Tag Archives: Red Ale

New Belgium La Folie

A sour brown ale of the Flanders Red style from New Belgium’s Lips of Faith series, the 2016 edition was aged in French oak for 1-3 years.  The nose is light and musty.  The middle is bright, very tart, and strongly apple flavored.  There’s a bit of vanilla in the finish, presumably from the oak, but the sour apple still dominates.  The body is medium to heavy and the alcohol is a pleasant 7.0% ABV.  It isn’t terribly complex, but it is beautiful in its simplicity.  A sour brown ale of the Flanders Red style from New Belgium’s Lips of Faith series, the 2016 edition was aged in French oak for 1-3 years.  The nose is light and musty.  The middle is bright, very tart, and strongly apple flavored.  There’s a bit of vanilla in the finish, presumably from the oak, but the sour apple still dominates.  The body is medium to heavy and the alcohol is a pleasant 7.0% ABV.  It isn’t terribly complex, but it is beautiful in its simplicity.

I give it a 4.4 out of 5.

Pinstripe Red Ale

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Pinstripe is a Red Ale from Ska Brewing of Durango, Colorado. The coloration is a medium copper and the nose is toasty. There’s very little bitterness here, and in the middle I get caramel and quite a bit of fruit in the form of peach and apricot. The finish is grainy and slightly metallic with just a little lemon. There’s not anything particular special about this beer, but it is a great example of the style and would be a wonderful post-lawn mowing beer.

I give it a 3.7 out of 5.

Sierra Nevada Flipside Red IPA

sierra-nevada-flipside-red-ipa

Flipside Red IPA is a new seasonal super hoppy west-coast style IPA from the folks at Sierra Nevada in Chico, California. It’s deep dark red in color, and the nose is floral and grassy, with a bit of honeysuckle. The middle has lemon, grapefruit, and a bit of pine, and the pine gets stronger and stronger through the finish. It’s mid-weight in body, and comes in at 6.2% ABV for a nice dose of alcohol but not too much. If you like the bitter, hoppy west-coast IPAs as I do, this is a great beer.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5.