Life
Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery

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From:
Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
ABV:
8.4%
Score:
91
Avg:
4.18 | pDev: 10.53%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
14
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 02, 2015
Added:
Jul 07, 2005
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.75 by chrisjws from California

Oct 02, 2015
 
Rated: 3.66 by Bunuelian from Minnesota

Aug 15, 2015
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.64/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
On tap at the brewpub. Hopped up British malted. Coconut. Reddish colour. Ok drink ability. Listed as a strong ale. Strong British red ale. A bit disappointing.
Aug 09, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by XmnwildX12 from Minnesota

Aug 03, 2015
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

3.66/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
"Imperial Red Ale" on tap at the brewpub.
Lovely, clear, reddish-amber body with a good head and lacy patterns left on the glass.
Crisp, prickly carbonation. Moderately bitter. Hoppy but with some roasted grain flavor.
Jul 14, 2015
 
Rated: 4.33 by KarlHungus from Minnesota

Jul 13, 2015
Photo of MattyG85
Reviewed by MattyG85 from Minnesota

4.4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
750 ml mini growler bought from the brewpub with a date of July 15, 2015. Poured into a Town Hall Chalice glass.

Appearance: Pours a deep amber red with a moderate amount of bubbles. Huge three finger off white head which slowly settles into a thin patchy layer.

Smell: An earthy, spicy, and bready balanced aroma of hops and malt. Upfront scent of floral and spicy hops with hints of pine resin, cannabis, and grass. Subtle fruit hints of grapefruit and orange peel. Toasted malt with bready hints of biscuit, grains, caramel, and yeast. A pretty nice big and balanced aroma.

Taste: Like the smell hints at, a bready, spicy, and earthy Red style taste with notes of earthy hops and caramel malt. Earthy hops with some pine resin and grass along with some floral notes. Citrus fruit notes of orange peel and grapefruit. Toasted barley malt with notes of sweet caramel, biscuit, grains, and yeast. A very good Red Ale taste.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Creamy, fairly chewy, and drying. Alcohol is hidden well.

Overall: A very good take on an Imperial Red ale. Good mix of bready malt notes and spicy hops.
Jul 04, 2015
Photo of cokes
Reviewed by cokes from Wisconsin

4.73/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Silty dark bronze with strafing jets of carbonation riling a blanched sandstone topping of impressive rise and stickiness.
The nose is both broad and languid, with a prominence of caramel and Town Hall's seemingly signature sweet-bread yeastiness. The hops carry a back-up roll of herbs and mint leaves.
Begins with a chewy malt spine of caramel nougat, grain, and fresh breads. Just for the record, this growler is now 5 days past its "expiration date" and still tastes like it is being poured right in front of me at the pub. An ensuing rye-like spiciness materializes, as the malts makes sure they hold their ground, then, for additional good measure, they bring a dusting of cocoa powder and traces of almonds and walnuts. The middle is all dough and yeast, in that sort of warm, moist sweetbread notion.. It's just so fucking gluttonously delectable here. Most beer is generically clichéd as "liquid bread"; well, then this is liquid Crispy Cream Donuts; One of those things that you gobble down, knowing full well that its probably horrible for you....oorrrmp, chrummp, hrrruppp....but I don't give a shit, because it is sooo fucking good. Give me another....and, uh, the cream filled one, and that other one with the lard and the Crisco, and the butter, and just the dripping, filthy, tasty grease, and.... urrrhght, ummmhggh, ummmmfffh.
Gimme more.
You may have noticed that this clocks in at over 8% and I have not yet mentioned anything alcohol-associated. That's because it doesn't exist. It's like we've exited this world and entered some parallel universe where alcohol burn is transformed into delicious donuts.
The finish is full of wintergreen hop exclamations, which, I must say, is entirely un-donut-like. But works magically, since this is beer, and all. In that sense, it carries a forceful but not upsetting bitterness.
Given the parameters of this creation, this drinks like a truly session-worthy modified ESB. It is balanced, tight-rope style. The carbonation is steady and levitating. This is truly as drinkable as beers literally half its size. And truly dangerous in that sense.
I'm hiccupping, and sweating, and, you know, more drunk than I intended to be on a work night, and yet I still am swilling down gulps of it.
Amazing....just amazing.

Many thanks to the original patriot, Bighuge.
Jul 28, 2005
Photo of TastyTaste
Reviewed by TastyTaste from Minnesota

4.42/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
On tap at the brewery. Looks like a 10ish oz. serving. Dark red color, failry large tan head. Smell was very malty, in a way similar to a dopplebock, they just malted the hell out of this one. When taking a sip, the malt is the first and last thing you notice, but the hops are very impressive and notable. Fairly sweet beer, lots of carmel flavor. They say that it is 8.4%, but I couldn't find it. Great beer, lots of things going on.
Jul 28, 2005
Photo of ZAP
Reviewed by ZAP from Minnesota

4.72/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
A double red....yes indeed...they hit this one perfectly...and for a place that has never met a hop it doesn't like this one is amazingly malty and sweeter...as it should be in my opinion....it definitely has some hops but they work only to complement not steal the spot light...the maltiness features caramel, nouget, a hint of sweet chocolate and a small dose of toffee....hops are herbal and earthy...they fit nicely...

