Kirkland Signature Pale Ale

This is a classic, American-Style pale ale that displays all of the complex bitterness and aroma from the hops of the Yakima Valley in Washington State. By using a top-fermenting ale yeas strain we bring out the floral and herbal flavor profiles. A clean, malty body is developed from the pale and light caramel malt. ABV 5.4% Bitterness 35 IBU. Contract brewed for Costco by the Gordon Biersch Brewing Company under the brewer name Hopfen Und Malz (for the west coast market) and since mid 2009 by Matt Brewing as "New Yorker Brewing Co." (for the east coast market).

2.8

168 reviews

Issaquah, United States

Community reviews

2.5 From the bottle at a friends birthday party. Some hops but nothing very exiting as expected

2.9 West coast version straight from the bottle. Mild citrus and grassy aroma. Taste is mild citrus, grass, weeds, and light malts. Not bad, better pounded on a hot day.

4.0 Bottle. Pours a clear copper with a one finger beige head that dissipates slowly. Has a thick, heavy lacing. Smells really, really fruity and complex. The taste is malt forward and some unwanted lemongrass, but quite good. I did expect more taste from such a wonderful aroma though. Light bitterness. A pleasing aftertaste that doesn’t stick around beyond its welcome. This is a very pleasant surprise as I expected more run of the mill. Wonderful!

2.5 From 12 ounce bottle to wine glass Appearance: Deep light brown-yellow, white head, not a lot, minimal lacing Aroma: no aroma Taste: lightly toasted grains, slight chocolate Feel: foamy creamy feel Overall: Overall far beer not a sipper, cheap though

2.5 fossil review dying on my notes on the phone. Pretty sure Brad brought these. Or not. " acceptable beer with mild hops, light citrus, caramel." Wow - I killed that one.

3.0 341 ml bottle poured at home. pours an amber color with a beige head; little bit of lacing. Not much smell given off. Tastes bitter, with a hoppy finish. Pretty average beer but drinkable.

1.7 Attractive clear light amber with frothy off-white head. Altogether seems off. Flavor and aroma match. Something unpleasant about it that I can’t put my finger on. Malt forward. Caramel, biscuit. A little fruity. Mild earthy bitter. Semi dry, kinda soapy. Flavor a bit more balanced than aroma. Maybe what a pale ale used to be like. Now more just like a bland amber. Not as bad as the blonde, but not good.

2.4 meh, too much biscuit malt for me. for the price these are ok, but as they are not a whole lot less than better beers at costco, great price but not a great value.

2.4 12oz bottle in a teku. Pours hazy golden with a lacy, white head. Aroma of floral and lightly citrusy hops, some pale malts, light dough, and some off-notes. Flavor the same with a decent blend. Average texture. Not the best beer.

2.8 Transfer from BA review on 3-4-13- Poured from bottle into a pint glass Appearance- The beer pours a clear light amber color with a one finger white head. The head fades relatively quickly to leave a tiny level of lacing on the sides of the glass Smell – The aroma is malty with lighter hop notes of a citrus and grassy. Mixed with these aromas is a light caramel sweetness as well as a small amount of a musty grain smell. Taste – The taste begins with flavors of a lighter caramel sweetness and a bready and slightly grassy hop flavor. As the flavors advance from the initial tastes the sweetness gets a bit stronger with a light citrus hop flavor entering the taste as well. These flavors largely take the taste to its end where there is a bit of an increase h the grassy hop flavors as well as a metallic flavor to leave a moderate hop bite on a brew with a bready and lightly sweetened flavor. Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the slightly medium side in terms of its thickness and creaminess with a carbonation level that is on the slightly higher side. Both the carbonation and medium body are quite appropriate for the more subdued and mix flavors of the brew as well as provide for a higher drinkability of the brew. Overall – Well not really the best out there. The odd grassy and metallic flavor at the end of the tongue are rather off putting, even while most of the other flavors and attributes of the beer are not.

3.1 12oz bottle thanks to Doug Clear amber with a small beige head, spotty lacing. Aroma is grassy, mild caramel and floral. Taste is malty, grainy, floral and earthy OK

3.1 12 ounce bottle from Costco. Pours a clear copper color with a small white head. A light fruity nose very floral. Malt dominant, floral hops, caramel, biscuit, oranges. Tea. Ok.

