Red Dread Imperial Red Ale
Bitter Root Brewing

Red Dread Imperial Red AleRed Dread Imperial Red Ale
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From:
Bitter Root Brewing
 
Montana, United States
Style:
Imperial Red Ale
Ranked #38
ABV:
8.24%
Score:
87
Ranked #17,684
Avg:
3.84 | pDev: 7.81%
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
28
Status:
Active
Rated:
May 05, 2022
Added:
Aug 10, 2011
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  4
Our spring seasonal and most anticipated release of the year! Big, malty, Hoppy and full flavored beer aggressively dry hopped with 1/2 lb of CTZ and 1/2 lb of Citra hops per barrel...
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Ratings by JohnGalt1:
Photo of JohnGalt1
Reviewed by JohnGalt1 from Idaho

3.85/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
My brother picked this up on his recent trip to Yellowstone... Purchased at Marcellars in Idaho Falls... He paid about $5 for the bottle... poured into m Cigar City snifter.

Foamy off white head... the brew is VERY HAZY lite amber.. nice lacing for sure.

The nose immediately makes me think of many of the Lagunitas brews... Good pine and citrus zest that gets a bit muddled in caramel and toasty maltiness...

Flavor shows pretty much the same attributes... citrus and caramel malts up front but a good hoppy bitterness trails things out for a long finish.. dry and sorta pungent on the end.

Body seems on the heavy side of medium, but the everpresent carbonation helps pull everything together.

I am serious... I could sell this to my geek brethren as a good Lagunitas brew easily. Nicely done.

3.5/3.5/4/4/4
Nov 08, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.77 by DownyIsHungry from Minnesota

May 05, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by Kolb from Montana

Apr 30, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by Sir_Goatman from Oregon

Oct 14, 2018
Photo of BBThunderbolt
Reviewed by BBThunderbolt from Kiribati

3.3/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Thanks to BBQ for this one. 12oz can poured into 16oz tulip. Poured a murky red-amber color with over 1/2 inch of tan head that had low retention and medium-light lacing.

The aroma was mostly malt, with some musty hops. Pretty similar on the tongue. The body was a bit on the full side of medium. Drinkability was decent. Overall,an OK take on the style,worth a shot if you see it.
Sep 16, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by elglueckert from Montana

Nov 07, 2016
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

3.58/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from 22oz bomber into a tulip.

Appearance: rich, dark red-brown hue with plenty of haze and a thin layer of frothy tan foam. Pretty nice.

Smell: super bready and caramelly. Big and rich, but a little one-dimensional.

Taste: sweet, malty, bready and caramelly with a dose of citrusy, bright hops. The combination is OK but it doesn't blow me away. Something about the piquancy of the hops just doesn't quite work with the thick bread of the malt.

Mouthfeel: rich body with a moderate carbonation but merely an OK creaminess.

Overall: this beer is OK but it just doesn't do it for me. The citrusy hops don't actually play with the imperial redness super well.
Oct 16, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by Irrationalist from California

Apr 04, 2016
Photo of TheSixthRing
Reviewed by TheSixthRing from California

4.01/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance - Pours an opaque, rusted out orange/brown color with a sandstone colored, near 2 finger head. Certainly not the prettiest brew out there. Fair retention, giving way to a thin, broken layer of surface suds.

Smell - Hoppy with a malty undertone. Picking up grapefruit, fresh cut grass, baking bread and a very faint caramel.

Taste - Predominantly hoppy, with grapefruit and lesser pineapple being the main focus, but there's a lot more caramel backbone in the flavor than found on the nose. Faint spice and some leafy bitterness. Hints of pine pop in mid-taste along with a trace of dark chocolate. The finish is fairly balanced with a touch of bread and grassy hop entering the fray.

Mouthfeel - Heavy medium body with moderate carbonation. Silky, smooth texture glides down easily before a semi-dry finish.

