Arctica Pale Ale (Endurance Pale Ale / Tom Crean's Ale) - Endurance Brewing Company

LPorter33

Massachusetts

2.98/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Single bottle purchased from Liquor World in Milford, MA.

A typical, average pale ale. Can't really say much about it except that it was normal and boring. Not offensive but not one I'd ever seek out again. I did love the bottle and give it a very high rating in appearance since I love the story of Pinkerton and Co. I don't know what that has to do with the beer but it's a good selling point.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2006 03:01:06 | More by LPorter33

TabulaRasa

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +21.1%

08-24-2012 10:53:25 | More by TabulaRasa

seanh99

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -14.5%

03-02-2012 17:02:37 | More by seanh99

rusty3335

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +28.2%

02-08-2012 23:01:14 | More by rusty3335

BigCheese

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +14%

01-06-2012 20:05:47 | More by BigCheese

bpfrush

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

11-14-2011 19:19:09 | More by bpfrush

jbertsch

Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Appearance:
Gold in color. Slight haze is visible with an average-sized, white head.

Aroma:
Faint smooth pils-like malt. Fruity hops noticeable in the back.Nothing overwhelming.

Taste:
Biscuity malt up front. Honey-tinged hops on the back. Faint bitter finish. A little hoppier than I expected. And the fruit notes caught me by surprise.

Mouthfeel:
Smooth. Not fizzy, but carbonated enough.

Drinkability is easy but you may get bored after a couple.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2011 17:51:57 | More by jbertsch

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev +2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

With aggresive pour almost no head.

Slightest haze in this amber/orange beer.

Light Toasty aroma. Perhaps the slightest touch of citrus.

Flavor is an astringent bitter in the middle of your tongue. The toasty note remains through the flavor as well. I'm getting quite a bot of yeast flavor as well.

Dry in your mouth, light prickly carbonation.

Its fine, but not very exciting.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 12:45:10 | More by Reagan1984

bruachan

Rhode Island

3.38/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

hazy amber with some suds above

cascadey hop aromas: grapefruit and some wet grass; somewhat tealike. aroma is generally weak

good hop contribution but more malt, really. citrus up front and some solid woody bitterness to close. in between, some toasty malts with peachy esters and light buttery notes. dry

sort of a session PA by this point in US beer history. our palates have adapted to massive hopping rates so this one seems really sensible (maybe that's

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2010 00:04:32 | More by bruachan

jdhilt

New Hampshire

1.88/5  rDev -46.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

Tom Crean's Ale: Pours with a two-finger bubbly white head that fades slowly leaving a good lace. Cloudy pale amber color. Light-medium bodied. Hoppy nose. Medium carbonation. Starts hoppy, finishes hoppy with a lingering hoppy after taste. Typical pale. $1.50 for a 12oz bottle from Colonial Spirits Acton, Ma. Company president tells me the ABV is 5%.
I think the Arctica is different with way more hops, flavor is piney hops with a lingering bitter, hoppy aftertaste. Hopheads line up for this one. $2.05 for a 12oz bottle from Colonial Spirits, Acton, MA.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2010 22:28:29 | More by jdhilt

Crazy4LegMoose

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: Hazy opaque orange honey colored ale with 1 finger of fizzy white head that leaves very faint lacing on the glass.

S: Caramel malty nose with hints of toasted almonds. Very floral and slightly citrus hop profile in the nose.

T: Smooth vanilla/caramel taste accented with good amount of citrus and floral hops. Hints of grass as well in the hop profile. Also a hint of honey flavor in the malt that mixes well with the citrus hop flavors.

M: Thin to medium mouthfeel for this one. Light carbonation diffuses the malt flavor and leaves a blend of vanilla and citrus hops in the finish.

D: Very drinkable beer. I enjoy this one and pick it up every so often when I want a good solid pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2010 16:45:35 | More by Crazy4LegMoose

phantomwyse

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Mild honey color, slightly turbid, with a slim head.

S: Good malt profile, light breads, white and wheat. Mid hoppiness, mostly pine, some citrus. Slight metallic whiff.

T: Mild hoppiness, West Coast hop profile. Good, but ubiquitous, malts.

M: Medium to light bodied, crisp, vaguely refreshing.

D: As far as a pale ale goes, this is pretty drinkable. It has a nice hoppiness tamed by some, albeit bland, malts. Not bad at all. I could drink a few of these with Tom Crean. Though, I'm sure he'd drink me under the table.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2010 23:17:43 | More by phantomwyse

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Endurance- Arctica

A- Golden caramel brown with a thick frothy head. Good lacing and head retention.
S- Caramel malt, citrus grapefruit hops.
T- Sweet caramel malt with a slight grainy malt feel. Bitter grapefruit rind hops kick in. Smooth.
M- Smooth buttery malt with a good citric hop feel.

Overall- Nice drinking beer. I could drink a few of these no problem.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2010 21:21:46 | More by NJpadreFan

hudsonvalleyslim

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I suppose that it's fairly clear here, but I just wanted to point out that Arctica is apparently the new name for Endurance Pale Ale. (And it ain't even on their webpage.) Maybe a new improved recipe? (The old one was excellent as well.)

Drinking a bottle as we speak, and it's most excellent. Nothing groundbreaking but fresh and finely balanced, a great example of a pale ale in my opinion. A great session beer.

I'm a bit prejudiced against contract brews, but it seems that everything out of Mercury (formerly Ipswich) is excellent. I've love their brews for many years. A fine brewery in need of some direction perhaps. Then again, I suppose they're doing well with expansion and all.

"My god man, I'm just a simple country drinker, not a business genius!"

