Drifter Pale Ale
Widmer Brothers Brewing in Portland, Oregon, United States 🇺🇸
Pale Ale - American Style / APA Regular|
Score
6.74
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With its unique citrus character, smooth drinkability, and distinctive hop character, Drifter Pale Ale is truly an original. Brewed with generous amounts of Summit hops, a variety known for their intense citrus flavors and aromas, Drifter has a taste unique to the Pale Ale category. True to style, the bittering hops are perceptible enough to give the beer a crisp, clean, quenching finish, yet also soft enough to keep the beer smooth and balanced.
2006 GABF Silver Medal Winner
2006 GABF Silver Medal Winner
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6.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
From tap at The Widmer Brothers Pub, Portland. Aroma is soft fruity hops with mild citrussy notes and a sweetish caramel malt backbone. Flavour is moderate sweet and mildly bitter. Body is medium. Classic APA, easy and drinkable.
Tried
from Draft
on 10 Feb 2025
at 04:46
5.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 6
On tap at Widmer, pours a clear copper with a small off-white head. Aroma is very like, with light floral notes and dry biscuity malt. Flavour is more aggressive for a pale, with floral hops and biscuity malt. Reasonably balanced but pretty boring.
Tried
from Draft
on 27 Jun 2017
at 13:21
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Reviewed from notes.
This was poured into a pint glass.
The appearance was a nice hazy yellow around the edges with mostly a nice light looking orange to brown color with a one finger white foamy head. For a bar pour, there was a decent half finger white foamy head and a nice light somewhat clingy foamy lacing.
The smell had a nice citrusy aroma running into the caramel malts nicely.
The taste was somewhat bitter but allowed a decent sweetness to come through in the caramel malts. There was a nice dry bitter citrusy/caramel-like aftertaste that lead to a crisp dry finish.
On the palate, it sat about a light to medium on the body and it had a nice sessionability about it. The carbonation was right on and there was nothing overbearing or under bearing.
Overall, in my opinion, this was a pretty good beer as there’s nothing bad about it. I also had it with some pulled crab sandwich that was gently buttered. Wow, what a nice day!
This was poured into a pint glass.
The appearance was a nice hazy yellow around the edges with mostly a nice light looking orange to brown color with a one finger white foamy head. For a bar pour, there was a decent half finger white foamy head and a nice light somewhat clingy foamy lacing.
The smell had a nice citrusy aroma running into the caramel malts nicely.
The taste was somewhat bitter but allowed a decent sweetness to come through in the caramel malts. There was a nice dry bitter citrusy/caramel-like aftertaste that lead to a crisp dry finish.
On the palate, it sat about a light to medium on the body and it had a nice sessionability about it. The carbonation was right on and there was nothing overbearing or under bearing.
Overall, in my opinion, this was a pretty good beer as there’s nothing bad about it. I also had it with some pulled crab sandwich that was gently buttered. Wow, what a nice day!
Tried
on 09 Jun 2014
at 17:57
8.4/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Pours clear red-amber with a short tan head. Fruit aroma...tangerine and flowery hops. Taste is sweet, caramel, nectary fruit. Blended hops, malt. Subtle...yet, overall...this is a great tasting beer. Almost too sweet, but I really enjoyed this one.
Tried
on 21 Mar 2013
at 15:38
6.5/10
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Appearance 2
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Draft. Clear deep amber, tan head, decent lacing. Aroma of citrus and grass. Taste is bitter fruit. Decent.
Tried
from Draft
on 27 Nov 2012
at 09:55
6.2/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Light barley malt nose, Hazy amber, thin head. Malted and unmalted baeley flavoe, grainy. Quaffable and enjoyable.
Tried
on 03 Nov 2012
at 09:57
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle: Poured a carbonated copper amber with a frothy head. Aroma is fruity and malt. Taste is light citrus fruit, sweet malts, and soft but complimentary hops.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Jun 2012
at 22:14
6.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
4th August 2009
Cask at GBBF. Slightly hazy brown beer. Rich hops - grassy spicy grapefruit. Decent.
Cask at GBBF. Slightly hazy brown beer. Rich hops - grassy spicy grapefruit. Decent.
Tried
from Cask
on 05 May 2012
at 03:18
7.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
bottle - Pours hazy amber-orange with a small off-white head. The aroma is of caramel and hops accented with citrus and pine. The flavor is sweet caramel malt with good, moderately bitter hops character that again carries notes of citrus and a hint of pine. This brew is a very flavorful, well done pale ale.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Dec 2011
at 14:54
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
On tap at Pies and Pints. Pours copper with small off-white head. A little lacing, medium body, and well carbonated. Taste is citrus (mostly grapefruit) and slight bittner hop finish. This is good.
Tried
from Draft
on 22 Oct 2011
at 19:26