Bad Ass Ale
The Brewery At Lake Tahoe

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From:
The Brewery At Lake Tahoe
 
California, United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
ABV:
7.75%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.26 | pDev: 14.42%
Reviews:
5
Ratings:
13
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 01, 2016
Added:
Sep 06, 2004
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
As our signature brew, the Bad Ass® Ale is really a style of its own. Our brewers handcraft this ale to be the perfect balance between its malted barley and choice hops. Deep burgundy in color and high in alcohol, enjoying a pint of the Bad Ass® is a real roller coaster ride. At first the pronounced hop flavor hits you smack in the mouth. Then, the crystal malts start to really work their magic on your palate, finishing with a smooth bitterness. This beer is really for those who ARE "Bad Ass®"
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.52 by LXIXME from New Mexico

May 01, 2016
 
Rated: 2.75 by RBassSFHOPit2ME from California

Jul 31, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by casapy from Idaho

Jan 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by sevenshubby from California

Oct 13, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by GraduatedCashew from California

Aug 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by Strega007 from California

Jun 30, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by jmdrpi from Pennsylvania

Jun 22, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by Omer4176 from California

Dec 29, 2011
Photo of nickd717
Reviewed by nickd717 from California

3.3/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Draft at the Brewpub. So this is an ass ale, is it? That's a style I had never tried until now. This came off as sort of an imperial red to me.

Pours a medium reddish-brown color with an average-sized off-white head.

Pretty nice aroma of citrusy hops, caramel, roast, and earth.

Flavor is a lot like an imperial red, with a large caramel malt presence as well as rough citrusy and leafy hops. Orange peel and earth flavors, as well as a touch of booze.

Medium body and carbonation.

A little palate-wrecking, but not quite as intense as the brewery makes this one out to be. Decent overall. I think I would enjoy a good ass ale if there were one.
Mar 22, 2010
Photo of Haybeerman
Reviewed by Haybeerman from Colorado

3.1/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A: Murky brown color. Poured a 2 finger Light brown head with excellent retention. Decanted continually. Patchy lacing.

* beer was poured into a frosted 12oz mug - it was super cold so I had to warm before I could smell or taste much

S: Toasted malts; predominently coffee and espresso. Some faint plum and raisin in the middle that was more predominent as it warmed.

T: Somewhat consistent with smell. Sweet roasted malts up front followed by the toasted malts withi bitter coffeee and espresso. Did not detect dark fruit flavors I was expecting after the smell. Sharp;y bitter int he finish too.

M: Light-to-medium body was not consistent with appearance. Ample carbonation. Warming alcohol.

D: Fairly drinkable, but lacks balance that would make it easy to drink.
Jun 11, 2009
Photo of benclimbs
Reviewed by benclimbs from California

2.74/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
I love the pizza here, even though it has given me a stomach ache 1 too many times...but hey that's probably because I get every topping available since it's free...oh yeah about the beer.

Their beers are just sad, and this one is better than some, but still is nothing special. The smell and the taste strike me like a bad homebrew, hops are weak, malt flavor is totally uncomplex and the only thing you're left with is a nasty yeast flavor and smell. I love to support my local brewpubs, but i order water when i come here.
Dec 06, 2008
Photo of brandoneast
Reviewed by brandoneast from Texas

3.14/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Had this brew and pizza last week while visiting Tahoe. Okay this brew shares the "Bad Ass" namesake (that is registered by the way) with many other foods on the menu like Bad Ass Lemonade, Bad Ass Pizza, and even a Bad Ass Brownie. As I only tried the Bad Ass Ale I can only say that the Bad Ass Ale is not that Bad Ass. A roller coaster review.

We got a pitcher of the ale and it poured like a typical ASA, translucent brown with garnet hints and a milkshake head that laced quite well.

The smell of out of the oven toasted toffee and sweet caramel with subtle espresso that was making my mouth water for the first taste. Here it goes; an average taste that was making me wonder where the notes from aroma went. Where is my "bad ass" ale? The mouthfeel went down like the other Lake Tahoe Brews, thin,watery, and unbalanced. I had one and that was it.

Get the pizza with unlimited toppings; I think they ran it through the garden...twice.
Mar 18, 2008
Photo of CarolinaCardinals
Reviewed by CarolinaCardinals from North Carolina

2.8/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Visited the Brewery at Lake Tahoe recently. I tried the sampler pack but did not take notes on the 6 samples. I did try a pint of the "Bad Ass" since this is the signature brew from the folks at the Brewery at Lake Tahoe.

Upon appearance and smelling it, this beer held some promise. However upon tasting this brew, it was found to be very unbalanced. It was too sweet and the high abv was not blended well. It was very thin in mouthfeel. Not a quaffable brew.
Sep 06, 2004
Bad Ass Ale from The Brewery At Lake Tahoe
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 13 ratings