Hale's Pale Ale - Hale's Ales Brewery & Pub

mdaschaf

Washington

3.43/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Review from notes.

A: Pours a hazy amber color with a small off-white head on top. Not much retention with sporadic lacing.

S: Light citrus, some orange peel and lemon with some caramel and faint pine.

T: Similar to the aroma, a bit of citrus upfront - some orange and grapefruit, with a hefty amount of grainy and caramel malt.

M: Light to medium bodied with medium carbonation.

O: A decent pale ale, easy drinking and smooth. A little on the malty side.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 04:20:44 | More by mdaschaf

hopwave

Washington

3.45/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into standard pint glass... pours cloudy orange, one finger head lots of lace/retention. quite heavy in the mouthfeel for the style... very nice. taste is hoopy/grain a little strange at the end..lemon ting going on. overall a nice little brew I was glad to try.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 02:00:42 | More by hopwave

Chyren

Washington

3.73/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: pours up a delicious-looking cloudy burnt honey color with a nice creamy 1 finger head.

S: Scents of citrus and herbal hops come through, a solid biscuity character, lemongrass, grains. Very nice.

T: The citrus character is immediately dominant and there's an acidic bite to it, the astringency and bitterness of lemon peel, yeast and bread. Herbal bitterness lingers through the end. Although the flavor doesn't seem to quite live up to the nose.

M: Full and satisfying body. Carbo is just right.

O: I like this beer overall. It has a personality, it seems like a very genuine ale, for what it's worth.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 02:29:55 | More by Chyren

aaron12

Washington

3/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

sadly hale's is very often hit or miss when it comes to their bottles. love this beer on tap, like most their beers. but also like most their beers you have a 50/50 chance of getting a metallic tasting, no head beer, with a tinny citrus aftertaste lingering in your mouth. this six pack was one of those...

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 23:42:50 | More by aaron12

Offa

California

2.28/5  rDev -36.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

This is an example of a pretty standard grapefruity west coast APA that I just don't like much and find boring and at best two-dimensional.

Slightly hazy pale orange, it has a medium off-white head slowly shrinking.

Aroma is grapefruit - very perfumy, some light resin and dust, all a bit caramelised. It's similar to the more offensive-smelling Red Menace, but more restrained and balanced, so better.

Taste is a light of grapefruit, a bit caramelised, some pine resin hint, a hint of bitter orange marmalade, hint of faintly caramelised grain. Bitter and sweet balanced at first, but soon bitter takes over too much by finish and lingers in the aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2010 19:37:00 | More by Offa

grittybrews

Washington

4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a muddy orange into a Chimay chalice with a thin film of off-white head. Fresh aroma of slightly sour lemon and a bit of caramel.

Moderate carbonation and a light mouthfeel. Very full favor caught me off guard -- much more intense than the aroma indicated. Quite a bit of sour lemon up front followed by some creamy/biscuity malts and more tartness on the finish. Just a bit of caramel sweetness helped to even things out as the beer warmed. Drinkable and pleasantly hoppy, if not particularly balanced.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2010 03:44:59 | More by grittybrews

scout19d3

Texas

4.18/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On tap poured into a standard pint glass. A light-colored amber with the water-fall effect standard with nitrogen-carbonated ales. The creamy thick white head (half the pint glass) made beer in less then 2 mins. Remaining was a solid 1/3" of cream white head - beautiful. I was no impressed with the aroma. Not to say, at all, that it was dissatisfying only that it did not impress. However, the first taste made up for that! The creamy head introduced a similarly creamy taste and feel - an understated caramel with a very very slight tang. I could drink this ale all night long!

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2010 00:29:14 | More by scout19d3

BuckeyeOne

Washington

3.65/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This is my favorite beer to drink while I'm sitting smoking ribs. It's a nice refreshing session beer on a hot day.

While I like the copper color, this beer pours with little to no head and no lacing. It's pretty thin, in fact.

It smells like most APAs I've had - sweet caramel malt with a hint of hoppy orange citrus. The citrus is not overpowering and is different than an IPA. No one would confuse this beer with an IPA.

The taste follows the smell, though there's more biscuit flavor than caramel in the taste than you would expect from the smell.

This pale ale goes down easily and I've had many in a session. I've often moved on to big IPAs once I get the ribs off the smoker, so I've never copped a huge buzz from several of these pale ales. This brew definitely fits the definition of a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2010 20:25:53 | More by BuckeyeOne

Minkybut

Virginia

2.98/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I poured this beer into my tumbler at 45 degrees. The beer was cloudy and had a bourbon color to it. The beer poured no head at all. The beer was sightly hoppy with a bit od a caramel taste to it. The beer was not terrible and might be good on tap so I might would try this again.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2010 17:25:02 | More by Minkybut

mcraw88

Nebraska

3.15/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Nothing special here Light amber color with very little head that leaves a nice short lacing

Smell - Probably the best part of this brew. Very fresh smelling hops unlike some other APA's that are overpowering this one has many different scents to it

Taste - Disappointed. After the nice scent the taste leaves me unimpressed. Bitter hops with malt. Literally all I can say about it.