The ABV is hidden but there is no doubt this is a big beer...full bodied....rich...creamy mouthfeel....this ia a dandy....I've got a growler of this and will be enjoying glass #2 with a beef roast....glasses 3-5 may be saved for tomorrow....

Nice job on this one....and let me add what a reasonable price for a growler...$12 for a high octane brew like this is very legit..Thanks to BigHugey for grabbing this gem of a growler for me...in my top 10 TH beers of all time (I think)....
Jul 25, 2005
Photo of Bighuge
Reviewed by Bighuge from Minnesota

4.83/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
A double red from Town Hall. I've been waiting for one of these. I just happened to be in the brewpub the morning they were brewing this and it smelled awesome. ('Course it smells awesome any day that they brew.) Warrior was utilized I believe. Always a plus. Let's get to it...

Beautiful deep scarlet red. Clarity is excellent. There's a good dusting of light brown foam on top that sticks around for awhile. Lacing is excellent. Nice blend of thick caramel and nougat sweetness on the nose dripping over the West Coast hop goodness (pine resin, Mary Jane and grapefruit rind). The malt complexities of this beer are fabulous. As with the aroma, caramel and nougat are huge. Bighuge that is.... There's also some warm biscuity tones and toffee to compliment. The alcohol is masked to perfection. The hops are secondary, but damn nice. I'd guess the IBUs of this beer are up there...60, 70+ or so. But the malt is still the King in this Bad Boy. Hops contribute some of those oily, resiny, greasy, pungent characteristics. And they're quite nice. There's a nice lush, creamy mouthfeel. And it goes down effortlessly. I've got a growler of this and it won't be enough. A return trip is in order.

I was worried that this style of beer could come off as an IPA or DIPA, but it doesn't. It stands alone as designed.... a Double Red. I think the line was drawn nicely here to distinguish it from the IPA realm. The beautiful malt complexity stands out more than the hop attributes. And that is a testament to this beer.
Jul 20, 2005
Photo of LuckySevens82
Reviewed by LuckySevens82 from Florida

4.22/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a growler courtesy of feloniousmonk..Many thanks

Pours a very clear deep reddish brown with a small, but well defined off-white head. Lacing and retention are both good.
Smell is fruity, biscuity, a bit of caramel and quite a bit more malty than I would have thought. Alcohol is present but not entirely overwhelming.
Taste is malty sweetness, some burnt caramel, maybe some (as someone else said, graham crackers, which is kind of weird, but works in this beer). Malty sweetness is backed up in spades by a piny, citrusy, and just a bit earthy hop flavor and bitterness. Definite fruit undertones in this one, cherries, plums, figs all seem to play a part.
Mouthfeel is good, not too thick, but definitely not something to drink down like it's water either.
Overall, a very interesting take on the Red Ale, certainly like nothing I've had before, and very good. The only reason drinkability suffers at all is the ABV and the strong flavors of this beer make it more of a sipper than anything else, a very enjoyable beer though.
Jul 13, 2005
Photo of tavernjef
Reviewed by tavernjef from Minnesota

4.23/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
On-tap at the brewpub - Bright red glow at the bottom with a more maroon darkened top half. Soft white, semi-creamy head of thin to medium thickness adorns the top. Light lacing qualities.

Aroma is moslty floral berries and rounded tame downed malt tangyness and semi sweet with a dull fruity nuance.

Taste is big on malts, tangyish with a berryfied surge of fruityness mixed with dark caramel sweetness. Strawberry without the sour tartness mixed with a melons and other red berries. Good malt load here. So smooth and soothingly balanced on the flavors. Nice little underlay of light frothy chocolate milk. Finish is semi sweet with a return of brandy-like cherryness and deep dark fruity humid warmth.

Fantastic soothing feel with well rounded maltyness and deep dullish fruits. Seemingly full yet quick and rich with a quick malty slickness thats never overbearing or cloying. Slightly oily and floral hints slip in as it lingers. The 8.4% isn't evident anywhere til after a couple 10oz servings.

A fantastic malt laden brew. A Scotch Ale without the peat or smokey stuff. Quite a malty treat.
Jul 10, 2005
Photo of feloniousmonk
Reviewed by feloniousmonk from Minnesota

4.47/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
The name reminds me of a Sly & the Family Stone song, of the same name..."you don't have to die, before you live." How wise, Mr. Stewart...

Only served in 10 ounce pours at the pub, somehow I have a whole 64 ounces at my disposal...goodness gracious!

Dark crimson color, and clear, with a decent, long-lasting cap of off-whitish foam.

Aroma is lush malt, tidy hops, fuzzy, warm, and strength peeks through and invigorates the overall feel. Ahhh!!!

Taste: yes, let's! Huge fruit, fat malt, minimal hops, fierce alcohol...very warm...but it gets bigger and more complex as we sip it. We like it more...is it casting a spell on us, making us want it more? What is this beer doing?
Cherries and berries are at large, grapes and melons...and booze, too.
This is a lush and tasty thing...rather wise that they limit it to such a small serving at the establishment...who knows what chaos would ensue were we to toss back a pint of this in one sitting?

This is a tasty, tasty ale, with enough of a potent sting to slay the demons of the day and let one relax in forgetting those torments. It's good like that. And so is Life, when we have a beer like this at our disposal!
Jul 07, 2005
Life from Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 14 ratings