I received a special can of Tule Duck Red as a sample from Buckbean Brewing Company before the official cans were released so my photos of the can may not represent what you’ll find in the stores. This red ale is refreshingly different from other West Coast breweries in that it is not super-charged with the 3Cs (Cascade, Centennial, Chinook), instead the hops reveal themselves as more herbal and floral. The malt of this beer also gives is a sweeter flavor.Buckbean Brewing describes Tule Duck Red Ale as follows:

This red, robust ale combines a silky smooth, rich body with a fruity, caramel malt flavor and a soft herbal dry hopped finish. A full flavored, classic beer that pairs well with hearty foods of all types.

Date Reviewed. August 21, 2009

Where I Found It. Sent to me by Buckbean Brewing.

Serving Type. Can to a glass.

Appearance. Tule Duck Red Ale has a deep red-brown mahogany color and almost matches the color on the can. The head is off-white yellow-tan that is almost like a cappuccino. It is such a deep color it is hard to ascertain the clarity but it looks to be slightly hazy. The head has a mix of tiny and medium sized bubbles and lasts about as long as you would expect.

Smell. This beer has a sweet roasted malt aroma with a biscuit quality and with a touch of brown sugar and caramel. Unlike others of this style that I’ve had recently, it doesn’t smell like brew day or a brewery, fresh malts. This doesn’t mean there is something wrong with the beer, just an observation and quite to the contrary the aroma of this beer is great. It also has a little hint of coffee smell but a sweet and roasted coffee smell and not a burnt or woodsy. The hop aroma enhances the sweetness with floral notes and a hint of vanilla.

Taste. Tule Duck Red Ale has a sweet roasted flavor almost a woodsy earthy but weak roasted coffee with a touch of sugar added. I has little bit of caramel.  It also has a bit of bitterness that somewhat adds to the coffee flavor. The sweetness is malty but seems a little candy like.

Mouthfeel. This is a medium bodied beer with an average amount of carbonation.

Drinkability. This beer goes down smooth and is easy to drink. The candy-like sweetness is a little different and would probably keep me from having more than two, at the same time I rarely want more than two of event the best beers before I move on to try something else, sometimes it’s even just one.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.0
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 3.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 3.5
• Drinkability (10%): 3.5
• Overall: 3.80

Information

• Style: red ale or amber ale
• Brewery: Buckbean Brewery
• Alcohol by volume: 6.2%
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.19 (as of May 15, 2010)

Other Reviews

• Drinkhacker.com – Review: Buckbean Brewing Company Beers
• Basically Red – To be Read, Basically – Buckbean Brewery Tule Duck Red Ale, Orange Blossom Ale, and Black Noddy Lager
• Beer and Whiskey Brothers - We Love You Buckbean!
• The Beer Snob – Beer Review: Buckbean’s Brewing’s Tule Duck Red Ale
• Beer Goggins – Bucking the Trend: Reviewing 3 of Buckbean Brewing’s Finest Beers
• Beer Advocate – Tule Duck Red Ale
• Rate Beer – Buckbean Tule Duck Red Ale

The Napa Smith Brewery is a fairly new brewery out of Napa, California. The brewery was started by “The Smith Family” who was able to hire a master brewer of 30 years, Don Barkley, with the simple premise that the beers they produce should pair well with food. Their core offerings are Pale Ale, Amber Ale, and Wheat Beer. The beer that I reviewed is either a seasonal or special release called Lost Dog Red Ale and is quite delicious.Napa Smith describes this beer on the back of each 22 oz. bottle as follows:

Napa Smith is a handcrafted artisan beer brewed at the southern gateway of the Napa Valley. Our family brings together the finest ingredients and 35 years of brewing experience. Our full-bodied Red Ale is rich and robust with a hoppy finish. With a warm red hue and a dense off-white head, Lost Dog is the perfect beer to share with someone special or a long-lost friend.

Following with the philosophy of pairing beer with food, the following food pairing is on the back of this bottle, “Our Lost Dog pairs well with short ribs, hamburgers, and garlic fries.”

Date Reviewed. January 4, 2010.

Where I Found It. Draeger’s in San Mateo, CA.

Serving Type. 22oz. bottle to an imperial pint glass.

Appearance. Off-white head foamy head that has average to below average retention. Crystal clear orange amber color.

Smell. Lost Dog Red Ale has a wweet malty, toasty, and biscuit aromas. Floral, pleasant, orange blossom hop bouquet. Maybe a slight vanilla flavor. Very inviting smell.

Taste. The taste of this beer matches the aroma quite well. It has a pleasant bitterness that contrasts well against the malty biscuit sweetness. In this respect, the bitterness is smooth and refreshing but present and tasty and just slightly spicy. Quite delicious and well crafted.

Mouthfeel. Lost Dog Red Ale has a medium to full bodied beer with a smooth and almost creamy texture.