Mouthfeel - Very smooth easy on the palate, which is also a downside

Drinkability - Could have a few of these if I liked them but just not enough going on. Not even one of my preferred styles and it still leaves me desiring more

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2009 02:45:48 | More by mcraw88

peck95

Washington

3.63/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours out to be a dull dirty rust colored with little lacing and head retention.
a nice malty smell with a faint hop presence
theres an odd caramel taste to it and i like it, there also nice hop bitterness very slight though
very nice body and goes down smoothly. I would like to try this again maybe on tap or possible a fresher bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2009 01:43:40 | More by peck95

Bookseeb

Washington

3.63/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance is a light orange amber with thin head. Smell of bready malt, hops and citrus. Taste has a good up front hoppiness, sweet citrus leaving a bitter aftertaste. Mouthfeel is light - medium with good carbonation. Maybe a little hoppy for my taste in a pale, but not bad.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2008 01:21:10 | More by Bookseeb

zeff80

Missouri

3.6/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a somewhat cloudy, orange color with a tan, bubbly, foamy, one-finger head that left some rings of lace.

S - It smelled of roasted malt, pine, citrus and floral notes.

T - It tasted of burnt toast maltiness. Some caramel flavors blend with a grassy/earthy hop taste.

M - It was crisp and sharp. A light to medium-bodied beer.

D - A pretty good pale ale. There are better out there but this would make a very sessionable choice.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2008 21:07:30 | More by zeff80

Spikester

Oregon

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

Pours amber with a full off-white head and good lacings. Floral hop aroma.
Taste is citrus hop flavor with a good amount of malts. Easy drinker. No A sessionable pale with a smooth character.
Mouthfeel isbetter than average.
Drinkability is good. Wish I had more.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2008 09:08:30 | More by Spikester

Goliath

Illinois

2.9/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a hazy amber color with a thin slightly yellowed head. Retention is poor and there is no lacing.

Not much going on in the nose. A very light hoppiness and a bit of bready malt. I'm getting virtually nothing from this thing.

Taste is not good. A slight hop presence leaving a bit of bitterness. Malt dominates, but is not very distinct.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with plenty of carbonation leaving a nice tingle. It's probably the best aspect of this beer.

Drinkability is moderate. It would be sessionable, except there's nothing to the taste. Consider me extremely let down.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2008 21:44:32 | More by Goliath

bosco7

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy amber with a decent looking head.

Caramel, floral, and citrus. Prototypical pale nose, not a bad thing.

Starts with some caramel and a bit of diacetyl. Then the Cascade hops come to the front rather quickly. I taste a lot of orange, flowers, and mint. The finish is balanced with the bitterness being a tad more prevalent.

Mouthfeel is aqueous and is relatively easy to put down. I like this beer but I think I like it for its rough edges. Good beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2008 05:00:42 | More by bosco7

Jason

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz brown bottle with no freshness date.

Pours out with a half decent head but then it drops quickly to a thin ring of lace. Good clarity with a copper color, the sediment stayed to the bottom of the bottle. Slight hop, marshmallow yeast tone and biscuity malt in the nose. Slick and smooth with a medium body. Slightly fruity with pear and apple skin flavors. Maltiness has a hint of caramel but is mostly biscuity through and through. Hops lean toward a citric twang and sharp bitterness. Ends semi-sweet with lingering hop and grain.

Balanced and flavorful, a good example of an American Pale Ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2008 03:07:47 | More by Jason

RedDiamond

Oregon

3.65/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I stuck my nose to the rim of a fresh poured pint of Hale's Pale American Ale - and I mean wet mustache, suds on the schnoz and everything - and I drew a deep breath and found nothing. No smell.

Okay, no smell. That's neither good nor bad. I suppose I wasn't expecting much from Hale's first ever beer, a simple pale ale whose recipe dates to 1983. Back then any beer that wasn't a fizzy yellow adjunct-laden lager was considered a living miracle. But today there are many 1980's beer models on the road that should have been scrapped prior to the new century. Perhaps the absent smell was telling me this was one of them.

With that in mind I took a sip and got more than I expected. Hale's Pale is a modest beer of pronounced sweetness and simple corresponding bitterness. But it attends to the basic beer imperative of clean drinkability. Its design is otherwise skeletal, but respectably so. Hop flavor factors minimally, though a slight tannic edge can be detected. It is comparable to a traditional special bitter with modest, golden clarity and stylishly indifferent carbonation and suds.

