Archive for the category “Red Ale”

01 May 2014

Fire and Blood – Ommegang

GoTbeer_bttl6.8% ABV
Purchased at Taylor’s Market ($9.99/25.4 oz. bottle) and poured into tulip glasses.

This third Game of Thrones-themed beer from Cooperstown, New York-based Ommegang pours a rusty red with a massive, persistent, off-white head.  Through the thick froth, you can make out an interesting nose of dark fruits (especially plums) and chili peppers, along with some notes of Belgian spice.  Although this hoppy Belgian red ale has been spiced up with the addition of Ancho chiles (as well as spelt and rye), there is no major heat on the tongue or in the throat, just a consistent chile flavor accenting the base taste of apple, plum, and berry.  Fire and Blood is far more drinkable than you would expect from the description, offering delicious but relatively restrained Belgian-style flavors with a lot of depth and nuance.

toasts-4   4 Toasts

 

GOT

toasts-4   4 Toasts

Posted in 4-5 Toasts, Beer Review, Belgian, Red Ale, Spiced Beer and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
03 Jul 2013

Cerasus – Logsdon Farmhouse Ales

cerasus_logsdon_btl

8.5% ABV
Purchased at Pangaea Bottle Shop ($20.49/25.4 oz. bottle) and poured into globe glasses.

This barrel-aged Flanders Red Ale from Hood-River, Oregon-based Logsdon pours a rusty red with a cloudy body and a sizable pink champagne head.  The understated nose contains mostly the fresh Oregon cherries promised on the bottle, offset by breadiness and a grace note of caramelization. Marvelously restrained tart cherries greet you on the first swallow, backed by a refreshing sweetness, with a just little sourness remaining on the tongue.  Cerasus was brewed with two pounds of cherries per gallon, and although the cherry flavor is omnipresent, it is never sickly sweet.  Instead, the emphasis is on the sublime interplay between the rustic fruit flavors and the farmhouse yeast strains, with a neutral seltzer-y note keeping them all in perfect balance.

toasts-4.5   4.5 Toasts

Logsdon_Cerasus

toasts-4.5   4.5 Toasts

Posted in Barrel-Aged, Beer Review, Flanders, Red Ale and tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment
30 Apr 2012

Evil Twin (Heretic Brewing)

6.8% ABV
Purchased at Taylor’s Market ($6.99/22 oz. bomber) and poured into pint glasses.

His Notes:

This red ale from East Bay upstart Heretic pours a murky maple brown with a decent off-white head, and offers a nice nose of pine needles, wild berry leaves, and wet grass. There is a good mix of bittersweet and tangy on the tongue, as piney hops mingle with understated berry flavors and a lingering grassy flavor.  Evil Twin has the profile of a traditional bold red ale (even if it lacks the ruby hue), but it manages to serve up big hop and malt flavors without decimating the palette –it should pair well with turkey burgers or grilled chicken.

  3.5 Toasts

Her Notes:

   3 Toasts


Posted in Beer Review, Red Ale and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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