). Just the slightest bit of toastiness from the malt which is just right to be there, but allow the hops and spicy carbonation to kick in.

A solid pale ale, and then some. Great addition for disc golf or doing anything outside in warm weather. If it were available in my area, it would definitely be in the full summer rotation (that is until Torpedo and SNPA come out in cans).

Serving type: can

06-21-2011 20:55:05 | More by Beerandraiderfan