Vulcan Ale
Harvest Moon Brewery

Vulcan AleVulcan Ale
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From:
Harvest Moon Brewery
 
Montana, United States
Style:
Irish Red Ale
ABV:
5.4%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.4 | pDev: 11.18%
Reviews:
14
Ratings:
36
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 01, 2018
Added:
May 19, 2013
Wants:
  6
Gots:
  4
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Sammy:
Photo of Sammy
Rated by Sammy from Canada (ON)

2.75/5  rDev -19.1%

Oct 13, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Jan 01, 2018
 
Rated: 3.7 by Needmorebeer312 from Washington

Jul 24, 2016
Photo of Kobold
Reviewed by Kobold from Canada (BC)

3.38/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Look: a wet red brick lathered in late autumn sunlight.

Smell: distant camp fire at whose side unknown wanderers are barbecuing potatoes with the skins still on and toasting. woody resin also moves within and without the smoke.

Taste: a near unfathomable ancient biscuit malt dying into a confused, dry citrus finish. the sweetness transits from molasses to sugar-augmented soy sauce, to mellow aged stone fruit. as time wears an occasional lingering salmon swims about.

Feel: a little tickle despite the light cream texture.

Overall: not my preferred genre at the moment, though I do appreciate the rapid evolution into variegated degrees of malt sweetness.
Apr 02, 2016
 
Rated: 2.93 by Briken from Washington

Jan 11, 2016
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Reviewed by Mehinaman from Washington

4.17/5  rDev +22.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
I bought this on a recommendation from my local beer shoo who I trust immensely and they were right on. I'm surprised this one has not received better reviews on this site. I probably would have thought this beer was a gimmick, but for the recommendation, but oh man, it's the real deal. It's not real carbonated, but it drinks nice and smooth. It's a red ale, but reminds me a little bit of a Belgium pale ale. Either way, do not let the Star Trek nod throw you. This beer is delicious
Sep 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.64 by JMS1512 from New Jersey

Jun 18, 2015
 
Rated: 3.88 by ZachT from Canada (BC)

Apr 13, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by Birdlegs from Washington

Feb 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.58 by Daniellehto from Sweden

Jan 19, 2015
 
Rated: 2 by sjrodriguez from California

Nov 03, 2014
Photo of kemoarps
Reviewed by kemoarps from New York

3.79/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
4/3.75/3.75/3.5/4
Look, I'll admit that I bought this pretty much entirely for the novelty. It was relatively cheap, and I love Star Trek, so I figured why not?

The pour is a nice surprise: Ruddy amber body: appears crisp and clear. One and a half finger almond meat head dissipates eventually down to just a couple of cm, all the while leaving wonderful lacing down the edges.

Nose is wonderfully caramel rich, some biscuits and some spicy... something? Can't quite put my finger on it. Definitely driven by the toasted caramel and biscuits. The pleasant surprise continues

Starts out more green than expected based on style and aroma, but considering the blood of its namesake..
Sweet toffee and caramel greet the crisp... green-ness (almost kind of vinous, maybe somewhat leafy?), dominating most of the malt profile, which is the driving force in this brew. There's some biscuit stuffiness, but it's definitely sweeter than most red ale's I've had (admittedly not that many).
Fairly crisp, and a bit of leafy hops continue through the finish. The stale-type biscuit malts are present, but the sweet greens and toffee really drive this thing.

I bought this because it was cheap and, hey, Star Trek (DS9>TNG>TOS>VOY>TAS>ENT. Though Voyager and Animated could easily flip flop. Don't hate. JJs 'Lens Flare: The Remake!' don't count for these purposes). I expected fizzy stale water, but what I got was a pleasant surprise. This is not a GREAT beer by any means, but it is much more drinkable and enjoyable than I was anticipating. Reds are not a style I'm generally that into, and this one is sweeter than any others that I've tried. Maybe that's why I like it. Whatever it is, I'd drink it again, though probably won't again any time soon.
Oct 12, 2014
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

3.54/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a medium red-orange amber with a half finger of light tan head that dissipates to patches, with light lacing. Aroma of caramel malt, tea, mild citrus, a bit vegetal with a mild spiciness, almost like a light winter warmer. Flavor is a spicy biscuit and caramel malt with the same tea-like components in the aroma, light apple juice and berries, finishing with light grassy hops. Medium bodied. A pleasant enough red ale, not quite an Irish red, the fruit flavors are kind of unbalanced with the malt, leaving a slightly odd overripe fruit element. Drinkable, but not fascinating, doctor. I'm not sure what Spock would think of it. Vulcans are split between teetotalism with some drinking port and brandy. Perhaps not model beer drinkers.
Oct 06, 2014
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

3.5/5  rDev +2.9%
I've never watched more than 30 seconds of a Star Trek episode or movie so Vulcan Ale is a missed opportunity as far as cheesy puns or dorky sci-fi jokes go. But I will say this: its head certainly does *not* live long nor prosper; it fizzles out at light-speed pace. And the relatively bright, clear amber ale is nowhere near deep or dark enough to pass as a final frontier.