Drinkability. For a malty sweet beer, the bitterness makes it refreshing and smooth.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.5
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 4.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.5
• Drinkability (10%): 4.5
• Overall: 4.5

Information

• Style: red ale
• Brewery: Napa Smith Brewery
• Alcohol by volume: 7.2%
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.36 (as of May 12, 2010)

Other Reviews

• Bay Area Beer Blog – Beer of the Week: Napa Smith Brewing Lost Dog
• BetterBeerBlog – 14th Annual Fairfax Brewfest Recap
• Beer Advocate - Lost Dog
• Rate Beer – Napa Smith Lost Dog

On a recent vacation to London, a friend of mine, Allen, introduced me to The Jerusalem Tavern where we were in for a real treat: a full selection of St. Peter’s Brewery beers on tap and in bottles. One of the beers I tried was the Ruby Red Ale and although I drank it out of an acrylic pint glass, I was able to enjoy it outside with friends and it still tasted spectacular.

St. Peter’s Brewery describes Ruby Red Ale on their website as follows:

A tawny red ale with subtle malt undertones and a distinctive spicy hop aroma from Cascade. Ruby Red won a Silver Medal at the SIBA East Anglian Beer Festival in Bedford in October 2004.

Where I Found It. I had a pint of Ruby Red at The Jerusalem Tavern in London on August 11, 2009.

Serving Type. This beer was served from the cask into an acrylic pint glass.

Appearance. Thin off-white head with loose bubbles and does not last long. Clear red amber ruby mahogany color.

Smell. Ruby Red Ale has a sweet crystal malt aroma which is more sweet and roasted than biscuit-like. The fruity sweetness almost reminds me of watermelon, sweet and refreshing. The hop aroma is subtle and sweet.

Taste. This beer as a smooth sweetness with a kick of bitterness at the end. It has roasted sweetness with a flavor of vanilla. I also has a wonderfully unique flavor which is hard to describe. There is a hint of cocao which gives a slight dark chocolate flavor enhanced by the bitterness of the hops. This beer, to me, seems quite bitter, but at the time of writing, during my London trip, I have had several barely hopped English ales. So on the spectrum of English bitters, this beer is much more bitter.

Mouthfeel. Ruby Red Ale is medium bodied with low carbonation. It has just the right amount of thickness for the flavor. Not watery and not syrupy.

Drinkability. Delicious and a refreshing departure from the almost too easy to drink English ales.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.0
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 4.0
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Drinkability (10%): 4.0
• Overall: 4.1

Information

• Style: English Bitter
• Brewery: St. Peter’s Brewery
• Alcohol by volume: 4.3%
• Hops: Cascade aroma hops
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.88 (as of September 18, 2009)

Other Reviews

• Jeffo’s Beer Blog – St Peter’s Ruby Red Ale
• Beer Advocate – St. Peter;s Ruby Red Ale
• Rate Beer – St. Peter’s Ruby Red Ale
• The British Larder – Finger Licking St.Peters Ruby Red Ale Sticky Pork Ribs

St. Rogue Red beer is an award winning red ale that has won Best Amber at the 2006 Celebration of Suds, a Silver at the 2004 World Beer Championships, and more.

Where I Found It. I enjoyed this beer at the Yard House in Pasadena, CA.

Serving Type. I tried St. Rogue Red on tap served into a pint glass.

Appearance. This beer has a typical off-white head, which lasts an average amount of time. Despite it’s amber color, it is crystal clear with a medium amber golden color.

Smell. Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red has intense floral hops with citrus and pine notes. The pine is a smooth scent and not harsh and scratchy. There is also a hint of grapefruit with a touch of orange.The malt aroma is almost completely masked by the hop bouquet.

Taste. The hop bitterness can be characterized as being smooth and not very harsh. I was surprised when I tasted this beer because it is not as bitter as you might expect from the very hoppy nose. It gives it a refreshing quality. I would consider this beer to be more roasty and toasty but less malty. It does, however, have a nice balance between the malt and hops.

Mouthfeel. This is a medium to light bodied beer. I actually find it to be on the lighter side of body and almost feeling a bit too watery for my taste. The hop bitterness finishes well and does not linger too long. Although it seemed watery to my, my gravity calculations don’t agree so take this part of the rating for a grain of salt.

Drinkability. This beer is very drinkable. It is smooth and well balanced which makes it feel like it is not too bitter even though it has 44 IBUs of bitterness. Although it felt a little watery for my taste, this lighter body makes it more refreshing.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.0
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 4.0
• Mouthfeel (10%): 3.0
• Drinkability (10%): 4.0
• Overall: 4.0

Information

• Style: Red Ale
• Brewery: Rogue Brewery
• Alcohol by volume: 5.1%
• Original Gravity: 1.053 (13° Plato)
• Final Gravity: 1.014 (3.6° Plato)
• Hops: Chinook and Centennial.
• Malt: Great Western Harrington, Klages, Munich & Hugh Baird Carastan 30-37 & 13-17, Crystal 70-80.
• IBU: 44
• Yeast: Pacman yeast
• Color: 27° Lovibond
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.85 (on May 19, 2009)

Other Reviews

• Legal Beer – Rogue Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red Ale
• The Full Pint – Review – Rogue Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red Ale
• The Beer Babe – Rogue – Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red Ale
• Grizzly Growler - Fall beer picks: St. Rogue Red Ale
• Mike Loves Beer – Rogue Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red Ale
• Beer Advocate – St. Rogue Red
• RateBeer – Rogue Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red Ale
• 97 Bottles – Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red