Pelican Kiwanda Cream Ale

Brewed by Pelican Pub & Brewery
Style: Cream Ale
Pacific City, Oregon USA

Bottled, alc. 5.3%
Hazy pale yellow, small white head, lace. Pale malty, floral hoppy nose. "Rubbery" yeasty, a bit watery, hints of banana before late hoppyness. Easy to drink session beer. My first Cream Ale and the last needed beer style in Ratebeer.

Hazy yellow. Smells of a few hops, quite sweet. Flavor has some citric bite, but has that overpowering cream ale character to it, sweet and flowery, just not that great.

(Stockholm Beer Festival 2005) Yellow, small white head. Weak hoppy aroma. Hoppy flavor, with some malt to bring balance.

(Bottled@Stockholm Beer Festival 2005) Hazy yellow-golden color with almost no head. Creamy, flowery-hoppy aroma with some maltiness. Smoothly malty and hoppy with fruit and some flowers and sourness. Light to medium-bodied, sourish and slightly bitter palate. Mediocre in every way, not very interesting.

Bottled. Pale golden, brief head. Sweet and neutral, lightly grainy and nutty. Dryish grassy finish. Refreshing, but near thin.

Tap. Medium golden colored. Long-lived white head. Excellent lacing. Aroma is musty and earthy. Light bodied. Fairly well-hopped with and earthy bitterness. Fair cream ale.

(22 oz bottle: $3.70 at Liquid Solutions in Tigard, OR) After rating several cream ales, I’ve saved this one for last, and I’m hopeful that Pelican can deliver a cream ale that’s actually palatable, as most of the others have been pretty awful. Hmm, a good start here. The nose is actually fairly inviting, showing a fair amount of orange citrus tea aroma, plus a bit of malt in the background. The first sip is also encouraging. Yes, it’s a bit grainy, but this is not a strong corn flavor like in some of the others. Gentle, light malt is joined by a mildly sweet orange citrus and peach fruitiness, and balanced by a modest hop bitterness. There’s even a slight bit of smokiness in the finish. Wow, this is not only palatable, but something I can actually drink and not bitch about. Light to medium body, nicely carbonated. Pale yellow in color with a slight haze. The head is pretty much white in color, not all that big on the pour, and fades to a bubbly rim, leaving a few small patches of lace on the glass. While all the other cream ales I’ve rated ended up being drain pours (not enjoyable, and with the rating completed, no need to finish the glass), I plan on drinking this entire bomber. That speaks volumes. Best cream ale I’ve ever had, and by a wide margin I think.

Mild caramel flavor up front balanced by a smooth hoppiness leaving a nice light citrus and grassy hop finish flavor behind. Pours a very clear gold with a smooth white head. Very smooth brew well balance and very light weight on the palate.