Mad River Jamaica Red Ale

i actually wasnt looking forward to this one much. im not a fan of hop-heavy beers. but the sourness and bitter flavor are so strong that you cant help to appreciate this beer. the color is a gorgeous dark red, cloudy almost like it was a red hefe. aroma isnt much, but the flavor is strong and hoppy, with a citrus bang and grassy finish. but it still has a nice balance of malt and nuts. really quite impressive.

12 oz. bottle from By The Bottle in Vancouver, WA--Poured a deep deep amber body with an alive creamy off-white head. sweet, malty, sugar, caramel, nutty, sticky nose. Mildly cloying gritty, chewy mouthfeel. Big citrus hops profile with a depth of malts and nutty, fruity boldness. Finish was a bit dull and underdeveloped. Not too bad, but something missing.

Sampled at Oregon Brewer’s Festival, July ’08. Fruity and hoppy, but balanced with maltiness for sweetness. Very tasty.

Dark, mahogany, woody, Earthy, and rich all come to mind. First thing I noticed was the sediment I mean this has to be the most sediment I’ve ever seen in a single bottle. Seriously not even the cloudiest of Hefeweizens have I seen this much sediment. Appearance wise this red ale is the epidamy of red beers. With that said the flavor does not quite hold up to the way it looks. Much more lite that I had expected but it does have this nice little spicy bite in the after taste. The description says its 6.6% alc but its masked very well. This is an interesting one and I do plan on trying it a few more times.

Bottle; pored a dark amber with an off white head. Aroma of fruit, caramel, flowers and nuts. Pretty enjoyable flavor. Caramel and nutty upfront. Floral and grassy finish. Nothing unexpected, just a solid brew.