Pizza Port Shark Attack Triple Red Ale

A vigorous pour produces a two-finger thick, tan colored head in my 25cl tulip glass. The beer is a dark, plum colored, amber hue that shows a brilliantly clear, red color and a light carbonation when held up to the light. The aroma smells sweetly of hops as I am pouring this and a deeper inspection of the nose confirms this with ample hop notes of lychee, sweetened grapefruit, tangelo and expressive orange zest. It is really hard for me to smell anything but the hops; this is a bit surprising given the rich red hue, but luckily the hops are very nice smelling.

Sweet tasting and quite smooth feeling with its soft carbonation, towards the middle the beer starts to pick up a biting hop-bitterness that slowly grips the tongue and becomes very pronounced in the long finish. This is nicely balanced between the sweetness up front and the sharp, biting, slightly astringent bitterness that comes to dominate in the finish. The light carbonation adds just a faint tickle to the texture, just enough to keep this from feeling flat. While clearly dominated by citrus and fruit hop notes there is a certain spiciness to this brew that couples with an over that top bergamot-oil / über-citrus zest note up front; it s something like a mix of allspice, mint and hemp oil. This last is definitely noticeable and herbal, but plays a secondary role to the sweeter hop fruit notes.

The fantastically interesting spicy / herbal note that is noticeable, at times explosively, I think is actually partially due to the rich maltiness that is not really all that noticeable on its own. The hop character is just too huge here, but there is obviously a big malt character to this beer that more than anything serves as a vehicle for all of the hop flavors. This really hides its alcohol pretty well too, it really isn’t very boozy at all. Perhaps the alcohol is noticeable just a touch as it couples with the hop notes and provides a touch of pepper-like bite in the finish that melds with the bitterness. As the beer warms it becomes a bit more herbal, more hemp like even, but this only creates more of a balance between the competing hop notes of fruit and herb; the fruit still wins out, and decidedly so, but the other side of the hop coin is definitely an appreciated addition.

This is much nicer than I was expecting, for some reason I was expecting an unbalanced, scathing hop bomb. This is certainly an aggressively hop dominated beer, but there is enough malt to support the hops and keep them from getting overly aggressive or harsh. I really like the mix of hop flavors here; dominated by aromatic & expressive fruitiness, but with a slight backdrop of herbal & hemp oil flavors that is then tethered in the finish by an aggressive, clean, biting bitterness. Something about the slight carbonation & the mix of flavors already here tells me that this would be an absolutely phenomenal beer served via traditional cask & hand pump. There is something about this beer that just makes this really hit the spot right now; I am not sure if it is purely situational, palate driven or if this is just a phenomenal beer. No matter what it is I definitely am loving this beer right now.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=698>Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

My bottle may have been old but his beer was just flt. No carbonation at all. Aroma of stale caramel malt and grassy hops with some pepper. Pour was a nice murky brown with no movement. Taste was stale malt with carboard and grass. Mouthfeel was very thick and with no carbonation to liven it up, it just wasn’t for me. Will need to try again.

22 oz. bottle from Plaza Liquors - Pours a deep reddish-amber color with a small 1/2 finger thick light tan head. Lots of tiny spotted lacing. Aroma is sweet malt and floral hops. Flavor is much of the same and is nicely balanced. Medium body. Alcohol is noticeable. A nice ASA.

Reddish-amber color with a light off-white head. Aroma is sweet, almost candyish with caramel, citrus/floral hops, and ripe summer fruits. Flavor is dominated by citrusy/floral hops but not overwhelmingly so - sweet & sticky too with caramel and darker fruit. Not bad at all - no sign of its true strength.

Redish amber, caramel, roasted malts, Hops, slightly bready, a little fruit, a little bite.

Bottle pours an attractive scarlet, ruddy brown. The nose is a bit amber ale, but a little richer and less crystal malt sweetness. The flavor is a bit complex with malts and a touch of fruitiness, with a slight bitter finish, but not as much as I thought with the description given. Decent.

Ruby red color with a minimal white head that does at least leave a ring around the glass. Lots of caramel, toffee, and pine needles in the aroma. Hops are noticeable, but I’m not so sure about a lethal amount of them, especially coming from Port. Sweet caramel, toffee, biscuits, slightly toasty tastes, and a some citrus coming through in the finish. Thicker than medium body and medium carbonation. I enjoyed this beer and have to give it credit, it was very drinkable, and alcohol was non-existant in this 9% beer. Thanks to doubleo for the bottle.

Reddish amber, moderate head with decent lacing and retention. Aroma is caramel, crystal malt galore, grapefruit and citrus. Medium to full body, somewhat sticky but still very drinkable. Nice