Overall - Very delicious, unique take on the Imperial Red style. I've only had two beers from this brewery, and my experience with all Montana breweries is very limited, but I'm beginning to suspect that they might be Montana's best kept secret.
May 04, 2015
 
Rated: 4.17 by sporklift87 from Colorado

Mar 16, 2015
Photo of Darkmagus82
Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas

4.01/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance – The beer pours a slightly hazed brick red color with a one finger head of off white foam sitting atop the brew. As the head slowly fades over time it leaves a light level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma of the beer is very bready with lots of caramel sweetness as well. Tons of pine aromas mixed with a lighter grapefruit hop create a very pleasing hop base to the smell. There are hints of a roastedness and a moderate showing of a grassy and herbal hop as well, creating a very inviting and pleasant smell overall.

Taste – The taste begins a bit drier then I would have anticipated, but not too dry. There is a lighter caramel sweetness mixed with a decently doughy and lightly toasted bread taste upfront. Along with the more malty tastes are some decent hop flavors of a pine and grapefruit hop. The grapefruit remains relatively constant, but the pine grows stronger and stronger as the taste moves on. All the while the caramel flavors fade a bit and create a drier flavor. With a little bit of a grassy hop joining the more bitter and resinous pine, a slightly dry hopped flavor is left to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the thicker side in terms of creaminess with a carbonation level that is average. The thicker body was fantastic for the drier red flavors of the brew with the carbonation being a nice balance between easy drinking but still supporting of flavor. Well done overall.

Overall – A drier and rather tasty hopped red overall. A great one to try if you get a chance.
Nov 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by a77cj7 from South Dakota

Nov 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by GClarkage from California

Jul 08, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by elektronen from Montana

Jun 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by thebigredone from Wisconsin

May 24, 2014
Photo of DKRowden
Reviewed by DKRowden from Washington

3.99/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
On tap poured into a pint glass. Appearance is deep red with a bubbly 1-2 finger white head. Smell is of citrus aroma hops. Taste was enjoyable with a malty base and citrus notes and slight hoppyness. Feel was oily goin in and dry after. Overall 4 I would definitely have again.
Apr 03, 2014
Photo of Sark
Reviewed by Sark from Montana

3.96/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
22oz bomber

Appearance- caramel colored pebbly head of about 2 fingers, red-orange hue with good carbonation

Smell- sweet maltiness complemented by a good dose of citrus, lemon peel, and some grains

Taste- big malt notes that hit up front, sweet and grainy with noticeable spices in the middle, the finish has a earthiness and hop resins come back, touch of booze heat too

Mouthfeel- medium/full bodied, hop resins are all over

Overall- bummed this is only a seasonal, definitely a red that I'd enjoy in all weather, it's bright but not too bright and very well balanced
Aug 01, 2013
Photo of archyquaffer
Reviewed by archyquaffer from Montana

3.98/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
The label on this beer, which depicts a laid back, red-dreaded hipster leaning against a tree with his bomber, reminds me of the 2013 Rainbow Gathering, rumored to be occurring in my area this year. Who creates all the great artwork on these beer labels?

Poured from a 22 ounce bomber into a Shaker pint glass. A moderate pour produces about 1/2 inch of very creamy, bubbly, tan colored head. The beer is a moderately dark reddish-brown with golden highlights and a definite haze, rather like a homebrew. You can see about 3/4 through the glass with an unlit background. The lace is sticky, and clings to the sides for the duration. Little islets of bubbly, creamy foam suggest a volcanic archipelago.

My rather poor olfactory sense detects some nice floral and piney hops and some caramel malt. The full flavor is a well-balanced treat, with nice caramel malt base tones and a piney, citrusy bitterness. I also detect a sweet-sourness suggestive of apple, and perhaps a touch of fine tobacco. The mouth feel is also very notable, with a creaminess that clings to the whole inside of the mouth and throat. A nice warming sensation from the alcohol becomes apparent after a few sips.

This is maybe the best beer brewed in Montana that I've ever tried. I think the bomber was fairly reasonably priced as well.
Jun 15, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by neckbeered from Montana

Jun 10, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Jameswoody from Montana

Apr 10, 2013
Red Dread Imperial Red Ale from Bitter Root Brewing
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 28 ratings