Winter Red Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Winter Red Ale

• Brewery: Otter Creek Brewing Company (Vermont)

• Style: American Amber Ale

• ABV: 5.5%

• IBU: 45

• Pour Color: A reddish dark amber to this one.

      The head wasn't to fluffy when The Face poured this one. Just about a half inch of head that went down on fist sip. It would linger as a film in the center of the glass and on the outskirts. The light traveled thru this one easy. You get a scent of the caramel malts and the hops off the top. Not a real strong scent but you know both are there. The flavor was a well ballenced mix of hops and malt. Citrusy and spicy the hops are a good portion of flavor. The malts are sweet and slightly roasted. Not really overly sweet. Not a totally dry finish to the swallow either but the sweetness doesn't linger to long. All and all a good winter red ale that has a good hop kick.
      This is Otter Creeks winter offering and I could see swimmin in it next to a fire. When picking this one up you can't expect and Irish Red. This is much more a hopped up amber ale then anything else. It just doesn't have that biscuity sweet flavor a Irish Red has. That's probably why I enjoyed it as much as I did. 

Rating: ***1/2

Lobster Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Lobster Ale

• Brewery: Belfast Bay Brewing Company (Maine)

• Style: Red Ale

• ABV: 5.5%

• IBU:?

• Pour Color: Dark almost bronze or orange color, light passes through easily.

      As the face poured, I could smell a sweet malty scent. This one smelled much more high alcohol then the 5.5 it's listed at. The head was big and creamy strangely enough. It sat on the top of the glass for a good while. This one has a real strange taste for a red ale. Raisin and caramel flavors are fine but don't blend well with the hops. A slightly bitter kick that makes it taste almost like a watered down whiskey or bourbon. Not a favorite of mine.
      This one wasn't that good. It seemed like a beer that didn't have a place. It had some of the characters of a red ale but seriously tasted watered down. The flavors are all there to be a great beer but there just to muted. The muted flavors then leave you with a weird after taste. You could easily find red ales I love on this site. Lobster really isn't that memorable. 

Rating:*

Red Nectar

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Red Nectar

• Brewery: Nectar Ales Brewing Company (California)

• Style: Red Ale/Amber Ale

• ABV: 5.4%

• IBU: 35

• Pour Color: A clear orange color that really has little carbonation.

      On pour, this one had a nice original color that not many ales have. Orange and pretty perfectly clear. The carbonation seemed very low out the bottle, however the head raised quick. That was gone quick though and didn't leave a trace at the top. You really only get a malty caramel scent off the top of this one. No real hop presence in the smell. On taste you get a nice sweet malt up front. Caramel is there too in the taste and a nice grassyness to the light hop flavor. There also is a weird off flavor of iron in this one. Not my favorite red ale but also not one me or the face would turn down.
      This one really was a middle of the road red ale/amber ale. The balance of flavors is done well but with the weird iron flavor every few sips is off putting. The light carbonation and light body though makes this easy drinking. I would recommend it to red ale lovers but I don't think a average beer drinker will enjoy it.

Rating: ***

Loopy

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Loopy
  

• Brewery: Three Heads Brewing (New York)

• Style: Oatmeal Red Ale

• ABV: 6.6.%

• IBU: 64

• Pour Color: A murky red color

      On pour it had a nice head and I was ready to dive in. The smell of the hops were all over the top of the glass as the Face lifted it. The head retained well although the photo doesn't show it. On taste it's also the hops that are the star of this one. Pine and citrus tones hit you hard and echo on. With the oatmeal though the body of the beer is a little thicker. When it's in your mouth it tastes like a red ale, malty and earthy, not just a red IPA. My Mustache favorite list is getting outta control with beers like this one out there.
      This one reminds me of Cascazilla alot but still very different. A real delicious maltyness that Cascazilla doesn't have. Cascazilla though has a sweetness to it's maltyness that this one doesn't have. Loopy is an amazing ale that leaves this mustache again thanking the Face for what he does. I'm happy anytime Face pours it and splashes it on me.

  

Rating: ****1/2

G'Knight

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: G'Knight

• Brewery: Oskar Blues (Colorado)

• Style:Imperial Red Ale

• ABV: 8.7%

• IBU: 50

• Pour Color: A copper color, transparent

      G'Knight don't take prisoners. I'm sitting here soaked in G'Knight and realizing what the Face did to me. A low but steady head came up on the pour. Nothing to fluffy for me though, i dove right in. The scent was a sweet, red ale, smell before impact and boom! A nice mix of hop and malt played out on me. The follicles could tell this one was bitter but sweet. This was fairly easy drinking as the Face sipped on. That could be a quick problem though. 8.7% and not really the taste of an imperial. This mustache is leaning on the wax again after a can of this one. 
      G'Knight has a nice mix of earthy tastes to it. I was surprised as the hops seemed to give earthy hints and the malts almost gave it a biscuit taste. This one is a red ale that doesn't stop. High on flavor, and high on alcohol, this is what a imperial beer should be. Two cans of this Dales Pale and Mama's Little Yella Pills would make a great six pack. I think I'll go get one once I sober up.
      
