Red Hop von Boorian
Elliott Bay Brewing Co.

draught
Medium red tinged orange color. Some spice and malt in the nose. Medium light body. Noticeable sweet spice note to the flavor, maybe clove.

 

On tap, poured into a tulip glass. Pours a dark red amber with a fine three finger light khaki head with great retention and lacing. Aroma of caramel and biscuit malt, dark fruit, clove, Belgian yeast. Flavor follows aroma, with rich caraemel and biscuit malt, wheat, mild dark fruit, clove and Belgian yeast. Medium bodied with light creaminess. A nice domestic red Belgian ale; the malt flavors are classic American red ale, but there is a lighter Belgian wheat and yeast component too. Not as aggressively hopped as most American red ales. Interesting domestic hybrid ale. Well balanced and flavorful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: Poured a amberish red with a dirty white head and good carbonation

S: Some caramel, floral hops

T: Caramel, a good amount of hop bite on the end, sordove sticky, pepper but it had some issues. I found myself belching alot

M:Medium body

D: Average drinkability

Served in straight pint glass. Poured a very clean and clear red, with about a half-inch of light khaki head that very good retention and light lacing.

The aroma was all malt with a bit of yeasty spice in the background. The flavor was also malt dominant with a bit of a yeast tang. The body was much thinner than I would have expected from such a malt forward brew.Drinkability was OK, but not special.

Overall, a decent beer, worth finding if you're in the Seattle area.

Tried 11 Sep 2009 at the brewery.

Bright clear ruby red color. Aroma is a little syrupy, slight spiciness, nutmeg? Lightly carbonated. Menu says brewed with honey malt, not sure what that is. Milky mouthfeel. Medium body. Finish is slightly astringent. Light alcohol.

Elliott Bay's beer menu features six regular ales and three Belgian-style specialty beers. Though this is a red ale of stormy garnet and the menu states it is "brewed with 20% honey malts for a touch of sourness" (honey = sourness?), there is no indication that it aspires to be a Flanders-style sour beer.

Regardless of its intent, this is one frightfully bad beer and I am compelled to dredge up some infrequently applied adjectives to describe its potent mélange of aggrieved awfulness. Rancid, vile, spoiled, foul, and are-you-f***ing-kidding-me quickly spring to mind. It is not merely that this red ale tastes bad; it is absolutely offensive. Vulgar. An abomination. Of the lowest evolutionary order.

In all seriousness, this von Boorian thing genuinely tastes like a ripe swamp. A brief appearance of cinnamon spice flavor makes an intriguing late play, but there's no point to it. The entire beer is corrupted by spoilage and shouldn't be served publicly.