Poured out of the short 12 ounce bottle, the Censored has a great copper orange color, no haze to speak of. There is a one finger white head with some lacing left on the glass. The aromas are malt all the way through. Caramel and toffee come through first, followed by some breadiness, then finishes with a hint of dark fruit. It has a good sweet aroma throughout without being overwhelming. There is no hint of hops on the nose, not that I was expecting any given the description of this beer.

The malt focus carries through in the flavor as well. Lightly toasted malt is upfront followed by the caramel from the nose. There are sprinklings of hops to cut the sweetness that work well. Even with that though there is still a sweetness to this beer, and it is slightly sticky. The bready elements from the nose are also present, along with a cleaner finish than I was expecting, which is great.

The Censored is a good malt forward beer. Those wanting to differentiate from IPAs and super hoppy beers will find this beer very good. It doesn’t overwhelm with dark fruits and caramel, instead it mixes everything together and creates some good balance. The aromas were a little lacking and there was a slight twinge on the finish that I couldn’t put my finger on. Other than that, the Censored would make a great malt forward session beer.

Rating

88
out of 100

From the 12 ounce bottle, this Red Ale has a very nice amber color with some deep red highlights. There is an off-white head that leaves some spotted lacing on the glass. The aromas are heavy handed on the malts. A lot of caramel and a little hint of toasted malt comes through, and there is also some brown sugar sweetness. There is a small hint of hops on the nose as you do get some spice but it can’t overcome the malt.

The malt presence carries over into the flavors. Sweet caramel malts up front with hints of roast, some brown sugar and a touch of toffee. The malt is kept in check by the hops at the end, bringing in some bitterness to aid in a clean finish. It’s medium bodied with enough carbonation to keep it from getting sticky.

The Snowshoe came through for me — this is a solid brew. The hop flavors could have been bumped up a bit but I don’t mind the malt at all. A little more variety in the flavors would have been nice, but I won’t knock it too hard for that. The Snowshoe is easily sessionable on a crisp fall or early winter day.

Rating

84
out of 100

The Pinstripe Red is made with liberty hops and caramel malts which helps create the crisp, clean aromas and appearance. The beer pours a clear, amber / golden color with a steady, soapy white head. The carbonation is evident and with its slow dissipation that left some mild lacing around the glass. Hoppy and slightly bitter notes come through on the nose, but you can tell this beer seems to be malt driven in its base. Hints of floral hops, bready malts and a touch of pine give this a well-rounded aroma.

In the taste, the caramel malts make an immediate footprint coating the palate with sweeter caramel and roasted flavors. The hops bring about a  subtle bitterness towards the end, along with some citrusy undertones as it warmed. A medium body gives this a very clean and crisp feel, without leaving anything sticky in the finish.

Ska’s Pinstripe Red Ale was quite a refreshing and sessionable beer for me. It wasn’t anything overly complex, which is standard for the style, but did display a nice balance in flavors. Personally, it’s not my favorite from Ska but was very accurate and tasty for a Red Ale.

Rating

86
out of 100

Served on draft and poured into a pint glass, HopBack has a clear and vibrant amber colored body, no surprise. The head is slightly off-white, full and rocky with very nice retention and even better lacing. Aromas are mild but flavorful and complex. This opens with a very distinct and grounded caramel malt base, with an aggressive hop backbone. These are more traditionally East Coast in nature — earthy, piney and a touch of sap. A hint of bread, dough… something of that sort comes through towards the end, tying all the flavors together.

Unlike the aroma, sweet and floral hop notes dominate the palate. They’re very crisp, bright and genuinely refreshing for a beer of this style. The malt is the definite backbone to this beer, coming off in a very subtle and sweet way. It once again seems more caramel in nature, but on the taste I don’t get that bread-like quality I did in the aroma. The hop notes linger throughout and finish a bit citrusy but nothing to the extent of it’s big brother, Nugget Nectar.

For what this is (and without holding to the standard of Nugget Nectar), the HopBack is a seriously solid beer. Refreshing any time of the year, this 6% Amber Ale makes a nice change of pace in the summer months, when Wheat beers seem to dominate the market. I would have liked more of a citrus flavor on the palate but perhaps that’s just my preference to hop profiles. Overall, this isn’t one to be glazed over – a very solid demonstration of the style from Tröegs.

