Red Racer India Style Red Ale
Central City Brewers + Distillers

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From:
Central City Brewers + Distillers
 
British Columbia, Canada
Style:
Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
89
Avg:
3.96 | pDev: 9.34%
Reviews:
54
Ratings:
155
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 05, 2019
Added:
Oct 14, 2005
Wants:
  30
Gots:
  29
Formerly Red Racer ESB (Extra Special Bitter)

The use of crystal malt lends to this beer’s flavour and colour profile. Packed with hops from the North West and United Kingdom this is our original take on the classic English bitter.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by DaveBar:
Photo of DaveBar
Reviewed by DaveBar from Canada (ON)

3.6/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Purchased at the LCBO for just under $3.00 for a 473ml can. Served at 4deg C in a draught glass

A- Opens well and pours a 1/2" high white head that is gone within a minute or two. Nice medium brown/red colour and filtered clear

S- Not a lot here. Some malt

T- Malty. Very malty. Kind of single ended. Not a lot of body or depth. Different though

M- Dry and tart.

O- Not a great brew. I like it but it's not something I will buy again.

Food Pairing

This ok brew went well with...... BBQ chicken with just a sprinkle of seasonings

Enjoy
Jul 01, 2016
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.95 by IPAnicked from Canada (BC)

Apr 05, 2019
 
Rated: 3.28 by chefhifrequency from Canada (MB)

May 06, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by monk2021 from Texas

Mar 20, 2018
 
Rated: 3.26 by CurtisD from Canada (NB)

Apr 05, 2017
 
Rated: 3.91 by OneTuffPony from Canada (ON)

Mar 12, 2017
Photo of taxandbeerguy
Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)

3.93/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
473 ml can served cold into an MGD glass. Purchased from the LCBO for around $3 CDN. Let's see if this red ale lives up to some of the other beers in Central City's portfolio.

Appearance - Very clear amber / red in color. Impressive finger and change of ivory head, loads of sticky lacing left behind. Plenty of carbonation and impressive retention. Great looking beer.

Smell - Some graininess initially with a wallop of hops backing. Astringent, piney and intense. Basically smells like a Red Racer beer.

Taste - Starts initially bitter and as you prepare for the hop wallop, the beer lets its foot of the gas, and everything just kind of fades away. Hops return with some grainy flavors, and a briefly metallic flavor makes itself present. Still very good, just a bit of a let down.

Mouthfeel - Smooth, a little bit oily (you can feel the hop oils in this one), expressive carbonation. Keeps the tongue singing. Body is fairly light.

Overall - Central City has created another delicious beer with generous hops, just enough graininess to keep things balanced and a wonderful aroma and feel to alongside this. Definitely worth a shot for Ontario shoppers seeing as this doesn't come along too often (can't recall seeing this in LCBO's anytime in the last 3 years).
Nov 18, 2016
 
Rated: 4.31 by Boo-urns from Canada (ON)

Nov 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.88 by Simon212 from Canada (ON)

Oct 13, 2016
 
Rated: 3.9 by polloenfuego from Canada (NB)

Oct 05, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by SmithyAlan from Canada (QC)

Sep 26, 2016
 
Rated: 3.05 by yimpy from Canada (ON)

Sep 13, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by Seangrdn from Canada (BC)

Sep 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.67 by Coronaeus from Canada (ON)

Sep 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.71 by alew_os from Canada (BC)

Aug 24, 2016
 
Rated: 3.9 by Brody1714 from Canada (ON)

Jul 21, 2016
 
Rated: 4.04 by BcCraft710 from Canada (BC)

Jul 15, 2016
 
Rated: 3.44 by byronic from Canada (ON)

Jun 28, 2016
Photo of CAMRAhardliner
Reviewed by CAMRAhardliner from Canada (ON)

3.85/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours deep reddish bronze with a bubbly wispy head that leaves behind big ridges and chunks of lace. Caramel, crystal malt, grapefruit and rye bread in the nose. The taste is malty with a toffee sweetness and some toastyness. Citrusy hops shine through the sturdy malt profile to provide some balance. The mouthfeel is quite full bodied , with a textured, subtle carbonation. The finish is medium bitter with lingering malt flavors.

This is a nice red ale. Complex malt profile with good hop balance. Could be a bit more bitter and less sweet though. This worth a try.
Jun 17, 2016
Photo of Rukeli76
Reviewed by Rukeli76 from Canada (ON)

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
473ml can poured into a nonic pint.

Bright amber colour. Not much head. Plenty of lacing.

Piny hop aroma. Some sweet malt too.

Slightly more bitter than I expected. Lots of pine up front. Backed with some fruity Centennial/Cascade hop complexity. A bit more malt sweetness than the standard IPA, but it's not a malt-forward beer.

Medium body. Medium carbonation. Lingering bitterness.

This is another excellent beer from Red Racer. I can see myself picking this up a lot when I'm looking to drink something a bit lighter than my beloved Red Racer IPA -- the ISA in the summer, this in the winter. I'm a little surprised to learn that they once called this an ESB, as it's so clearly a West Coast-style North American beer.
May 02, 2016
Red Racer India Style Red Ale from Central City Brewers + Distillers
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 155 ratings