      

Rating: *****

Irish Red Lager

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Irish Red Lager

• Brewery: Dundee (New York)

• Style: Red Lager

• ABV: 5.5%

• IBU: 25

• Pour Color: A see through red

       The Face pours it and I know it's red ale time. It's brought up to me with a nice foamy head, and all I smell are those malts emanating. A slightly sweet flavor at the start of your sip and ends with the strong malt flavor. This one really is a pretty cut and dry red that offers little to get excited about. Extremely easy drinking and smooth but not much else. 
      Dundee is actually a Genesee Brewing product. I know not really a microbrewery but as I have said finding Irish seasonal is difficult. Dundee though at least gets in the spirit with this one. A red lager that really is just that. No extra hop flavor, or a dry finish, this one is just sweet malt. I would go for any of the other reds I've rated long before this one unfortunately. 

Rate: **1/2

St. Patrick's Irish Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: St. Patrick's Irish Ale

• Brewery: Custom Brewcrafters (New York)

• Style:Red Ale

• ABV: 4.9%

• IBU:?

• Pour Color: A red very clear beer

      This one poured with very little head. Once it was lifted to me it had all but vanished. As usual the Face took a smell of the beer before a sip, I got a whiff too. Malts are all I smelled off of this one. On taste, it's real easy to tell this is a red ale. Very slight taste of almost a smoke too. It also has a bitterness that wasn't there for Conway's or Celtic. Not as sweet as the Conway's either. The malts in this one dance much cleaner on the tongue then the Celtic though. This is another red ale that I could see drinking more then just once a year.
      I been trying to do more Irish style beers due to the season. This is actually pretty hard too do. Only certain American breweries have an offering of this type this time of year. Custom Brewcrafters happened to be one. Really a good beer for the holiday. I really have a hard time deciding if I'd be happier, with the Face, ordering a Conway's or this one.
     


 Rating: ****

Celtic

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Celtic Ale

• Brewery: Harpoon (Massachusetts and Vermont)

• Style: Irish Red

• ABV: 5.4%

• IBU: 25

• Pour Color: A dark red color fairly see through

     The Face grabbed some Celtic for the review today. The pour looked almost the same as the Great Lakes Conway's Irish Ale. Light red and no cloudiness to it. The follicles tensed up as the Face lifted it to me in excitement. I'm learning to like red ales as I'm going. The head was big and fluffy on the pour as you can see in our photo. The taste however is quite balanced. Celtic doesn't bring out a sweetness like Conway's and presents an interesting contrast.
      Red ale number two leading up to the holiday. Really two different beers in the same style and one I'd order any day of the week the other just for the saint paddy's day. Great lakes has a more interesting beer with bolder flavors. All things considered I'd probably order a Harpoon IPA before either anyway. 

 


Rating: ***1/2

Conway Irish Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Conway's Irish Ale

• Brewery: Great Lakes Brewing Company (Ohio)

• Style: Irish Red Ale

• ABV: 6.5%

• IBU:25

• Pour Color: A dark red color fairly see through

 
 

      A amber red right out the bottle and my follicles ain't excited. A red ale is the last thing this mustache wants but for some reason this is the season for em.  Conway's Irish Ale had a creamy head for a sip or two before it went down. The tastes are those of mellow malt. A much sweeter taste then the Cascazilla Red Ale I did a review on at the start of the month. A nice bread in bottle taste although usually not my style. The hop is only a slight flavor in the malty red.
      Conway's Irish Ale is really a decent beer in itself. Being a red ale I wasn't sure about it. The Face though tells me he will be buying more of these as the Saint Paddy's day celebration comes closer. So think of this as a first of many red ales for the season. May even get lucky enough to try a few Irish stouts too.

Rating: ****

Rare Vos

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Rare Vos

• Brewery: Ommegang brewery (New York)

• Style: Belgian Amber

• ABV: 6.5%

• IBU: 24

• Pour Color: A Copper color. Slightly cloudy.

      The first thing to hit me is the creamy head of this beer. All I could smell after being bathed in it is the usual clove, almost banana scents of a Belgian beer. The complexities of this brew are amazing. This beer has a nice combination of spices. They hit the tastebuds and mix well with a sweet taste of orange. As you swallow it down the hops and malts leave your stash wanting more. Luckily the Face got a growler of it.   

      www.Greatbrewers.com suggests pairing this beer with pizza. For the Superbowl party the Face and his family made home made Chinese dinner.   Let me tell you that this beer easily pairs with the fried rice and cabbage egg-rolls. I can tell you cause all of them got stuck in me. Couldn't have asked for a better meal, a better time, or a better beer.

Rating: ****

Cascazilla

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Cascazilla

• Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company(New York)

• Style: Red Ale

• ABV: 7%

• IBU: 50

• Pour Color: A slightly cloudy red. Light easily travels through.

     

       This ale is a hoppy treat. Very different than most red ales. You do get a nice malt flavor as you swallow it down. Not the smoothest beer. The richness is seen through the glass when held up to light. The head is thick and of course gets stuck in all the right places in me.

       I'm located pretty close to Ithaca. the Face and I both love this brew. Strange thing is we both aren't normally fans of red ales. The amount of hops in this one leaves you with a bitter delicious taste usually found in pales. Overall more than you expect, and quite delicious for Mustache and Face alike.

 
Rating: ***1/2