Alcatraz Big House Red

Formerly brewed at Alcatraz Brewing Company
Style: Amber Ale
Indianapolis, Indiana USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

On tap (from sampler) at Alcatraz Brewing Co, Indianapolis. Reddish colour - pretty much the same as the Irish American Red which I had a t the same time. So similar that I wondered whether they were really different beers but the brewer, who was on site, assured me that they were different. Actually tasted quite different. Lots of caramel and creamy toffee notes in this one. There’s a little hop bite. Overall, too much caramel for my liking.

Tap at Alcatraz. Pours clear copper with a small, fizzy cream colored head, low retention with light lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, caramel, toasted), average hops (earthy, grassy, woody), and light esters (fruity) with notes of peach and pineapple. Flavor is heavy malt (cookie, caramel, toasted), average hops (earthy, grassy, pine), and average esters (fruity) with notes of pineapple. Medium body, warmth, and carbonation, low creaminess with a dry finish.

Nice earthy malt flavors, brownish tan and just a little coudy., I would be hard pressed to call this a pale ale as there is minimal hop influence even at the end. A nice beer but maby more in the direction of an Alt. Nice Lacing as in several of their beers

tap in Indy - Pours amber and laces nicely. It has a mild caramel malt aroma. The flavor is caramel malt with light hops. It’s light bodied and overall too bland once again. So far that’s an unfortunate trend for the brewery, but it is significantly better than the blonde ale and wheat I had before it.

Tap at Anaheim. Pours a translucent amber with a medium creamy off white head that laced. Aroma of caramel, toffee and mixed citrus. Flavor of caramel, toffee, grapefruit, pine and ligtly toasted malt.

Pours a light red color with an off white head. Aroma was some sweet malt and thats about it. Flavor was very weak and watery, a hint of hops and malt, just bad

Radish (no I didn’t mean reddish) colored beer with a ring of a head. Semi-sweet with caramel, roasted nuts and just a pinch of hop bitterness. Drinkable but not spectacular.

Tap in Orange. Style sheet said 6.0% alcohol. Pours a reddish color. Aroma of caramel and toffee, with nice light citrus notes. The flavor is nicely balanced malt and mild hops. Light bitterness, medium body. Solid, but unspectacular.

Tap @ the brewpub. Poured a clear orange-copper color with an off-white head. Nutty and toasty malt with mild citrus notes. Light fruity caramel with a hint of citrus. Light to medium body.

On tap @ Alcatraz (Anahiem) 10/07 - Pours a clear amber color with a small off white head. Light spotty lacing. Aroma and flavor is mainly caramel malt balance nicely with the right amount of hops and a touch of esters. Light to medium body. A decent beer.