Rock Bottom Erik the Red Ale

Pleasant, sweet malt aroma. Slighly hazy amber with an off-white head. Some lace. Nice malty brew. To this point in my sampler, I had tried the North Star Premium, Pride Rock Wheat, Fire Chief Irish Red, and Itasca Extra Pale Ale and this was the best one in terms of overall quality. Not cloying despite the substantial maltiness. Some hops in the finish.

Chicago location. Pours a deep amber with a caramel malty aroma. Slight earthy hop aroma, but much less than advertised. Flavor is caramel sweet without enough hop flavor for my tastes. I liked it initially but it quickly lost its appeal.

Ruby body with and off white head. Aroma was citrus: lemon/grapefruit. Watery with a dry finish. Had a lemon/grapefruit flavor with some hops in the aftertaste.

I’m giving this one a middle of the road rating. It looked okay, had a small head with a red colouring. Some malts, a good balance of hops. It had a medium body. I could drink a lot of these, it’s a good session beer. however it doesn’t have any qualities that make it stand out.

Clear, bright auburn with a fluffy, off-white head. The aroma was fairly hoppy with a decent amount of grapefruit and pine. Sweet caramel, whole grains and lightly smoked maple notes show a decent malt profile as well. The body is neither too thick nor too thin, but could stand to be a bit creamier. It is very drinkable, however, so it was nice for a long session. The flavor was fairly hoppy but not too out of whack for balance. The finish is bitter and slightly warming. It’s really quite tasty. I think this has become a new recipe in the Chicago market and quite different than the previous version I had.

1/6 barrel keg from the brewery: pours a hazed red brown with a very generous off-white head…sappy, hoppy aroma with a pinch of grapefruit, white grapes and honeyed malt. Nicely carbonated and very even flavours: chewy caramel and smooth grain mixed with a modest hop profile: pine and orange zest. A very nice session for a Sunday of football.

Red in colour with very little aroma. Sweet malt flavor with very little hops. Quite bland and uninteresting.

Draft in Minneapolis. Dark red color with a thin head. Little bits of malt in the aroma and taste, but not enough for a dark lager. Simple, but nothing special.