Rating

88
out of 100

Title photo from: Flickr

The Red Banshee is their Red Ale which comes in at moderate and sessionable 5.2% ABV. Poured into a standard pint glass the body has a rusty bronze appearance with about an inch of white head. After a quite rapid dissipation, it leaves a nice lacing around the walls of the glass.

The aroma is extremely tame and takes time to get a good sense of the flavors. The primary aromas that come through are citrus fruits – orange and mango – but even these aren’t completely stand out. This is followed by a nice lightly toasted caramel malt note that gives it a commendable backbone, something I’d expect in a Red Ale.

Flavors on the palate are in sync with the nose, starting off with a citrusy fruit blend, quickly balanced by a substantial malt base. Earthy and pine like hop notes come through, but the bitterness is held back a bit. I wish the hops played more of a role to cut the edge of the malt backbone but for the style it does allow those flavors to showcase. All in all, this has a decent medium body on it with some fairly good carbonation – acceptable for the style.

I had higher hopes for this Banshee to scream at me, instead I was left screaming for a little something more. Had both the malt and hop profile been intensified, more flavor would have come through instead of an overall muted taste. The Red Banshee wasn’t an overall bad beer but it wasn’t anything special, either. Worthy to sample, not to seek out.

Rating

82
out of 100

Coming in a 16.9 oz bottle, Maine Beer Co. takes a simplistic approach with their labeling. Heavy, recycled-feeling paper with scarce print and artwork on the front, and a story behind this beer on the back. Poured into my tulip glass, Zoe has a cloudy dark ruby colored body with a creamy, slightly off white head. This beer exhibits some of the best retention and lacing I’ve seen, especially for a beer of this style. If first impressions are any indicator, I think this beer is headed in the right direction with its outstanding visuals.

The aroma consists initially of gooey caramel malts laying a nice foundation for the beer. Pine and sap hop notes fill in with some green tea leaves in the finish. A wonderful floral aspect opened up the more the beer warmed, that wasn’t quite as obvious at first. I can’t pinpoint exactly the smell, but it seems it could be something of a daisy flower, adding just another layer of complexity. While the aroma is nice and everything seems to be tied well together, it’s not as aromatic as I anticipated it being.

Dry floral hop notes coat the palate on first sip, cleansing it with semi-bitter hops. Sweet malt, that’s kind of fruity, arrives to balance out the hop bite, even though it’s not much to begin with. Hints of tangerine rind are in the finish, which leaves a sticky and dry coating on the palate. The carbonation was prickly and bubbly, perhaps detracting from giving this beer a solid medium body that I think it needs. Zoe doesn’t taste overly complex but still is balanced and flavorful.

Before going into this beer, I wanted to compare it to Nugget Nectar but that’s my mistake for setting myself up. It’s not as bitter, nor citrus-forward like Nugget Nectar but in its own right is a nice representation of the style. I worry if anything goes missing in this beer, though, there’s nothing left to make up for it. One little missing flavor would throw off this entire beer for me, so I’m not too sure how resilient this recipe would be to age. It seems to me like the freshest you can get it is the best it will be. I would, however, be willing to eat my words if I had another to test my theory.

Rating

87
out of 100

I’m really enjoying more and more craft breweries that are serving their beers in cans. These cans are a full pint and are too much for a standard pint glass. The pour was slightly cloudy and copper in color. The orange hues really shined through making this an awesome beer to look at. While there was a tiny white head on the beer, the scents from this beer rocketed from the glass.

Initially in the nose you’re hint with an amazingly sweet and delicious bubblegum flavor. Some slightly bitter hops come in to force a balance in flavors, but in the end some grapefruit and candy orange slices come in to dominant. The overall sweetness is the winner, though a bit musky. It’s definitely an euphoric smelling beer.

The mouthful on this was amazing! Medium in body and balanced carbonation teamed for a gentle and crafted feeling. Sweet orange citrus, wintergreen candy, and a sticky bubblegum linger lead the mouth. A slight bite of bitterness helped save this from being nothing but sweet malt and hops, which was great.

