R.J. Rockers Patriot Pale Ale

Brewed by R.J. Rockers Brewing Co.
Style: American Pale Ale
Spartanburg, South Carolina USA

Although a tyro to rating beer, I’ve sampled most of the southeastern US pales; this tops the list. A nice full-bodied beer with an excellent aftertaste.

Appearance: Pours a medium copper body with an almost imperceptibly haze and topped with a thin ring of white bubbles. Smell: Effusive caramel aroma with a light grain note and very minor background fruitiness. Taste: Distinct caramel maltiness and accompanying sweetness with a light, brief taste of grain. Lightly earthy, lightly citrusy hops and bitterness provides a touch of balance, but, ultimately, the strong caramel taste shines through to the finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: A decent, reasonably tasty malt-forward pale ale. I can’t help but notice some disastrous reviews from bad bottles as I type this in, so it looks as though I’m the official winner of the R.J. Rockers Lottery!!

on tap @HopfestNC-pours a thin white head and slightly hazy yellow/gold color. Aroma is citrus hops-lemon. Taste is citrus hops-lemon with some bitterness. OK carbonation.

Nice, tight head. Leaves good lace. Hazy with a dark golden (light amber) color. Mild aroma of fresh hop and decent malt presence. A solid entry in the APA field. More hoppy than malty. Rich mouthfeel with an appropriate level of carbonation. The aftertaste is a long-lasting bitterness from the hop.

12 oz. Clear, burnt orange-amber with a small, lasting creamy head. Aroma is grapefruit, molasses and resin. Flavor is a nice balance of orange, resin, caramel, cocoa, walnut, and dried wood. Light-medium body is kinda smooth, but still tingly with carbonation. Gets frothier and turns to bubbly air on the swallow. The bubbly finish is really the only small flaw with this otherwise tasty and sessionable beer. Kind of surprised by the low ratings.

this one was nice. pale and had a nice little bite to it. well balanced. pours out yellow colored with a tan head. a nice APA, one of the better ones i had today. sampled at brewgrass 04 on draught.

12oz bottle. Cloudy orange color. Thin white head. Aroma of malt, pine and citrus. Flavor has a rich caramel sweetness, followed by a fairly bold hop bitterness. a very impressive American Pale Ale.

On tap at Capital Ale House - Downtown on 01/28/2009. Clear copper amber body with a small creamy off-white head. Sweet floral hop aroma wtih some caramel. Sweet floral hop flavor with some grassy notes and a bit of caramel. Medium full body with moderately high carbonation.