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2009 02:47:23 | More by hudsonvalleyslim

Bowdoinbeerboy

Maine

3.83/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a wee on the hazy side with a good amount of foam that lingers around for a bit. The smell is fairly hoppy and fresh smelling, not canned at all. Taste is smooth, not terribly hoppy but defnitely can feel some of those oils in there. Beer is actually a little bit sweet on the taste. Mouthfeel is fairly standard, maybe a little bit creamier. This beer is immensely drinkable.

Happy 200th review!

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2009 23:32:56 | More by Bowdoinbeerboy

bsend

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Received a standard pint from my server.

Apperance: Beer had a nice golden color with light hues of orange. Overall clear to mildly hazy. Poured to have a 1 finger white head. Plenty of light was let through to show off the crisp looking color. Moderate amounts of lacing.

Smell: Definite citrus hop character.

Taste: Light, and refreshing with moderate amounts of hop flavor. Hop flavor was present from front to back.

Mouthfeel: Just above average on this one. Crisp and light bodied. Moderate amounts of carbonation.

Drinkability: Beer goes down good. The light body with hop character went down quite well. Definitely sessionable at the pub.

Final Thoughts - Overall a good choice at the bar. Decent price for what I consider to be on par with Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale however it is local for me. Good choice for a night out.

Serving type: on-tap

04-21-2009 15:37:17 | More by bsend

tai4ji2x

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle with no date.

classic pale amber. some yeast suspended throughout, but otherwise would have been clear. decent head that fades to a thin layer. very good lacing.

smells of light citrus and pine, with subtle fruitiness and hint of yeast. underlying toasted malt is especially caramelized at the end.

flavors are similar, with a decent balance of toasted, lightly caramelized malt and a moderate hop profile. citrus and pine are gentle, along with the controlled bitterness. hints of fruity esters and apple.

smooth with medium body and light resins in the finish. lively but mild carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2009 08:25:48 | More by tai4ji2x

Hophead101

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

drank on 12.17.08 at the Oak Bar in the Fairmont Hotel in Boston.

pours a hazy golden tannish yellow. nice looking beer with a great thick head that doesn't want to go away. leaves a nice thick and sporadic lacing on the glass. There wasn't much aroma to the beer. maybe it was the glass or the environment, but there wasn't much. a light malty crisp smell with minimal hops. taste was crisp and malty with a little hop bite up front. a little citrusy. mouthfeel was crisp and slightly carbonated. there is hop in the bite but doesn't kill your palate. could definitely drink a bunch of these.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2008 14:35:40 | More by Hophead101

germanbeer1

Maine

3.4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Not a huge fan of IPAs, but I didn't have a problem with this one. Has a copper color with almost no head. It goes great on a warm, summer day and the beer's theme about Ernest Shackelton's legendary adventures to Antarctica is unique. "Explore, Challenge, Drink Great Beer."

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2008 14:50:57 | More by germanbeer1

albern

Massachusetts

3.15/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer pours an ever so slightly cloudy golden amber color with a nice creamy and foamy head that retains well and laces. The aroma is cracked bready grains, some dryish malts, and a pretty typical APA nose with some hops in the background. The beer is only modestly carbonated, definitely dry, loads of bready cracked grains, slightly bittering hops, a balanced consistency, and a bit of a sharpness from mid body to the finish. This APA is light to medium bodied, but very dry, perhaps a bit of a saltene cracker saltiness and dryness in the finish. The beer is much crisper than smooth, and the biting, dry, crackled grain taste in the finish, diminishes the beer in my estimation. Not bad though.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2008 23:53:41 | More by albern

spike882

New York

4.25/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Very nice light copper color. A generous amount of head that leaves decent lacing on the glass. Aroma is very hoppy and fruity with a hint of pine. Tastes is light and hoppy with a clean finish. Also a lot of fruit notes in the palate. Very citrusy (sp?)

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2008 03:53:47 | More by spike882

kcillini77

Kansas

3.1/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Received as part of the Amazing Clubs Beer of the Month club.

Looks like an average pale ale with a decent head.

Smells like piney hops. Not much else.

Taste is a little malt up front followed by sharp hops.

Mouthfeel is okay - highly carbonated, perhaps too much so.

Drinkability is good. It's an average pale ale all around. A decent beer to try but certainly doesn't stand out over any other pale ales.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2008 03:39:33 | More by kcillini77

changeup45

Florida

3.55/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I thought this was a pretty good Pale Ale. Pours a bright copper color with moderate off-white head and lacing. Aroma is hoppy, grassy with some fruitiness. Slightly sweet malt flavor with a nice crisp hoppy bite. Not complex but I was pleasantly surprised.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2008 20:23:47 | More by changeup45

mney

Connecticut

3.13/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

poured into a (red) wine glass. well-carbonated (a little less than a Sprite), film-thin head, appearance is a glowy and cloudy burnt orange.

smell: sweet.honey.citrusy

taste: there is a good balance of citrus (most notably orange) and bitterness.

feel: glides around my mouth lightly but not watery. carbonation is there but not too aggressive.

this is def drinkable, but what does that say? This is an avg pale ale. Def refreshing, pleasant looking.. good summertime cooler beer.. wouldnt seek out again because there are too many too try!

(thanks for my first review.)

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2008 00:51:47 | More by mney

billybob

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +23.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

a hazy honey gold color with a short head and moderate lace. slightly fruity aroma turning to a slightly metalic smell. bready with a grainy taste, some citrus and mild hop finish. light to medium mouthfeel amd carbonation holds well. well balanced, good session beer

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2008 15:51:55 | More by billybob