Mad River Steelhead Extra Pale Ale

The original Extra Pale Ale, this is the one that started it all. Our first brew was introduced in 1989 in Golden Gate style kegs. We have stayed true to our beginnings and still brew it the way we did back then.

A bright golden hued ale with a medium body and a crisp spicy /floral hop character and very mild bitterness. This unfiltered ale has a pleasing mouth feel and remains our most popular brew. This beer goes with everything and every occasion.

3.1

469 reviews

Blue Lake, United States

Community reviews

2.9 From a bottle into an Alesmith stem glass. Pour gold with small head and lace. Aroma of grains, lime and lemon zest. Medium carbonation and mouthfeel. Flavors of grains, cereal, minerals, lime zest, funky herbs. Overall so-so.

3.2 Standard style pale. Not very hoppy, but not overly bland. A bit of orange up front and ends with a little bitter malt. Aroma is mild. Mouth is even and just right for the style. Bottle

3.3 Bottle from Chevy Chase Wine and Liquors. Hazy mango body with slight head. Nose of caramel, burnt; mango and peaches and floral. Taste is nice malts and caramel and fruits. Nice creamy texture. Citrus in the finish.

3.0 Bottle 35,5cl / Botella 35,5cl. @ Aeon Mall Nagoya Dome Mae, Nagoya, Japon. A: Hazy golden / Dorado turbio. T/S: Malt sweet, slightly fruity / Malta, dulce, ligeramente afrutado.

3.1 Light gold with a thin white head, lots of tiny little floaters. Bread, hay and a little herbal aroma. Taste is sweet malts, low bitterness, a bit of tropical fruit. I’m a bit underwhelmed by it, but it is also quite drinkable. Confusing.

2.6 Poured into a shaker glass. Golden color with a cream colored head. Aroma is super mild with just a touch of bready malt and floral hops. Flavor starts with some grainy sweetness and finishes with some mild bittering hops. Medium bodied with crisp carbonation and a slightly cloying finish. Pretty mild beer overall, which is ok, but the grainy sweetness is just a bit too strong for my taste.

3.6 Slightly herbal nose with a touch of fruitiness. Spritzy with a snap reminiscent of wheat beer. A little sweetness as it warms up. Pleasant bitttemess, at touch of saltiness, no harshness or off-flavors. Very drinkable pale ale.

3.1 Bottle at home. Aroma is bready malt, light fruity, biscuity, mildly hoppy. Flavour is light to moderate sweet and bitter. Body is medium. Mild but pleasant, nothing outstanding about it.

3.5 Bottle. Very good pale ale. It had a nice malt flavor with some floral hops to balance it out.

3.3 Undated 12 oz bottle. Pours hazy golden with some unattractive particles floating about. It is topped by a tall and thick white head that has good retention. The flavor is a bit better than the aroma, with adequate hops for style. Excellent lively but smooth feel with a near medium body and medium-high but soft carbonation.

3.2 Draught at the Final Final, San Francisco, CA. Clear golden colour with a small white head. Sweet malt, cookies, mild hops and more sweetness in the aroma. The flavour is sweet malt, moderate bitt... no mild bitterness, sweetness and malt.

3.4 BOTTLE. Pours see through straw with solid white head. Earthy hops on the nose. Solid malt start with minimal earthy/floral hop middle finishing with a solid backbone of caramel/roasted malt. Sourced Cape Cellars

3.2 Bottle. Light fruity nose, with some small citrus. Dull, hazy darkish apple juice color, filmy head. Gentle ripe pear, tiny citrus note, a bit of yeast bite, small sweet finish. Thin, watery. Okay. Mild stuff (perhaps this one is past its prime or wasn’t shipped in good conditions).

3.2 Bottle. Pours a nice hazy golden yellow. Aroma. Sweet and Herbal, with a bit of stonefruit in thebackground. Taste. Honey like sweetness upfront though nothing that is strong or overpowering, followed by slight piney bitterness and some tropical flavours. Overall. Quite a light and refreshing beer, one that would to session on.

