I like Sierra Nevada in general, I like their IPA, and I really like their pale ale, all that combined with my general love of Amber IPAs (or India Amber Ales) makes me very excited to try Sierra Nevada’s brand new Flipside Red IPA. 
Read on after the jump for more info and my review! Continue reading “Beer Review: Sierra Nevada Flipside”
Tag: Red
Beer Review: Duchesse de Bourgogne
In the bountiful world of beer it can be hard, neigh impossible, to be aware of all the varieties of beers! Duchesse de Bourgogne (think Doo-shay de bore-gone-a) is one such beer that escaped my notice for far too long. Luckily the fantastic Richard Dubé VP of Brewing Operations at Cincinnati’s own Christian Moerlein brought this beer to my attention earlier this year by proclaiming his love for it. I had it first at Wildflower Cafe in Mason and realized I must get a bottle for a review and spread the love!
Here’s the description courtesy of Brouwerij Verhaeghe’s web page:
“Duchesse de Bourgogne” is an ale of mixed fermentation. It is a sweet-fruity ale with a pleasant fresh aftertaste. This ale is brewed with roasted malts and with hops with a low bitterness. After the main fermentation and the lagering , the “Duchesse de Bourgogne” matures further for many months in oak casks. The tannins in the oak give the “Duchesse de Bourgogne” its fruity character. “Duchesse de Bourgogne” has a full, sweet and fresh taste : it is a ruby red jewel of 6.2 % alc. vol., that best is served in a chalice-shaped glass between 8 and 12°C [46 to 53°F]. A perfect beer .
- Type of beer : West-Flemish red brown ale
- Color : ruby red
- Fermentation : mixed fermentation
Beer: Duchesse de Bourgogne
Brewery: Brouwerij Verhaeghe
Style: Flanders Red Ale
ABV: 6.2%
An aromatic combo of acetic vinegar sourness, dark fruits, and malt fills your nose as soon as you bring the glass close with a nice oakyness following after.
The color is an extremely dark red, much darker then anticipated. Though if you hold it up to a strong LED light you can see it’s more of cherry red. The head on here is a nice thick and creamy off-white that stayed around until the very end of the glass.
Flavor has a delightful tang of tartness along a touch of oak and some dark cherries. All of that action is on the more acetic/vinegar side of things but it’s balanced out by a nice malt body and some apple sweetness but the sweetness doesn’t linger which is cool.
Medium body and smooth carbonation with a long dry finish though there is some astringent prickliness left hanging around.
This is a delightful and complex beer that I love to have every so often. I wouldn’t advise drinking this every day, but if you haven’t had one yet you should really try it. It should be easily available at all better bottle shops around town and Richard Dubé keeps it on-tap at the Moerlein Lager House.
Beer Review: Budweiser Black Crown
I was honestly slightly excited when I first heard about this beer. I dig red/amber ales and lagers which is, more or less, what Black Crown is. I also partially hoped that Budweiser may do a decent enough job of making a high quality beer. Then I saw it was only sold in 6-packs and I was unwilling to commit to that. Then all those stupid voodoo super bowl commercials came out and my excitement began to wane significantly. Last week I was doing my normal beer shopping and stumbled upon this in a pick 6 area and figured, eh why the hell not.
Here is the PR blurb:
With a blend of two-row caramel malt and four types of domestic hops, Budweiser Black Crown is finished on a bed of Beechwood chips for a smooth, balanced taste. Incorporating the proprietary yeast directly descended from the original Budweiser yeast strain used by Adolphus Busch in 1876, Budweiser Black Crown retains the key characteristics of Budweiser with its clean taste and high drinkability. Featuring more body, color and hop character than the flagship lager, it also has a slightly higher alcohol content at 6% ABV.
Brewery: Anhesuer-Busch InBev
Beer: Budweiser Black Crown
Style: Amber Lager
ABV: 6%
Calories: ~180
The appearance is a tad lighter than I expected but does look promising. It’s got a nice orange/red hue topped with a thickish skim of off-white foam.
Very clean smell of grain with… little else.
Little bit of biscuit malt, minimal amount of hops, and a minuscule taste of alcohol.
Very crisp and light body with plenty of carbonation
Like all things Budweiser this is as unoffensive as possible. How do you make an unoffensive beer you ask? By reducing everything possible to a barely noticeable level. Don’t like hop bitterness? There isn’t any! Don’t like chocolate malts? we got rid of as much malt as we could! So this isn’t really a “bad” beer but it sure isn’t a good beer. Is this better than Bud or Bud light? For sure and without a doubt, though I will probably never have it again.
Beer Review: Oskar Blues G’Knight
OK, so I feel bad. I keep reviewing beers that you can’t get around here. But hey, if you travel through somewhere and see this then you’ll know to grab it and bring it home to share! This is also an awesome beer with a great story.
Beer Review: Rivertown War
Brewer: Rivertown Brewing Company
Beer: War
Style: Smoked Irish Red Ale
Alcohol by volume: 6.2%
Beer Review: Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale
I am intentionally trying all the Belgian’s that I can and I’m always up for a new IPA but it appears I’m also, semi-subconsciously, on a Red ale kick. That kick continues with an entry from Bear Republic…
Continue reading “Beer Review: Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale”
Beer Review: 3 Floyds Brian Boru
When I posted my review of Sam Adam’s Irish Red and noted how generic it was for the style a friend of mine suggested I try 3 Floyds Brian Boru, saying it would “give me a whole new Irish Red perspective.” That it certainly did. Brian Boru is a far cry from Sam’s Irish Red and is unlike any other Irish Red, or any other beer, I’ve encountered before. Read on after the break to find out why….
BrewMinds 