Erie Brewing Railbender Ale

Brewed by Erie Brewing Company
Style: Scottish Ale
Erie, Pennsylvania USA

Serve in English pint, Thistle

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gotta say, this is a pretty damn good beer. mostly clear, darker yellow color, almost orange. just about the right amount of fruity taste, goes down smooth, and finishes quite nicely. the price was quite good as well.

Bottled. Poured a nice shade of medium amber with a beige head. The aroma picked up sweet, toasty bread and caramel notes, with accents of honey and a touch of green apple.. sweet and non-offensive. The flavor found slightly-smoked caramel and nutty malts, with dry bitterness on the edges.. some fruit and berry notes around there too.. finished dry and lightly-smoky with a kiss of berry. Light-medium bodied and dry on the palate.. prickly and a touch sharp at times.. decent overall feel and flow. This was aiight.

Nothing amazing, but not bad. It’s a very mild ale, in fact it’s kind of sweet. Maybe a little too sweet if you prefer your beer a little bitter, as I do. This one has kind of a fruit and nuts flavor. It doesn’t taste bad, but it’s not one I’d pick up again.

Bottle. It’s a Scottish ale, but overall, I found this to be on the weak side of Scottish ales. The aroma was a sweet fruitiness, the appearance translucent dark copper/bronze with a half inch of foamy head and zero lacing. The medium palate held a semi-sticky texture, and the taste started and ended bitter, the middle serving up a little sweet malt, all notes very muted, which drove down my rating. I’m perplexed why this is Erie’s self-proclaimed "flagship" beer. Their IPA, Misery Bay, is much better than this. But I suppose flagship doesn’t always mean best.

Pretty nondescript beer. Looks and tastes kinda caramelly, though it’s not overly sweet.

12 ounce bottle
I am not sure where this came from but it is a good enough beer. I don’t know that it is a great example of the scottish style (or even an average one). Regardless it at least has enough depth to avoid being a drainpour.

Aroma / Appearance - Coppery bronze this looks just like any other scottish ale made to style. A soft white head looks like sweet icing. Candy corn, sweet malts, and warm apple cider are bright at times but dull at others.

Flavor / Palate - Bronze polish, apple juice, and noble hops provide some depth. The finish is a bit like orange liquer. Balanced and even there is just something missing. I can’t put my finger on it exactly but it just does not have that "wow" factor of a beer made with passion and skill.

~Sweet candy caramel/toffee like aroma with hint of earthy smokiness. ~Pours a clear amber with small white head. ~Caramel bready and biscuit malt flavor with musky earthiness. ~Light med bodied, med CO2, sweet earthy abrupt finish. ~Not sure why the bad ratings... Scottish ales aren’t supposed to be hoppy. I really enjoyed this one.

12 oz bottle, Hazy caramel color, Sweet aroma , sweet taste. It is a scottish ale taste, but it misses.

12oz bottle. Aroma of of caramel malts, some cereal and butterscotch, and some floral hops. Flavor the same. Average texture. A decent beer.

On tap at Tu Tu Tango. Clear butterscotch pour. Uber malty and unbalanced.

12oz bottle poured into snifter. Light brown color with a thin head. Aroma has hints of honey and malt. The flavor is a tad too sweet for my liking. It starts off sweet with a dry finish, flavor is a little unbalanced.