I’m much more impressed with the Orange Blossom Ale from Buckbean than I was with the Tule Duck. While the research leans towards being almost the same American style, the Blossom is the clear winner here. The flavor is complex, it stands out and leaves a fresh and enjoyable finish in your mouth. Sessionable? Absolutely. This is one to keep stocked in your beer fridge, I can’t imagine this one not going over well.

Overall: 8.5/10

I’ve never heard of Buckbean before, and for good reason. They’re West Coast (Nevada, to be exact) and have only been operating under that name since 2008. Relatively new to the mainstream craft beer world, the Tule Duck Red Ale is worthy for review. The pour on this was very typical for a Red Ale. It was semi-hazy, a nice bright mahogany color with some very noticeable red hues in the light. The head was really rich, creamy and tan. This definitely has a very nice appearance to the beer.

The smell was full of the typical aromas you’d expect. Up front was a ton of nutty maltyness, which was followed by a sharp sweetnees from the hops. It was slightly bitter on the nose but balanced by the backbone which consisted of hay (straw) and cashews. Nothing jumped out but nothing certainly put a damper on things.

The taste was where this beer could have been more developed. The mouthful was nicely medium-bodied with a balanced amount of carbonation. The upfront taste was woody, bitter and sticky. Tons of nutty malt flooded the middle that also seemed to have a hint of saltiness to it. The backbone was fire embers and sweet hops that left a dry little linger on the tongue.

Underwhelmed by the overall complexion the Tule Duck Red Ale brings, I can’t say it’s my favorite Red Ale by any means. It has it’s place and with some minor tweaks could be something special. This needs that little extra “something” to set it apart and take it to the next level. For now, it’s a typical Red with typical flavors.

Overall: 6.5/10

Starting off in my usual manner, I poured this one into my pint glass at sundown this evening. The color of this beer complimented the hues in the sky as the sun set. Great deep (and clear) brown and amber tones dominated the glass but crisp glows of burnt orange came through in the light. I had a really tiny off-white/brownish head with almost no carbonation bubbles.

The nose of this beer was immediately full of a fresh caramel malt. Subtle hints of dried prune came through later. This was all finished by a hint of bitterness from the hoppy notes interlaced throughout.

The taste was in the ballpark of what I expected but it was a bit unusual. As strange as it may sound, the finish was the first thing I felt I needed to react and comment about. It had a strange funk to it. It was musky, sticky and hoppy; not at all what I expected. Taking another sip revealed the initial flavors I overlooked on my first sip. I did get the immediate caramel malt with some damp citrus notes and a nice spice. The mouthful was gentle, medium in body with a slight carbonation.

I actually enjoyed this beer as it warmed and the flavors really shined a bit more. This definitely isn’t a bad Red Ale but there are better ones out there. Highly sessionable on a nice Spring or Summer evening with gradual warming but don’t let it go too long.

Overall: 7/10

The pour was nice and clean. The brew was a quite hazy, dark auburn color with an off-white (light hint of brown color) head. I didn’t get too much head on this pour, about less than a finger. At any rate, it smelled great. I instantly got a nice hoppy smell up front followed by a sweetness of the malt. To me, it smelled like a citrusy-grapefruit. It wasn’t overpowering but it was pretty nice how the smell went from hops to sweet malt the more I whiffed.

I tend to really like Red Ales so I was very interested to taste this and I wasn’t disappointed at all. The mouthful was a solid medium thickness with a nice moderation of carbonation. I got a pretty distinct and pleasant hop taste up front. This was followed up by a nice sweet grapefruit taste. The finish had a solid malt backbone. I think I even got the absolute slightest hint of a toffee flavor. There was so much going on though. It was: hops, sweet grapefruit, malty-toffee finish. A really nice trail and just a pleasure to drink. It went down smoothly and is definitely a sessionable beer.

Well, I was impressed. It may not live up to a name like “Big Hoppy Monster” – I mean, there wasn’t really as much of a hop scent or flavor that you’d expect from the name. It’s a bit of a misnomer but overall, a really easy drinking beer. The alcohol is hidden pretty well so be careful with this one.

Overall: 8/10