323. Dark Horse ROD

We scored a growler of this at the Dark Horse Brewery on Sunday; we saved it to bring it back to D-town and share it with the peoples. The Dark Horse taproom was nice; we especially liked the picture of the monkeys brewing, and the Alf doll on one of the bar pillars. Plus, we got to wander into the back and get an impromptu tour from Bryan Wiggs, who is described on the website as a “brewer/hippie.” So all in all, an awesome and eclectic visit to the brewery. And we would like to note for the record: the tap handle for ROD was only slightly phallic. Those two nuts aren’t supposed to be taken as balls. Previously, we’ve tried Double Crooked Tree, Plead the 5th, Fore Smoked Stout, Too Cream Stout, One Oatmeal Stout and Crooked Tree IPA. Oh, and we’d not be doing our job if we didn’t mention that Marshall is also home to the world famous Schuler’s Restaurant & Pub. Elli remembers having their cheese spread from her childhood.

ROD pours a reddish brown with a minimal head; the nose was a mix between a subtle, slight & bright floral and herbal aroma and a red malt smell—balanced, nuanced, and delicious. The body medium, with some dryness from the herbs and floral components, and had a medium carbonation. Starting with a red ale flavor, ROD also has a light malt biscuit component to the front before moving into a middle characterized by a herbal and floral mélange; while we are not sure about all of the different herbs and flavors, it was subtle, delicate, and well-balanced. There is an earthy and spicy character towards the end, and the finish is dry, ending rather clean. A nicely balanced beer between the red and herbal components—delicate and subtle, ROD is a study in understatement, one that other beers could learn a lot from. Next time we’re back in Marshall, we’ll be scoring more ROD.

Monkeys brewing beer? That’s ridiculous!

From the menu at Dark Horse: “Aphrodisiac herb infused American red ale. Crisp and dry without hop bitterness. Slight herbal flavor & aroma from Rose Hips, Gingko, Hibiscus, Diamiana, and Passion Flower.”

ABV: 6.5%
IBU: 10

(5/19/2010)

290. Three Floyds Brian Boru Old Irish Red Ale

Since we’re drinking Three Floyds again, I do feel compelled to note that I got my Golden Ticket in the mail recently for Dark Lord Day. Delightful. And sorry to rub it in. This is our sixth beer from Three Floyds; previous victims include Gumballhead, Robert the Bruce, Dreadnaught, Black Sun Stout and Blackheart IPA. I do also need to note that the figure on the label is about a half step off of being one of the Elysian muscle-bound roid rage dudes (better detail).

Brian Boru pours an Irish Setter red with a thin ivory head and a flat caramel biscuit nose. The flavors begin with the corresponding counterpart to the nose; there is a dry caramel with biscuit and an almost cracker-like flavor that encompasses the front of the beer; the middle is marked by a drop in sweetness and some light roasted flavors followed by a dry ending that has a touch of bitterness. There is a bit of lingering flavor—either hop bitterness or a light roastiness—we’re not completely sure which it is. Brian Boru has a smooth, dry mouthfeel with a bit of creaminess; the carbonation is medium to low, which helps accentuate the dryness of the beer on the palate by not overshadowing or canceling out the malt flavors. Good but not terribly exciting—this is certainly one of the more normal offerings from “It’s Not Normal” Three Floyds.

From the Three Floyds website: “Ireland’s first and last Ard Ri (high king) of the whole Gaelic race, Brian Boru was born in Munster, Ireland around 940. Brian Boru’s mother was killed by Vikings when he was a child. He spent his life uniting the Irish tribes to become the first king of Ireland only to be killed at Clontarf on Good Friday 1014 putting down a rebellion by the king of the province of Leinster. Brian Boru Irish Brand Red Ale is a very rich ale with toffee, caramel, citrus and pineapple notes. Brian Boru is brewed with several malts and Amarillo hops. February release.”

ABV: 5.5%

IBU: 40

(4/16/2010)

203. Ithaca CascaZilla Red Ale

Our second beer from Ithaca Beer Company; the last one was Flower Power IPA. CascaZilla has a rich caramel malt nose with toffee notes and a general hop spiciness, but nothing distinct—certainly not the citrus and grapefruit hop aroma implied by the name—along with a murky orange brown color and an eggshell head. Starting bready with toasted and caramel malt flavors, CascaZilla gets nutty in the middle, followed by some light hop bitterness and minimal amounts of citrus hop flavor. It closes dry, but with caramel and toffee flavors, and possibly some light chocolate. CascaZilla has a medium body with a medium level of carbonation bite running through the second third of the beer. The malt profile is the most distinctive and interesting component of this beer—it tastes slightly like Boulder Brewing’s Flashback minus the hop profile—while it is labeled as a “monstrously hoppy red ale,” it tastes more like a moderately hopped brown ale, although not enough to be an American brown ale. Ultimately, we’re not really sure what this beer is supposed to be; it’s not that bad, but it’s not put together that well. We do like the dragon creature on the label flaming the hops red hot to make it a red ale—we just wish some of those red hops made it into the ale.

