Firestone Walker Pale 31

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

12 oz bottle. Clear yellow orange with a thin white head. Nose is orange and grapefruit. Juicy with mild carb. Taste is pith and peel; mainly lemon. Nicely crafted but a little one-dimensional with a limited range of flavors.

11-16-07 bottle. Clear amber pour. METALLIC taste and finish. Watery and bland aside from the metal. Just not impressed - I wanted a lot more.

Light clear amber pour with a fading white head. Smell is very sweet hops. Fresh and vibrant at first, followed soon by a bit of metal. A bit thin overall and I get a flavor of tea in this one quite a bit, along with some light honey like malt. Good carbonation, and while not offensive, pretty average, and needs more of a strong malt backing to shine. Decent.

Nothing extraordinary, but nothing negative, either; it’s "just right." Golden in color, just enough hops, finishes very clean. A very drinkable beer.

Bottle; poured a yellow amber with small to medium white head. Aroma was good with citrus, caramel, flowers and vanilla. A really good example of the style. Hop presence was substantial, but not overdone. Peppery finish. Carbonation may have been a tad assertive. Nice after taste.

Sampled on draft at the Santa Barbara Airport. Pours out a nice golden copper color. Aroma is light and sweet of oranges and citrus. Hops are evident once you take a sniff. Taste is good, really clean and light but still very flavorful from the hops and slightly sweet caramel from the malt. This is a great example of a simple American Pale that really can be appreciated by many different people with different tastes. Reminded me of SNPA for how simple good flavor can really be sometimes. This is the kind of beer I would love to homebrew.

Clear amber, moderate head with decent lacing and retention. Aroma is very grapefruity with some lesser floral and caramel notes. Medium bodied, low bitterness, a fair amount of hop flavor with a somewhat watery finish. Came off pretty light after a promising aroma.

Bottle at the Brickskeller. Completely clear, tinny pale yellow color. Pineapple, sweet garlic clove, and plenty of leafiness on the nose. Crisp saazy flavor, peppery with brisk grainy notes, though with no hint of malt nuance beyond them. Light floral notes, sprucy and fairly resinous, with tangy-sweet moments of fruit cocktail in the middle. Drying out in sesame seed and cracker toward the finish. Light palate, dry and clinging, ending on a parched grassy coating. Refreshing, though it might have been better a bit fresher.