Hammerhead Red Ale
Brewsters Brewing Company & Restaurant - Oliver Square

Hammerhead Red AleHammerhead Red Ale
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From:
Brewsters Brewing Company & Restaurant - Oliver Square
 
Alberta, Canada
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
ABV:
5%
Score:
79
Avg:
3.18 | pDev: 12.89%
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
16
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 07, 2021
Added:
Jul 18, 2005
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  7
19 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by boszormeny:
Photo of boszormeny
Rated by boszormeny from Canada (ON)

2.94/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Jan 02, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of BPVandenbroek
Reviewed by BPVandenbroek from Canada (AB)

3.06/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Hammerhead Red Ale is a nice, crystal clear beer. It's deep copper in color, tinting towards ruby in the middle of my glass. The head is dense, cream colored, and has decent retention.

Caramel, sweetness, and hints of nuttiness are the first things I notice as I take my first sniff. Hammerhead's aroma reminds me somewhat of an English brown ale with its hint of nuttiness and overall maltiness. Then comes what smells like damp earth and ripe, dark, stone fruit. The finish gives me a hint of peppery, European hops before fading into the distance.

On the tongue, Hammerhead is smooth and medium bodied. The flavor gives me up front caramel and this time, cocoa powder instead of added caramel sweetness. Nuttiness accentuates the cocoa flavors only without the earthiness to add depth to the beer's flavors. Finish is short and clipped.

Hammerhead Red is pleasant, but lacks any real depth or character. What's more disappointing is how this beer feels like it could have been a very good English brown ale if a little more thought and effort had gone in.
Jul 07, 2021
 
Rated: 3.62 by Bunman3 from Canada (AB)

Aug 10, 2017
Photo of jhamelin819
Rated by jhamelin819 from Canada (AB)

3.45/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
a really nice simple red ale, nothing extra special, but very enjoyable, great on tap, but fine when poured into a glass from the bottle.
Feb 02, 2016
 
Rated: 3.1 by Exeter from Canada (AB)

Dec 13, 2015
Photo of headlessparrot
Reviewed by headlessparrot from Canada (ON)

3.32/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
The last hope from the Brewster's "Brewer's Dozen" mixed-twelve pack. And . . . yup, another disappointment. This might as well be Rickard's Red.

Pours a reddish copper colour, fairly clear, with a finger or so of white-ish head (though that head has surprising persistence and leaves some decent lacing). Smell is metallic, slightly coppery, caramel, toasted malt, a hint of coffee or dark chocolate. Maple, maybe a faint hint of pine. Taste echoes that: a bit thin in body and yet it sits a bit heavy (oddly enough). Lots of caramel, caramelized sugars, toasted and roasted malt. Not much in the way of hopping.

Maybe the best of the mixed pack, but still not saying much. Very much in the spirit of "generic" amber/red ales that the big brands have used to appeal to nascent craft-drinkers in the past.
Nov 16, 2015
 
Rated: 2.75 by Howlader from Canada (AB)

Mar 31, 2015
Photo of CalgaryFMC
Reviewed by CalgaryFMC from Canada (AB)

3.25/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Arrived in a pint glass, a coppery brown amber with a small amount of off-white head. Aroma was a pleasant toffee malt with small amounts of stone fruit and spice. Palate was initially nice malty toffee and some raisins/dried stone fruit notes along with a floral earthy English hop bitterness. Unfortunately the finish was less than stellar, initially a nice hop bitterness but devolved into metal and cardboard flavors that coupled with a watery body to leave me rather disappointed. Good start but the beer gassed out and finished a bit ugly. There are better beers to be had at Brewster's.
Sep 04, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by FadetoBock from Canada (AB)

Sep 01, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Alberta_Beer_Guy from Canada (AB)

Jul 16, 2012
Photo of wordemupg
Reviewed by wordemupg from Canada (AB)

3.47/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
500ml bottle poured into pint glass 4/3/12

