Red Betty I.S.A.
Central City Brewers + Distillers

Red Betty I.S.A.Red Betty I.S.A.
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From:
Central City Brewers + Distillers
 
British Columbia, Canada
Style:
American IPA
ABV:
4%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.63 | pDev: 10.19%
Reviews:
19
Ratings:
75
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 25, 2017
Added:
Apr 05, 2014
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  7
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by DoubleJ:
Photo of DoubleJ
Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin

3.66/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Central City is like a long lost friend to me. I love their beers, but it has been years since I have seen one. I spotted some cans of the "session IPA" along with the standard IPA, both being no-doubt single can purchases. At 4% ABV, this meets the criteria of a true session beer. From a 12 ounce can, on to the beer:

Two fingers thick and frothy is the head, while below is a grapefruit colored body with a few visible bubbles floating to the top. The aroma is hoppy alright, albeit toned down. There's melon, tangerine, cantaloupe, pine, and grass. Mild aroma, but very complex.

Session ale indeed. Very light in body, and very light in the malt bill in ratio to the hops. Pretty clean and somewhat fruity, this ale also has a lingering whisper of burnt plastic (something must not have been perfect in the making of).

For those who don't want too much alcohol, this is an alright choice. Personally, I'll suck up the few extra ABV points and go for the IPA (to say nothing of their lovely Imperial IPA).
Jul 24, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I poured this into a pint glass. The appearance had a semi-hazy golden orange color with a decent transparency about it. Light bubbles are seen rising to fill a one finger bubbly along the side foamy in the center white head. She dissipates at a nice pace leaving a fairly clingy lacing here and there. The smell had a light floral to light spicy and even a light grassy connotation comes into play to combine fairly nicely. The taste was basically the same with a decent sweet malt to pick up a crisp but balanced feel running over my taste buds.. On the palate, this one sat about a light on the body and yes, this is sessionable. The carbonation was actually a bit kinder on the palate as I didn’t get what I expected of an IPA’s harshness but still created a fairly decent smooth effect that did compound a certain stickiness. Overall, well, its a session IPA. I’m thinking Central City did everything they wanted to do with this beer.
Jun 25, 2017
 
Rated: 3.5 by Karibourgeois from Texas

Jan 13, 2017
Photo of hoptheology
Reviewed by hoptheology from California

3.76/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Found this lone can at the back of the fridge somehow, and I'm not proud to announce it is over a year old. Still, it pours a tall head of 3 fingers, popcorn in color, with a nice clarity to the hay colored body.

Aromas of naked flaked oats, toffee, brown sugar, caramel, and pine. Though it's ugly, it is still fresh smelling.

I want to say it's like a rainbow. It starts with caramel malts, giving way to pine, fresh orange, toffee, and a pithy grapefruit finish. The beer incorporates all of the different flavors that are within the style and none of them trample over the other - yet it's not muddy or undefined.

Feel is quenching yet scrapingly dry, leaving a little bit of parch on the palate.

Overall, ISA isn't half bad. I'd like to think I'd have it again if I were up in Oregon.
Oct 28, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by bigred89 from Maryland

Aug 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.31 by Powers30 from Canada (NB)

May 04, 2016
 
Rated: 3.38 by kmoen from California

Mar 22, 2016
Photo of elNopalero
Reviewed by elNopalero from Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
This pours a golden amber in color with a creamy cap of foam. I get a mix of tropical fruit and lemony notes on the aroma. Big juicy flavor with little malt to back it up. 4%! I liked it.
Nov 02, 2015
Photo of busternuggz
Reviewed by busternuggz from California

3.84/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Risky buy from Grocery Outlet Bargain Market. Poured from a can into a pint glass. No discernible canning date. I'm grading on a bit of a curve, since this is a "session IPA".

Crystal clear coppery-gold color with a puffy off white 1/2" head. Good retention, leaves soapy lacing. Very nice looking beer.

Aromas of planty, herbal hops, some pine/evergreen. A little mint? Simple but nice.

Nice biting bitterness in the taste, still very planty and herbal. Pine sap gives way to grapefruit pith on the finish. Little malt presence, maybe a tiny crystal malt presence in the middle if you look for ir. Surprisingly long, bitter aftertaste, like chewing on a grapefruit peel.

Light smooth body, definitely sessionable. Slightly viscous. Ends clean.

This was surprisingly good for being of dubious origin. Beautiful appearance, unique herbal hop profile, plenty of bitterness, easy to drink. I think if the can said the name of an American brewery this would be rated higher. Definitely worth the $5.50 price tag!
Oct 14, 2015
 
Rated: 3.9 by smithj4 from New York

Oct 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4.21 by ChipChaight from New York

Sep 27, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by dbc5 from Arizona

Aug 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.44 by Texasfan549 from Texas

Jul 12, 2015
 
Rated: 3.37 by Gabriel_Vaughn from California

Jun 27, 2015
 
Rated: 3.65 by Roybert from Texas

Jun 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3 by XicanoBeerRun from Texas

Jun 04, 2015
 
Rated: 3.73 by Jame515 from Texas

May 31, 2015
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

3.61/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from 12oz can into a pint glass.

Appearance: light golden hue with a dash of haze and a very strong effervescence. Head is a thick finger of frothy eggshell foam. Quite attractive.

Smell: lightly grainy malt with a bit of a grassy, herbal hop character. Pretty mild, but well-enough compsed.

Taste: like the aroma, it's a bit on the dry and grainy side. The hops are a bit grassy and not particularly strong. Bitterness is low; it's certainly not a bad beer, but it just doesn't offer a whole lot.

Mouthfeel: light body but with a good level of carbonation and a rather surprising creaminess. Not too bad!

Overall: this beer lacks oomph, which I guess is not surprising for a session ale. That said, it is nicely drinkable and could be quite refreshing in the right context.
May 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.61 by Tiernan from Texas

May 12, 2015
 
Rated: 3.52 by Boozecamel from Canada (BC)

May 10, 2015
Red Betty I.S.A. from Central City Brewers + Distillers
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 75 ratings