From the Ithaca website: “The name CascaZilla is a play on both the name of a gorge in Ithaca called Cascadilla and the monster amounts of Cascade Hops we use to make the beer. The predominant flavor and aroma of this beer comes from fresh American hops. CascaZilla gets its distinctive red color from a healthy portion of caramel malt, which also lends to the beer, a hearty body and sweetness. It is a hoppy red ale!”

ABV: 7.0%

IBU: 50

Malts: 2-row, Crystal, & Black

Hops: Cascade, Chinook, & Crystal

Dry Hops: Cascade & Amarillo

(1/19/2010)

192. Gavroche French Red Ale

This is our first beer from Brasserie de St. Sylvestre, which is in St. Sylvestre, France. This is the Flanders region of France, famous for its brewing traditions.

Gavroche French Red Ale has a soft clean lightly caramel nose that carries just a touch of something wild and slightly exotic with the yeast esters. It has a hazy copper color and a white head that laces the glass well. Gavroche starts with a light fruitiness and some yeast esters before moving into a light caramel middle and then finishing dry with a hint of tartness. Light-bodied with spritzy bright carbonation, it is clean and refreshing on the palate. Overall, it is a well-balanced and very drinkable beer—it’s not quite Belgian, but not quite French either—it’s a bit too neutral. It would be better if it further developed some of the tart and wild notes that are present.

Doing the good work...

From the Brasserie de St. Sylvestre website: “Gavroche is a character in Victor Hugo’s 19th century novel, Les Misérables, a rebellious yet always generous little urchin, living by his wits on the streets of Paris. Gavroche is a strong, red beer, in which the deep malt flavour and brisk hoppiness are very well balanced; and the whole is gracefully accentuated by fruity flavours derived from a special top-fermenting yeast. This is a rare French example of an ale refermented in the bottle. Gavroche must be served with care (leaving behind the fine yeast sediment) at about 10°C.”

ABV: 8.5%

(1/8/2010)

181. Stoudts Winter Ale

We’re hitting Stoudts up again pretty quick, I know, this being our sixth Stoudts beer and all, although I did miss number five. We’ve tried Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout, Oktoberfest, American Pale Ale, Scarlet Lady ESB, and Heifer-in-Wheat. And now it’s time for Winter Ale. I was also recovering from some sort of viral infection, most likely an unintentional Christmas gift from my nieces and nephew, who have a history of spreading plagues during the holidays. But anyway, as I tried to contribute some sort of input on this beer, Elli looked at me and said “you’re sick, you don’t know what you’re tasting.” Ah, true love.

Winter Ale is a clear dark amber with a thin ivory head. The nose is a combination of malt and slightly musty dark fruits, and the front starts rich and sweet with dry chocolate in the middle, finishing chalky and dry with hop bitterness. There is also some slight lager-esque graininess at the end, and some bready flavors to accompany the dry chocolate in the middle. Winter Ale has a creamy mouthfeel with a medium body and medium carbonation; the dryness and bitterness at the end are nice, although the dryness is a bit too alkaline. A good beer, especially as it doesn’t go on the usual spice tear that many winter beers do, but nothing particularly stands out—some of the darker fruits in the nose could have helped flesh out the body.

From the Stoudts website: “Although we change recipes every year, this winter warmer will always be a full bodied ale. ” [I saw this described elsewhere as a hoppy red ale, hence my label choice below.]

(12/28/2009)

170. Ninkasi Believer Double Red Ale

Ninkasi Brewing Company is in Eugene, OR, my ol’ college stomping grounds. However, they didn’t begin brewing until 2006, well after I had graduated and moved on to graduate school. Actually, by the time they got going, I was done with grad school and had a job. So maybe there was a slight gap.

