Green Flash Hop Head Red Ale Review

Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Co. | Beer: Hop Head Red Ale
Style: American Red Ale | ABV: 6.0% | IBUs: 45
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

The first Green Flash brew I sampled here on PintLog was their flagship West Coast IPA, which I absolutely loved, so I was excited to pick up their American Red Ale, Hop Head Red.

These guys are known for their typically west-coast hoppy beers, so there's no doubt this is going to be a hoppy red. In fact, Green Flash themselves imply this might be more of a red/IPA hybrid.

The brewery only reveals that it's dry hopped with Amarillos, but others online have speculated that Chinooks are used for bittering. They describe the beer thusly: "Resinous hop character and bitterness balance the rich caramel malt base."

You guys ready for a red-head?

Appearance: A deep orange-brown body with a hell of a lot of sediment in solution. Up top, a finger and a half of pillowy, caramel-tinged head that features great retention and lacing.

Aroma: Just as the bottle leads you to expect: lots of Amarillo hops on top of a solid caramel base. Good stuff.

Taste: More of the same. Up front, citrusy, nicely bitter hops. Underneath, the caramel malt backbone is strong enough to keep everything from being unbalanced. The aftertaste is of bitter grapefruit.

Mouthfeel: Perhaps a little fuller than medium and smooth with moderate carbonation. Dry finish.

Drinkability: As long as you aren't afraid of hops, this is pretty sessionable brew.

Verdict: Well, the bottle really says it all, this is a generously Amarillo hopped Red Ale with a lots of caramel malt. It may blur the line between Red Ale and Pale Ale a bit, but who cares?

Grade: A

Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Review

Brewery: Rogue Ales Brewery | Beer: Santa's Private Reserve
Style: American Red Ale | ABV: 6.0% | IBUs: 44
Serving Method: 22 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

Think about winter seasonals, and what comes to mind is a parade of rich, dark, and warming beers. While that makes sense, it can get a little old. That's why I love when brewers release lighter winter seasonals that buck the trend.

Rogue apparently shares my opinion, as their Santa's Private Reserve is an American Red Ale. While it may not yet be winter, it's cold enough outside that I decided to post up my review of 2008's batch.

A double-hopped variation on the old Saint Rogue Red, Santa's Private Reserve is a big Red Ale with ABV and IBU ratings to match. The backbone is built from Carastan, Crystal, Rogue Micro Barley Farm Dare, and Risk malts varieties. It's hopped with Chinook, Rogue Farm Revolution, and Freedom Hops. As always, everything is brought to life with the house Pacman yeast.

Rogue is a brief in their description, noting on that it is "reddish in color, with a roasty, malty flavor and a hoppy spruce finish." Let's pretend it's December and dig in!

Appearance: A crystal-clear, rich reg-orange body with brilliant orange highlights. Up top, two creamy fingers of off-white head that hang around a long time, leaving great lacing.

Aroma: Citrusy and somewhat piney hops over a caramel malt base. Basically a Red Ale with the hops cranked up.

Taste: Up front, a properly bitter splash of hops with citrus, tropical fruit and piney character. Underneath, a toasty, biscuity, and caramel-like malt backbone keeps everything balanced well. Bitterness continues throughout the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: A creamy medium body with smooth carbonation and a dry finish.

Drinkability: A great session beer if you're into hops.

Verdict: I'm always happy to find great Winter seasonals besides the typical Stouts, Barleywines, etc. and Santa's Private Reserve fits the bill well. If you're looking for a Winter seasonal heavy on the hops, but perhaps not as heavy as Celebration, this is a great option.

Grade: A

Note: While the review above is being posted in October 2010, the tasting notes contained within were taken when the beer was fresh in December 2008.

Deschutes Cinder Cone Red Review

Brewery: Deschutes Brewery | Beer: Cinder Cone Red
Style: American Red Ale | ABV: 5.4% | IBUs: 55
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

Here we have another case of a review that is way too late for its own good. I was checking out the Deschutes site looking for information on this beer and it turns out it was retired earlier this year. D'oh!

Anyway, Cinder Cone Red was brewed from 2003 through 2010 as Deschutes' spring seasonal. A Red Ale, it was named after northern slope of Mt. Bachelor turns red as the snow starts to melt in the spring. Very clever.

As for ingredients, the backbone was built with Northwest Two-Row Pale, Caramel, Dextrin Black Barley malts and it was hopped with a mix of Cascade, Amarillo, Simco, and Tettnanger hops varieties. It was an interesting mix of hops and malt, one which Deschutes claimed to "captivate thirsty palates with its toffee-like flavor, intense citrus aroma and defined bitterness"

Let's hop in the Delorean and take a taste, shall we?

Appearance: Pours an ever-so-slightly hazy, rich orange-brown body with a solid two fingers of off-white head. Great retention and lacing.

Aroma: Citrusy and floral hops over a sweet caramel malt base. This smells great.

Taste: Lots of hops right off the bat. They're citrusy, juicy, a little spicy, and decently bitter for the style. The Amarillo and Tettnang combination is just brilliant here. Underneath, plenty of lightly-roasted caramel malt in the backbone. This is certainly a well-hopped Red, but it's still well-balanced. The aftertaste is nicely bitter.

Mouthfeel: The body is a little fuller than medium and the carbonation is nice and smooth. Dry finish.

Drinkability: Tasty with a mild alcohol content, this makes for a brilliant session brew.

Verdict: Cinder Cone Red was a real hit. I loved the combination of hops, and the rest of the beer wasn't too shabby either. It seems odd to me that a beer this tasty and sessionable was a seasonal, it seems like the kind of beer that would have flown off the shelves year-round. I'll really miss this one.

Grade: A

Note: While the review above is being posted in October 2010, the tasting notes contained within were taken when the beer was fresh in May 2009.