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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6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottle. Pour is a coppery orange with a little bit of head and aromas of orange blossoms and spruce trees. Flavor is pretty darn good, but not near full enough. The sweet orange-ness goes well with the pine finish, but it needs more oomph to keep it from being watery. Still, this is a pretty decent surprise.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Jul 2009
at 17:32
7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
On tap at the Oldsmar Tap House. Pours copper with gold edges and thin tan head. The aroma is modest in its crystal malt and citrus hop qualities. The taste is similar with sweet crystal malts and citrus. Flavorful pale ale.
Tried
from Draft
on 28 Jul 2009
at 19:49
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
12 fl oz bottle as Widmer W07 pale ale. Pours hazy deep amber to orangewith a small white head. Aroma is wooden hoppy and dry. Bitter and wooden hoppy flavoured. Slight acidic touch. Light acidic and roasted malt flavoured finish. Bitter and dry into the far finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Jul 2009
at 04:56
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Location: 12 oz bottle from Gilly's, 7/14/09
Aroma: Nose is dominated by citrus, some pine, some bread, some wood, smell is pretty hop dominant
Appearance: Mostly clear orange-amber color, small head, light lacing
Flavor: Not as hoppy as the nose, starts off with malty sweetness, and the hoppiness increases in the finish
Palate: Medium body, decent mouthfeel
Overall Impression: I really liked the nose on this one, and it was pretty solid, but I felt just a little let down by the taste coming off a really nice nose.
Aroma: Nose is dominated by citrus, some pine, some bread, some wood, smell is pretty hop dominant
Appearance: Mostly clear orange-amber color, small head, light lacing
Flavor: Not as hoppy as the nose, starts off with malty sweetness, and the hoppiness increases in the finish
Palate: Medium body, decent mouthfeel
Overall Impression: I really liked the nose on this one, and it was pretty solid, but I felt just a little let down by the taste coming off a really nice nose.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Jul 2009
at 20:16
6.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
12 ounce bottle from Beer Run in Charlottesville, VA. Pours a brownish copper color with a thin head. Decent head retention and lacing. Nice fresh hop aroma with lots of citrus and tropical fruit notes. The taste is slightly nutty with strong caramel notes and a bitter citrus hop finish. Medium bodied,
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 Jun 2009
at 20:14
7.3/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Tap at OTH. Pours copper, beige head. Aroma of caramel, hops, with over notes of malts. Taste, hoppy with light spicy notes, some malts and sweet caramel. Not overly hoppy, fiish smooth, light fruit bitterness.
Tried
from Draft
on 15 May 2009
at 22:05
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
on tap a luckys. Has a clear copper color with a small off white frothy head. The aroma is floral hops and dark fruit. Good sticky lacing on the glass. The taste is a smooth hop with a crisp finish. East to drink a very good American pale ale from widmer.
Tried
from Draft
on 26 Feb 2009
at 19:20
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Bottle Pours out a amber topped with a sand head. Aroma of citrys and light floral hops. Tast was of sweet grass a nice citrus hop. A little sweet caramel aswell.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Feb 2009
at 11:42
7.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Bottle. Poured dark orange with medium white head. Little lacing. Aroma of grapefruit, orange, naartjies and flowers. Nice hoppy flavour, but not as hoppy as an IPA. Hoppier than most pales, again I’d call this a Cape if there was such a class. Lasting hoppish finish. A good bier overall
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Feb 2009
at 00:05
8/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
On tap. Pours with a fluffy tan head that sits atop a clear copper body. Sheets of lacing with each sip. Wow, strong floral and pungent hop aroma (wet hop?) a few mango notes and a caramel back bone poking out behind. Taste is strong mango and exotic fruit hops (Simcoe + Cascade?). Sadly it feels restrained to the style of pale ale by the caramel and crystal malt bill. With this pretty of a hop profile, I wish they had shot for an IPA which could showcase the hops better. Light tangerine back note. Very clean and finishes sweet. Mouthfeel is soft and creamy with light natural bubbles. Extremely, surprisingly good beer from a brewer I treat similar to Redhook (old school craft brewer that is now a macro in disguise). I guess there is still hope! This beer reminds me a lot of a little brother of Ballast Point Sculpin with the hop profile.
Tried
from Draft
on 23 Jan 2009
at 19:15