Warbly pale-toned white beer addled by unpersuasive orange peel dabble, distant clove-thyme straddle, and inconclusive spiced-hop babble. Spritzy carbonation nearly foils spicy adjuncts while remote mint finish dies out suddenly.
Monthly Archives: January 2009
(ANHEUSER-BUSCH) RED WOLF RED LAGER
Thankfully, roasted cereal malts lead the way and distant fruited red ale leanings lack disruptive cloying nature sticky Budweiser gets mired in. Dry-hopped grain resilience overcomes bland macrobrew expectation, gaining depth as bottle drains.
RED STRIPE LAGER
Simple, soft-bodied, flat-headed pale lager in recognizable barrel-like brown bottle put Jamaica on beer map. Gentle barleymalt subtlety creases disturbingly sour lemon-limed backdrop. Grainy dirtiness differs substantially from most agave/ tequila-minded mass marketed Caribbean brews, putting it closer to a mustier, less cloying Budweiser.
(NECTAR ALES) RED NECTAR ALE
Inviting spruce waft stimulates tangy orange brightness, dainty berry sweetness, and dim peach-grapefruit-quince tartness complementing deep floral hop bittering.
REDNECK PREMIUM LAGER
Called the ‘taste of America,’ but merely an overly familiar alternative to slushy macrobrewed pilsners. Dismal, cloy, soapy golden brown lager lacks efficient carbonation and grain punch so only indiscriminant rednecks need apply. Brewery defunct: 2006.
RED MOUNTAIN RED ALE
Halfway decent malt-fruited ruddish-clouded ale insignificant amongst strong stylistic competition. Needs sharper barley-hop bite. Brewery defunct: 2001.
RED MOUNTAIN GOLDEN ALE
Label claims it’s Birmingham’s best beer, but unfortunately we’re talkin’ Alabama, not England. Despite flaxen hue, its wafting citric tartness, soured mocha depth, and rousing malted hop splotch position this between lightweight stout and tingly red ale. Unique in approach, though no dominant flavor emerges. Brewery defunct: 2001.
RED HOOK WINTERHOOK WINTER ALE
Aromatic chocolate malts consume robust barley-wheat insistence, secondary vanilla sweetness, and tertiary honey dab. Delicate, yet filling, winter ale allows flowery hop restiveness to enliven sweet and sour red-orange fruitiness mid-palate, but lacks spicy seasonal luster then stuck in a quandary when watery finish flounders.
RED HOOK TREBLEHOOK BARLEYWINE
Not-so ‘vigorously-hopped’ limited edition ’07 barleywine hides 9.8% alcohol thrust behind pleasing sweet Scotch frontage, IPA-like hop-embittered quince-apricot-cherry center, and syrupy malt usurpation. Candy apple glaze secures imminent floral-citric tang. Though thin-bodied, very approachable for lighter thirsts.
RED HOOK SUNRYE ALE
Sunny lemon-apricot splurge coats modest barley-rye sweetness, paltry wheat influence, and spiced hop bite for light-bodied off-dry spritzer. Fruity esters brighten summery finish as mild lemony tartness gains quiet bitterness.
RED HOOK NUT BROWN ALE
Musty dark fruits and pungent nut grains overwhelm gentle hop flow to subtle coffee finish. Moderate cocoa bitterness, pale malt sweetness, and berry piquancy pervade mildly spicy aftertaste. Softer, drier, and less harsh than most nut brown competition.
RED HOOK LONG HAMMER INDIA PALE ALE
Finely centrist white bread-wafted IPA admirably counters smoothly bitter piney hop thrust with honeyed cereal oats, toasted barley, and cracked wheat. Furtive orange-tangerine tang and grapefruit rind sharpness engage caramelized malt sweetness, knocking back petite floral-wood tones.