A light brownish amber with lots of carbonation feeding a short lived thumbs width of foam that leaves no lace

S a little herbal, leafy hops with some nutty toffee and very faint chocolate, smells more like a brown ale to me

T some cola and tea bag on top of what I smell, fairly malty but decent stuff

M could use slightly more bubbles and its a little slick after the fact, decent body to it more chocolate on the finish then in the mouth

O OK beer but not up there with some of Brewster`s other offerings

I`m glad I just got this one to go because the un-bottled Tongue Cutter was great on tap today
Mar 05, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by hockeybarbie from Canada (AB)

Jan 15, 2012
Photo of biboergosum
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)

3.53/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
20oz pint at the Edmonton Oliver location. One of their mainstay offerings - no idea what hammerhead sharks have to do with River City.

This beer appears a clear, medium bronzed amber hue, with a thin cap of wispy, fleetingly foamy, and mostly soapy off-white head, which leaves some broadly rendered webbed lace around the glass as things gradually abate.

It smells lightly of semi-sweet caramel malt, hard toffee, softly bitter dark orchard fruit, and perhaps a touch of earthy spice. The taste is much more overt, with some caramel taffy maltiness, oily nuts, a bit of that fruity Brewsters yeast, indistinct bruised dark fruit, red licorice, and some musty, weedy, and floral hoppiness.

The bubbles are average, just a plain and supportive, yet edgy frothiness, the body an adequate medium weight, and smooth, I suppose, nothing else really seeming up for interfering here. It finishes generally dry, with a hint of lingering tangy fruit, and biscuity graininess.

Overall - not too shabby, but not all that good, by the same sword - kind of thin in the overall flavour department. However, if you're avoiding the hops, but don't want a sweetness overload either, this is the one for you - nice and drinkable overall.
Sep 02, 2009
Photo of elricorico
Reviewed by elricorico from Canada (AB)

2.88/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Review from notes. Served to me in a chilled mug, I waited plenty of time for it to warm up. The beer itself is a chestnut brown with a creamy beige head. The head fades to a thin layer on top but doesn't totally go away.

There is a touch of burnt sugar and bready malt in the aroma. Overall the smell is light.

Light sweetness in the first taste, a bit of toasted bread. The finish is a mix of citrus and metallic flavours. Not much of interest here.

The body is on the thin side, and the carbonation is a tad prickly. Not that bad but not that good.

This is far from the best you can get at Brewster's.
Nov 30, 2006
Photo of niangelo
Reviewed by niangelo from Canada (AB)

3.3/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Presentation - 500ml plastic bottle (?) That's ok, it didn't seem to affect the taste. Half-inch head the faded quickly in my standard pint-glass.

Aroma - nothing that stood out dramatically. Some hopiness, caramel malt character.

Mouthfeel - Pretty good. Solid carbonation and a smooth feel around my tounge. Not overly watery.

Taste - Hints of lingering toastiness, smooth nutty flavors. Went down well. Unfortunately, when the beer warmed up a little more, a mild metallic flavor was uncovered.

Overall pretty solid drinkability. Much more enjoyable than certain a macro red ale, nothing incredible, but fon to drink and I'd buy some again.
Jul 27, 2005
Photo of francisweizen
Reviewed by francisweizen from Washington

2/5  rDev -37.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Yawn. Tap. Light amber/red with a small fizzy head that dies quickly. Aromas of slight malts, a twinge of caramel, and maybe some faint hops (and my 'tender said that this was this 'brewpubs/chains' hoppiest offering!). Taste is as bland as tap water. Some slight bready maltiness, and some slight hops, but nothing really. Tastes like a watered down light lager! Mouthfeel is light and super watery. Drinkability? "Why Bother" sounds about right! Uninspired beer from an uninspired place...
Jul 18, 2005
Hammerhead Red Ale from Brewsters Brewing Company & Restaurant - Oliver Square
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 16 ratings