The Beer Wrangler

Beer reviews, styles, food pairings and more

Archive for category Red Ale

Phillips Double Dragon Imperial Red Ale

Mar 4

Posted by Wrangler in 4 Tankards, Ale, American Red Ale, British Columbia, Canada, Imperial Red Ale, Red Ale, Wrangler | No Comments

Wrangler Rating:

tankard.jpgtankard.jpgtankard.jpgtankard.jpg (Excellent)

Phillips Double Dragon Imperial Red Ale is this British Columbian craft brewer’s pumped up version of an American Red Ale, which is a hoppier version of the Irish Red Ales. The Imperialisation of this fairly modern style of beer gives it a big punch in both the flavour and strength departments, so is not to be taken lightly!

This deep red ruby ale has a fairly hoppy aroma, with a robust full-bodied flavour. The rich roasted malt features heavily on the palate and is quite sweet, with notes of caramel, molasses and malty bread, but there is just the right amount of hops to balance it all out. The citrussy grapefruit taste of the healthy hoppy addition, gives the finish a nice bitterness that makes this a very easy drinking beer for one so potent.  This might go well with a large plate of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, served with a rich gravy; but be careful, as this powerhouse may go down too quickly for you to get up too quickly!

ABV: 8.2%

Best Served: 10°C

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Fat Cat Brewery Honey Beer

Nov 8

Posted by Wrangler in 2 Tankards, Ale, Amber Ale, British Columbia, Canada, Flavoured Beer, Honey Ale, Pale Ale & Bitter, Wrangler | No Comments

FCHoney

Wrangler Rating:

tankard.jpgtankard.jpg(Mediocre)

Fat Cat Brewery are a small producer in BC Canada (there is another with the same name in the UK) and this is their Honey Beer, an ale made with New Zealand tree sap honey. This gives this light amber brew a slightly smokey honey aroma. This is not a sweet tasting beer as they manage to get the honey flavour without the sugar, and the malt is in there too, but not integrated with the honey. There is also an overall bitterness to the brew, which reminds me of an astringent tree bark flavour,  found in campari. Any hop flavours seem overwhelmed by the strong honey and bark notes, so are a bit lost. There are some nice flavours in this beer but they somehow seem disconnected, leaving an ale that has little smoothness. I would love to see an adjusted recipe of this ale, because the special honey they use has an interesting taste to it, but just needs a bit more integration in my opinion.

ABV: 5%

Best Served: 8°C

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Anderson Valley Brewing Boont Amber Ale

Oct 27

Posted by Wrangler in 3 Tankards, Ale, Amber Ale, California, Red Ale, United States, Wrangler | No Comments

boontamber

Wrangler Rating:

tankard.jpgtankard.jpgtankard.jpg(Recommended)

Anderson Valley Brewing Boont Amber Ale comes in the large 650 ml bottles, and it’s a good thing too, as this is a rather quaffable ale. It is a nice bright mid-amber in colour, with a medium frothy head that doesn’t linger for too long. There is a hint of sweetish toasted malt on the nose and maybe a touch of hop, but not a whole lot else. This has a nicely balanced palate with the malt leading the way followed by some spicy hop notes. There is a bit of light fruitiness in the background but not enough to take away from the nice drinkable toasted caramel flavours of the malt. This is a well made west coast amber ale, and finds itself regularly in my mix of brews in the fridge! This would go great with a big plate of nachos or a juicy burger.

ABV: 5.8%

Best Served: 7°C

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Yukon Red – Amber Ale

Oct 25

Posted by Wrangler in 4 Tankards, Ale, Amber Ale, American Red Ale, Canada, Red Ale, Wrangler, Yukon | No Comments

yukonred

Wrangler Rating:

tankard.jpgtankard.jpgtankard.jpgtankard.jpg(Excellent)

Yukon Brewing are a shining light in a territory without much in the way of craft brewers. That doesn’t mean that they couldn’t compete in parts of the world thick with micro-brewers though, and this beer is a good example why! This pours a deep red mahogany colour with a nice light head. It tastes of toasted malt with a touch of caramel sweetness, but well balanced by some spicy, slightly citric hops on the finish. This is a very drinkable beer, and slips down nicely on a Winter’s evening! Pair this with some roast pork or some meaty grilled sausages.

ABV: 5.5%

Best Served: 10°C

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Rogue Ales Captain Sig’s Northwestern Ale

Sep 1

Posted by Wrangler in 4 Tankards, Ale, American Red Ale, Oregon, Red Ale, United States, Wrangler | No Comments

rogue22oz_captainsig

Wrangler Rating:

tankard.jpgtankard.jpgtankard.jpgtankard.jpg(Excellent)

Rogue Northwestern Ale is a punch in the mouth of a beer. I like hoppy ales so if you don’t, this one probably isn’t for you. It pours a very ruddy mahogany colour into the glass with a lively off-white head. The carbonation is not too high, and feels like a bottled British Ale. The biggest flavour is by far and away the Pacific Northwest hops. Cascade and Amarillo are used to bring this beer to a mighty 80 IBUs. Floral and grapefruit citrus notes abound, from the initial sip right through to the aftertaste. There are nice roasted malt notes in the background, but they never quite give way. I feel it just misses out as a slightly stronger malt character would have balanced the hops a bit better, but that is my personal taste. This is a love it or hate it beer, but it is true to the style of American interpretations of old world ale made on the West coast, especially in Oregon. Not only that, but it is a fine example made by a fine brewery, and so deserves the 4 Tankard rating.

ABV: 6.2%

*                                                            Best Served: 10°C

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