This so-called "mind-melding good" ale has a merely so-so aroma, one comprised of only moderate maltiness and just a very general toffee-like flavour. It's lightly toasty and lightly buttery but, unlike my morning breakfast, isn't exactly something one would wake up craving for.

The taste, however, does contain a pleasant nuttiness; notes of pecan and filbert beg for milk chocolate (even if this malty profile sticks to caramel sweetness). There are flavours of buttered toast and honeycomb toffee yet the finish is dry and tastes of smoked biscuits.

Though Irish by birth and in name, that country can't really lay claim to the style's best. In fact, my favourite examples hail from America and they're amped up with piny, resinous hops - but that was not done here. This is no-frills, just basic caramel malt flavor and dry roasty finish.

While I hate to generalize, Irish Red Ales are rarely glamorous and, what's more, Vulcan Ale is far from the style's most impressive example. Unless you're the most die-hard of Star Trek geeks I don't know that this even warrants collectors item status. This mundane ale is very much of this planet - there's nothing remotely out-of-worldly about it.
Sep 05, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by rab53 from Washington

Aug 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by bulldogops from Canada (AB)

Aug 28, 2014
Photo of thehyperduck
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)

3.4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
473 mL can from the LCBO served slightly chilled; no freshness info. An Irish Red Ale would not have been my first guess as the Vulcan libation of choice, but it definitely sounds more appealing than that crappy lager with the blue food colouring that the Romulans have been passing off as beer.

This ale pours a ruddy, ruby-amber colour, topped with two fingers of fluffy, off-white head that recedes at a steady pace over the next period of minutes. A dense, lumpy cap and collar are the eventual result, alongside some messy lacing. It definitely looks the part, but the aroma is not really what I expect from this style. Candied orange, lemon, caramel sweetness and some bready malts come through, with a note of pineapple as well (which is far more noticeable off the can than the glass). Fascinating.

A little less fruity than the aroma let on, with the malt backbone boldly going where I wasn't really expecting it to. Slightly bready, with caramel, roasted malts and toasted nuts coming through prominently. Notes of red apple and berries are next, with the hop bill providing an adequately enjoyable blend of earthy, leafy, and grassy bitterness that rounds out the profile. An earthy, almost dirty aftertaste with some lingering bitterness and toasted grain sweetness. Medium-bodied, with moderate carbonation and a fairly smooth feel on the palate. While it would be illogical to call this a bad beer, it would seem overly exuberant to claim the opposite.

Final Grade: 3.4, a B-. As soon as I spotted this can on the shelves, my internal sensors detected a strong probability that Vulcan Ale was nothing more than a cash grab aimed at fans of the long-running franchise. Given the fact that there are several other 'Vulcan Ales' being contract brewed elsewhere, I can't really doubt my initial gut instinct, but this particular edition is at least a serviceable red ale with a nice hop twist. I wouldn't buy it again at this price point (3.40 per can), but there's nothing wrong with the beer itself so I'd certainly say it's worth at least one try whether you're a Trek nerd or not.
Jun 25, 2014
Photo of spinrsx
Reviewed by spinrsx from Canada (ON)

3.22/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25
500ml Can from the Ottawa LCBO for $3 or so

Appearance - Copper colour with a small size off-white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is some fair lacing. The head lasted for around 4-5 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Hops, malts, breads/grains

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel, malts, and faint grapefruit. There is also some dry hops, a hint of chocolate, and a graininess.

Overall - An okay beer, comes across as a little watery at times. Kind of a mixed bag of flavours, so something for everyone I guess. Not something I'd buy again.
Jun 17, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by RedAleMan from Canada (ON)

May 13, 2014
Photo of patre_tim
Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand

3.32/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
A: Amber red, filtered, little carbonation, 4 fingers of slight beige white head. Nice lacing, head fades relatively fast to a finger.

S: Ripe pineapple, toasted malts, caramel, candy apple.

T: Ripe honeydew melon, sweet, some pineapple, toast, medium dark roasted malts, long dull bitterness. Apples.

M: Medium slightly syrupy but smooth body, little carbonation.

O: Certainly different. Pineapple juice meets amber beer. A bit sweet for my liking. Good and different.
May 10, 2014
Vulcan Ale from Harvest Moon Brewery
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 36 ratings