Anderson Valley Poleeko Gold Pale Ale

Brewed by Anderson Valley Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Boonville, California USA

bottle from a sampler pack, probably 6 months old but it didn’t seem at all stale, aside from the huge carbonation (which apparently is consistent with other raters). medium hoppy aroma but there’s a yeasty muddy (hay-like) presence in the aroma which doesn’t belong in an APA. nicely hoppy, but it’s way too light - it’s as if they had a good hops profile but slashed the malt bill by about 15%. finish is extraordinarily plain, without any significant characteristics to define it, other than a dryness i don’t associate with pale ales. i’ll pass; hand me a sierra nevada please!

Bottle: Poured a hazy deep yellow color ale with a huge bubbly white head with better then average retention. Aroma of grassy floral hops is clearly detectable and really enjoyable. Taste is incredibly grassy with nice floral undertone and a medium bitter finish. I thought this was a well balance mix between the grassy, sweet malt and light bitter finish. Definitely something I would track down again.

From the beginning we believed that this is not what an American pale ale should be. This pale ale is very light in color and body lacking the hoppy flavor we expected.

Bottle. Pours a hazy yellow with a massive lasting white head. Nice lacing. Aroma and flavour of roasted malt and mild citrus hops. Flavour’s quite mild and a little watery -- I’d also prefer it a little hoppier. Light to medium bodied. I much prefer the Hop Ottin’ but for a Pale Ale this was O.K.

Anderson Valley Poleeko Gold Pale Ale pours to bright, golden color, with a tall bright white head, and a good bit of carbonation. The nose on this beer is excellent, with lots of lemon/grapefruit hop aromas which dominate. The palate is firm, with lots of good, crisp, biscuity pale malt flavor, with a nice under tone of citrus hop flavor. It fiishes with more good pale malt flavor up front, then ends with a zesty citrus hop bite that lingers. Well done APA, with good hop aromas, pale malt flavor, and hop bitterness. A nice aperitif beer, and one that would match well with cold salads and sea food dishes.

The body is a clear gold. The hops seem almost noble in the aroma, but I can’t decide if they really are. The malt is very light and fairly dry leaving the beer to come across bitter and not quite balanced.

Pour is a clear yellow with a huge white head! This sucker is coming over my glass and i ever poured it right. Anyway, aroma is doughy and hoppy. Flavor is slightly hoppy and crisp. An average pale ale by a great brewer.

Bottle. Rating #200 -An Anderson rated by an Anderson. Raw orange gold, translicent, with a film-head. Smells vaguely citrus, very ripe, some malt-spice notes. Immediate impression is of dryness, crispness, hop and malt detectable, not sticky or even really sweet at all unlike many APAs I’ve had recently. It’s a refreshing change of pace even though I like a hint of sugar. This is as a result more notably bitter, but not in a bad way, more like a fresh unsweetened grapefruit. medium to light bodied and drinkable, this would be excellent on a hot summer day. Grapefruit finish. Not bad, although because these people are Andersons, I expected this to be the best beer ever. Oh well.