A no-frills beer to be certain, but very upright in its drinkability, with good pub styling, and perhaps one of Hale's best.

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2008 02:41:02 | More by RedDiamond

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.05/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours an effervescent amber/copper with 1/4" of white head. Good head retention & above average lacing

S: Fruitty with hints of dates, figs & apples, some breadyness as this warms

T: Fruitty with spicy/citrussy hoppyness up front. Leafy & piney hops, plus more breadyness as this warms. Finishes a bit dry with loads of snappy citrussy hops

MF Medium bodied & pretty smooth with low carbonation ( the
bottle conditioning shows) & great balance

This drinks very easy, a fairly tasty & complex APA that seems a bit better to me than prior ratings. To each their own. This does have a lot of EPA attributes as well. I'd happily session on this

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2007 04:10:31 | More by russpowell

deathonthemounta

Washington

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

From the draft spout Into an Imperial pint glass at the Elephant & Castle in Seattle, WA. A nice creamy white head with an average fade and good lacing. Looks like a dark apricot amber. Pleasing light fruity hop smell. Tastes smooth mellow with mild complexity in the malt up front with some hop spice evident. A smooth fullish mouth feel is evident - seems a litte buttery. Midway through I would say the hop flavors and biscuity malt combine to create an interesting background dark licorice flavor. It finishes up with a nice roasty character. I would say this is an American pale that went to a really nice Amber college - the kind with long hairs, not throw-up drunks. A refreshing brew that holds your attention. It is mellow enough that you'll need to drink on a clean palate to appreciate it. A basket of fries, or anything at all sharp, would not allow you to perceive the depth at all.

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2007 21:48:41 | More by deathonthemounta

Dubbercody

Washington

3.1/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a bottle of this at the bottle shop today in my, I want to buy stuff I haven't tried, trip.

Dark apricot color, tastes good. Has a nice bit little bit of hoppiness that gets caught up into the malty flavor.

A bit thicker than I expected. It's a real pale ale boys and girls. Something to sit and enjoy, not to blast down cause 'damn it's hot outside'. I am pleased with this beer, no off flavors or bitter astringency.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2007 23:16:32 | More by Dubbercody

rowew

Colorado

3.05/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: 12 oz short bottle, blue label. Indecipherable bottling code, but this just showed up in Colorado, so hopefully it is fresh.

Appearance: Reddish orange, almost no head. Does leave a bit of lacing though.

Smell: Mostly bready malt, with just a bit of floral hops.

Taste: Kind of a strange mouthfeel - it seems to have a bit of stickiness to it, and a fairly low carbonation - not at all what I would expect from a pale ale. Bready malt flavor dominates here too.

Overall impression: Average beer - the mouthfeel is a bit off of what I was expecting, and flavors are fine, but not fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2007 03:37:58 | More by rowew

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.55/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Interesting orange color which was much darker than I expected for a pale ale. Almost no head on this beer except for a few white bubbles, I kept trying a hard pour but nada. Smell is a little bready and some slight sweetness in the background. The taste has a slight bit of citrus and a slight bit of hoppiness. Well balanced with a bready malt taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2007 15:27:41 | More by ArrogantB

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.63/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Purchased as part of a mixed 6Pack at Wilbur's in Ft Collins.

It pours from 12oz bottle(some numbers etched on the bottom of the bottle: 258-0-2 0724) a deep gold with a small head of foam and...a lot of floaties. I hope that doesn't mean that I have a bottle that is *well* past it's best by date. Anywho, the foam lasts right through the session and it has lots of lacing. It'll be hard to score on appearance. :^(

The smell is very hoppy by way of grapefruit and....it smells like how a dry hopped ale would taste.

The taste is nicely balanced between some semi sweet malt and not too bitter hop character. The hops are more floral than anything else. I can't taste any grass and as far as citrus goes, there's just a touch of maybe, lemon. Overall, the flavour works for me. Now the malt kicks in again and I note some earthiness. The finish is slightly bitter and the mouthfeel is medium. I like it despite seeing those damn floaties when I raise my glass. Next time I see a bottle, I'm gonna check it out more thoroughly because if this bottle *is* past it's prime, a fresher sample would "probably" impress me even more.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2007 17:12:39 | More by Bitterbill

BeerIsland

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz screwcap "export" opaque reddish brown against the bay window and 25 Feb snow soft head washes away soon nice aroma first taste - maltier than expected with a slightly bitterish finish nice balance nose is somewhat floral with malt lurking head sudsy now tasting a little sweeter here and there it's heftier than expected definitely showing diffferent aspects as the glass goes down mouthfeel getting softer as it warms up slightly sweeter toward the end

very nice beer

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2007 19:37:03 | More by BeerIsland