Believer Double Red is a hazy dark copper, like a burnt sienna, or some similar member of the Crayola family. The tan head leaves some lacing behind, and the nose is a mixture of sweet malt and some hops. The front is a dry roasty malt, which moves into some bitterness with chocolate hints, and ends bitter with some spiciness, with the bitterness lingering. Believer Double Red has a medium body, but is a bit thin, with medium carbonation and a slight amount of tongue curling/astringency. Overall, the roasted, chocolate, and hoppy flavors don’t work together very effectively in this beer—the malt and hop balance are not really there via the lack of malt complexity and the flavor in the body. Additionally, the creaminess of the roasted flavors jars the palate when combined with the alkaline/chalky chocolate flavors present in the beer. An O.K. beer, but not that exciting—nothing to write home about, although here I sit typing away like the several types of fool that I am.

From the Ninkasi website: “A rich deep red with roasted malt and caramel notes, balanced by plentiful hops. Brewed for the believers of Ninkasi, delicious and satisfying, a wonderful representation of what the Northwest beer scene is all about.”

ABV: 6.9%
IBU: 60

(12/17/2009)

107. Green Flash Hop Head Red Ale

Green Flash Brewing Company is located in Vista, CA. We had this beer on tap @ South Park Tavern. Yes, again. And in case you were wondering what the name of the brewery means...

Green Flash Hop Head Red Ale has, unsurprisingly, a strong hoppy nose with the citrus, floral, and resin notes reminiscent of Simcoe hops. It is slightly hazy with a deep copper/orange color and a light white head. In terms of the flavor profile, Hop Head has a dry biscuit malt front that quickly transitions into a sizeable amount of bitterness and a large hop body—there are tart citrus and grapefruit flavors as well as some smaller resin and grassy flavors—before ending with resiny bitterness that lingers pleasantly on the palate. Hop Head has a medium body that is slightly creamy, along with some bite from the carbonation and a bit of dryness from the hops in the mouth at the end. The malt profile is subtle, but works with the large hop body effectively; the body is big enough to balance out the hops, but does not interfere with the hop flavor and bitterness itself—it is only as malty as it needs to be. An enjoyable and delicious beer with a big hop punch that sits well on the palate. Hop Head is a Top 10 Best contender for the year.

From the Green Flash website: “Resinous hop character and bitterness balance the rich carmel malt base. We took it a step further and Amarillo dry-hopped the brew to 45 ibu’s, creating refreshing and savory hop flavors and aromas. Is it red IPA? That’s your call.”

ABV: 6%

IBU: 45

(10/15/2009)

72. Two Brothers Cane & Ebel

Our second beer from Two Brothers Brewing Company, and this one actually has a write up on the brewery website! We had this on tap at the Trolley Stop—the open mike this evening was really rather annoying. Hello, you two chord clowns, it’s called variety—look into it. If I wanted bad acoustic covers, I’d go hang out in the college bars. As for the beer, we’ve had several different versions of Cane & Ebel. While I know that a craft brewery is not supposed to have “versions,” some of the kegs of this that have run through the area have been distinctively different—we’ve seen at least three different versions pass through our neck of the woods. The first one we dubbed “lake water”—it was brown, murky, and, while slightly spicy, was also somewhat non-descript. Since we’d already had it in the bottle, we knew this wasn’t what it was “technically” supposed to be, but, well, we kinda liked the lake water/dirty dish water version for what it offered. And that was before the most recent couple of versions—we still do, however, affectionately refer to Cane & Ebel as “Lake Water.”

This version of Cane & Ebel had a dry malt & hoppy nose with a dark ochre color and a creamy rich head that was full and thick. The soft creamy malt start built into a hoppy and spicy subtle middle with some crisp sharpness that also combined with some burnt yummy maltiness before closing with more bitterness and some slight chocolate notes across the palate. With a medium body, Cane & Ebel had a bitterness that lingered as the beer warmed, although it was a bit more brown-ale-like and less spicier than it was last time. This one tastes more like a hoppy, well-balanced brown ale and less spicier than it was last time (the version between “Lake Water” and this one)—it is not as clean or complex in body and has less of the spicier and nuanced pepper notes of the most recent version. And it is most certainly not the Lake Water of yesteryear. But across the board, Cane & Abel has been drinkable, interesting, and certainly worth the price of admission.

worst photo of the year...

From the Two Brothers website: “This unique red rye beer is full of hop flavor and aroma. We add 70 pounds of Thai palm sugar to each batch. The sugar does not add much sweetness to the beer, but rather a fruity and vanilla-like flavor. A new hop variety call Summit is really showcased here. This 18% alpha hop is also very aromatic which gives a pungent citrus aroma. Then we heavily dryhopped the beer with Simcoe. Original, yes and that is no sin.”

(9/10/2009)