2.9 Pours a light copper color with a white head. Hop, biscuit, caramel, citrus and malt aroma. Citrus, caramel, hop, biscuit, toffee and malt flavors. Medium body and carbonation. Slight oxidation. Biscuit and caramel finish.

2.6 Not too bad for Kirkland. I know these brews are made from a legit brewery.....u can't turn down the price

2.7 Stale grassy hop aroma. Crystal clear amber, thick yellow head. Whole overripe orange, low bitterness, some astringency. Tangy tea finish. No problem with intensity, just stale and boring. Entry level.

2.1 Bottle from the local Costco. Pours a very clear amber color with a fairly thick off-white head on there. Nose is actually maltier than I expected, with some caramel and bread in there. Taste is slightly bitter and a bit earthy, and lacks any complexity you look for in a brew. Meh.

2.8 Bottle. Light gold with small head that doesn’t last. Kind of an old school pale ale vibe. Grassy reisin hops, bitter finish.

2.5 12oz in Seattle. Very simple and plain orange-brown. Sour sickly aroma, odd amber malts and a little bit of hops. Sweet medicinal quality, sticky thick feel. Metallic sour finish. Pretty awful.

2.2 Best by: Oct 22, 2011 A: pours an amber ale with two fingers of peanut head which falls quickly to a sheet of the same. No lacing. Excellent clarity. S: Sweet malts, herbal hops. More sweet malts. Some chemical smells here. Some butter, some corn. T: Tastes like cheap, oxidized malts, tea, herbal hops and sugar. M: Medium body with hi carb. Dry finish O: Not a good beer, and not much different than the IPA IMO. Serving type: bottle 07-13-2011

2.7 Bottle. Light amber color with whitish foamy head that quickly dissipates, yeast aroma, fizzy. slightly bitter taste with longish finish. Not very remarkable but good value for money, considering that it’s a Costco beer!

2.4 Bottle. Deep amber in color with a quickly fading white head. Spicey aroma, sweet doughy flavor with a little spice. Fair pale ale, but far from good.

3.0 33 cl bottle, Calgary, AB, Canada. Deep gold verging on amber. Soapy looking head. Mild aroma, caramel and bread. Sweet flavour, some more caramel cereal and a faint hoppiness at the end. Quite drinkable.

3.4 Gold, loose white head. Smells clean, grassy, with a bit of caramel. Flavor is ...soapy? Not in a negative way, but weird. Nice dry finish. Pretty simple, but not bad.

4.1 Considering this is a contract brew for Cosco it is an excellent beer with good malt flavours and hops aromas. Full flavoured with a nice head and lasting bitterness, a very good beer.

2.8 Bottled. Hints of hops. Nothing special. Clean finish. Nothing to see here,...............

3.2 Has a bit of a caramel odor, but kind of sour smelling. Pours clear orange with a vibrant white head. Taste is alright, good bitter finish.

2.9 Bottle; poured an amber orange color with an off white head. Aroma of herbs, fruit, bread, and caramel. Flavor was decent; a bit sharp but had some decent herb bitterness in the finish. Some sweetness and caramel. A bit of a one note beer, but it was ok overall.

3.1 12 oz bottle served in pint glass. Brewed by "New Yorker Brewing Co., Utica, NY". Pours a clear copper/amber color with medium bubbling and about one finger of whitish. Most of the head dissolves quickly but thin partial head remain and leaves a little lacing. A - faint toasted grain and light hop aroma. T - Starts crisp with a nice and substantial citrus hop flavor. The malt comes thru next, so the flavor sweetens nicely, with some caramel, herbal and toasted grain notes. Well balanced pale ale with a decent finish; a bit of burnt off-flavor in the aftertaste. M - medium/light body with medium carbonation. Slightly dry finish. O: good value

2.7 light golden pour with medium white head - aroma of malt and very light citrus - flavors of light grapefruit and light bitterness. This would be a good light summer beer and I don’t know why it is rated so low!

2.4 A good overall value for the beer guy on a budget. You don’t have to settle for flavorless garbage to get an inexpensive brew. I would prefer a Sierra Nevada but not bad at all.