Ølfabrikken Columbus Pale Ale

Formerly brewed at Bryggeriet Ølfabrikken (Gourmetbryggeriet)
Style: American Pale Ale
Roskilde, Denmark

Bottle courtesy of SoLan. Heady aroma of pine resin and cannabis. Tangerine, grapefruit and lightly charred caramel. Pours Beautiful rich copper with a dense, creamy white head. Excellent retention with thick and chunky lacing down the glass. I wish the flavor had a bit more of the oily resin present on the nose. That being said, there is a fair amount of bitter orange peel and grapefruit. Just a touch of pine. A good dose of caramel malt. Crisp, medium boded with a lengthy bitter finish.

Bottle… Mostly clear, deep orange ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. Good retention. Caramel and pine along with citrusy orange peel and grapefruit notes constitute the aroma. A rich, caramel malt backbone blends nicely with moderately bitter citrus rind and evergreen bitterness. Ultra-subtle acidity. Full-bodied and chewy with lively carbonation. Surprisingly crisp, refreshing finish… moderate bitterness lingers on and on.

Courtesy of Quake1028. Pours a clear copper with tan head and decent lacing. The aroma has a pulse of hops then an interesting herbal graininess and sweet malts. Hmmm? The taste is an initial mix of pine hop bitterness and roasty malts. A citrus hop bitterness note about midway along is joined by earthiness and a sense of herbs. It seems a bit thin. It has a big bold flavor for a Pale Ale.

Best by date June 2008, Sampled November 2007
Pours with a frothy, initially two finger thick, light tan colored head that sits atop an opaque, cherry hued, concentrated amber colored brew that shows a brilliantly clear, bright cherry color when held up to the light. The aroma is nice and hoppy; as soon as I pop the swing-top cap a note of fruity, concentrated, candied orange peel greets my nose. When explored more fully the nose yields a nice mix of sharp (pine, piquant citrus oil, and herbal notes) and fruity (grapefruit, tangelo and lychee) hop components. There is a noticeable backdrop of crystal malt notes that adds a definite caramel edge, some brown sugar biscuit notes and some toasty grain aromatics. The hops are definitely the dominant note in the aroma though, with the grapefruit notes being most noticeable, but followed fairly closely by the pine scented notes.

Light, with a touch of crystal malt sweetness to an otherwise dry, albeit quite chewy with malt notes, beer. The hop character certainly adds to a perception of sweetness too though; citrus hop flavors add a nice fruitiness to this beer that is reminiscent of grapefruit and perhaps bitter orange. A fair amount of pine flavors, as well as a touch of menthol and even some herbal notes are found here as well, those last two especially in the finish. Speaking of which, the finish of this beer has a nice, solid, somewhat lingering bitterness to it, that is actually quite smooth and not nearly as biting as it could be. While starting out softly sweet and citrus like the beer definitely finishes with a harder, sharper edge (even with a touch of pithy, green hop astringency). The beer has a nice, yet light, creamy feel to it as it rests on the tongue; I certainly like the heft of this brew as it is quite spot on for a good Pale Ale.

Definitely a nice pale ale, but it seems to be lacking a bit of refinement & integration of flavors; this despite that this is a single hop focused style. I think part of this might be that I feel like a little more malt sweetness / complexity would help to accentuate and perk up the hop focus of this brew.

Bottle from Knightly Spirits. Thanks for holding this one for me, Alan. Pours a light brown, almost tea colored body, with a small off white head. No lasting power, and very sparse lacing. Nose is fairly weak, or muted, whatever the case it’s hard to pull much of anything out of this beer. Definitely much less aggressive than American versions of this style. What I do get is some citric hops, herbal notes, spices, grains and toffee malts. The hops lend some grapefruit and lemon character, but not much. Wish it were a bit more up front, because what is there smells pretty good. Flavor is almost as shy/reserved as the aroma, but carries over all of the promised notes. Body is light to medium, watery at times, medium carbonation. Smooth, slick mouthfeel. Finish is brief, hops and a balance from caramel/toffee malts, fading into a short bitterness. In the end just too reserved for these taste buds, but a well made beer to be sure.

Date: 11/18/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Knightly Spirits, Orlando

hazy burnt orange, fine beige head, specks of lace, sweet crystal malt aroma balanced by lots of earthy hops, rich blend of crystal and caramel malt flavors, lots of earthy hops keep it very dry, long bitter finish,
-------- /> Date: 01/25/2008
Mode: bottle
Source: tasting

picking up some sweet citrus in addition to the big earthyness, light floral character,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4

500. Thanks, Boboski! Pours opaque mahogany brown with a thick, sudsy off-white head. Bready, slightly sweet citric nose. Watery, slightly flat body. Tangy caramel and light-brown bread on the mid-palate. Clean finish. A mild and pleasant effort at an APA.

Hazy copper colour with a lasting off-white head. Intense hop aroma of pine, grass and grapefruit with a little caramel in the background. Flavour is slightly sweet with a rough hop bitterness, leading to a bitter, resinous aftertaste. The usual cascade dominated APA is easier to drink, but this certainly shows off the power of Columbus.