3.3 Pours hazy and kind of dark pale ale. Not my favourite shade. Aroma is fresh and grassy, malt sweetness shines through. Taste is malty, there are some hops too, mainly bittering ones. Could be a nice beer to have by the pint.

1.2 Very light bodied pale ale. Not very hoppy at all. Was expecting a bit more out of it. Not bad but not great either.

3.4 Appearance was clear light golden with floaties, then fizzy diminishing white tiny head, no lacing. Aromas are sweet honey, corn, minerals with hints of citrus and herbs. Taste are pils sweetness upfront with mineral, herbal, spicy hops( Heny-like) middle and soft lemon backend. Palate was soft fizzy CO2 with light body, average length balanced finish. Solid Blonde, but not a Pale like the label states.

3.3 355 ML bottle Hazy orange amber color. Half finger of bright white head. Sticky lacing on the sides of the glass. Decent to good head retention. Nose is mostly biscuit malt and a bit of spicy hops. Somebody else said have to work to get the hops in this. Very true. Taste is sweet biscuit and caramel. Get touches of resin, spice and grapefruit. Very soft though. Very malt driven. More interesting in the back as hops pick up more. Not bitterness wise but more citrus flavors. Orange and grapefruit. Medium bodied, lots of resin, good carbonation. Well made beer. Think fuller bodied golden ale.

3.2 Cloudy honey amber in the glass. Thin soapy head. Toasty bread and tropical fruit nose. Clean and crisp toasty malt and dried pineapple flavor. Overall a solid brew, not exceptional, bot drinkable.

3.7 Bottle from Wine Emporium 311214. Great flavour that is easy to get down. Vibrant in the glass however you have to work to get some aroma in the nose.

3.6 Bottle from Katsuragawa Aeon mall. Cloudy gold, small white head. Aroma has biscuit, hops, floral notes. Light and smooth flavour. Definitely grew on me as it went on.

4.0 Quality pale ale - had several years ago now revisited - decent body - slightly more biscuit malt than herbal hops - readily available at the local bottlo so a real go-to beer - easy drinker - yep, enjoyed.

2.3 Cerveja gostosa. Pouco amargor, o amargor é bem discreto. Não vale tomar novamente, pois o gosto parece um pouco de uma pilsen. Veio na assinatura mensal do Onbeer

3.1 Poured from bottle to glass. Golden hue with creamy white head that dissipated to a ring & suspended particles. Aroma is straw, spicy hops, pine, sulphur. Mouthfeel is good with a medium body and crisp carbonation. Taste is dry sweetness followed by a hop bitterness and a slight metallic finish. Overall this brew is so so.

2.8 Smooth pale ale with a fruity finish. Light aroma, light orange in appearance. Probably was ok to call it "extra" when it was released, however, it is actually a mild pale ale by today's standards.

3.2 Orange, honey. Fruit salad, cake, herbal hops, grapefruit peel, mild bitter finish. Quite light for an extra, but refreshing little fruity pale ale.

3.6 A) with a vigorous pour produced a thick white foam cap that fades quickly to just a smear on top. The color is straw with some orange highlights. A bit hazy S) smells slighty citrusy T) tastes of citrusy hops with a yeasty or bready ending MF) A bit thin around the edges Overall I thought that this beer doen’t live up to the style of pale ale. It needs more hop character and the color was more to a pils then to a pale ale. On the other hand this is a good convert beer for our junk swelling brothers. Also to me this is a good summer beer, flavorful and light perfect for grass cutting or firing up our lump charcoal grills. Have a good day

2.9 Draft. Nose is lemon with some toast. Pour is light gold with a white head that laces well on the glass. Taste is slightly dirty with a pithy bitterness. Not really much going on in terms of hop flavor. Just ok. Kinda turns soapy as I drink more.

3.7 If you’re talking Left Coast Pale Ale’s - this better be brought up, otherwise you’re not having the right conversation.

3.0 I’m not sure what the difference is between an IPA, APA, and an EPA. This one had a unique flavor though, so maybe that is it.