Firestone Walker Pale 31

Brewed by Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Style: American Pale Ale
Paso Robles, California USA

I assume this is what I tried - it was labeled as "Pale 31 - California Pale Ale". Whatever it was, it tasted delicious with the Mexican food we enjoyed it with. Sweet and malty with a strong citrus bitterness from the high volume of hop presence. Crisp is a great defining word. The aroma was the only strange thing - smelled slightly of wet dog.

Clear gold with a medium size bright white head with very nice lacing. Strong citrusy hops aroma, almost like the IPA. Taste was a little less intense, but with some maltiness to balance things out. Crisp, clean, light-bodied with good carbonation. I was very surprised at the hoppiness of this, but found it to be very enjoyable. Might as well go all the way and have their IPA though.

Pours a clear golden color with a medium foamy white head. Light aroma of sweet apples or cherries with a little bit of hops. Only a little bit of the malts make it through to the taste. A very thin but crisp beer with a decent little hop finish. Leaves a minor dryness that fades shortly after.

Pours clear amber with a very thin white head. Nice honey and hop aroma. Surprisingly good sweetness and hop flavor. Some citrus in there too. Awesome mouthfeel and drinkability. Don’t know how this is rated so low.

a very refreshing pale ale. Nice flavor, not too over the top but well balanced and light. I like sierra nevada’s pale more, but this one is still really good, and for 5.99 a six pack you can’t go wrong. I think the IPA is a better choice at the same price, but I had to take a break from it and try something new. great brewery. great beer. great price. Love it.

On draft at Capital Alehouse, post 10k recovery beer. Pours a light copper, very clear, nice off-white head. Aroma was of bitter, slightly earth hops with a biscuity malt backbone. Flavor was a match. Very, very dry and amazingly clean. Bitter finish. Pegged this as more of an English style than American, but really enjoyed it. Firestone has a very sophisticated and subtle profile that I just love. RERATE: 04/18/09 - same score from bottle, just wanted to note some minty hop flavors, clear burton union influence on the finish. Really nicely done stuff.

On tap at The Red in Santa Cruz. Surprisingly appropriate pour yields a full inch of head, barely cresting atop the pint glass. Amber-orange in color. Some nice lacing mars the glass. Aroma is typical of west coast hoppy pale ales. Lots of citrus with a decent maltiness for balance. Flavor is a pretty even duel between grapefruity hops and grainy malt. Pretty tasty. Mouthfeel is exemplary, drinkability is high.

a super pale ale. This is a standard bearer for the APA style. Slightly bitter, nice hoppy aroma, one of my favorite APA’s