Dawn Of The Red
Ninkasi Brewing Company

 

Ninkasi (Dawn of the Red) Red IPA, 7.0% ABV, pkgd 10/08/25. Served in a pint glass. Amber body, not totally clear, but loads of thick foamy head which looks excellent. Flavor has a nice Munich style malt spiciness. Flavor is not tropical at all, to my palate, but has a bit of classic piney IPA hop bitterness. It's got enough hoppiness to be an IPA, but as an IPA it just doesn't excite me very much. But as a malty red ale, yeah, it's a bit too hoppy, but I'm pleasantly surprised.

 

My wife really likes this beer, it's her go to Red Ale when she can't find anything else. I find it a little to hoppy. Don't get me wrong, I like good IPA but prefer Reds without the NW (hop heavy) flavor. Rated 7-29-2018. This is probably the best NW Red there is, but they are not my thing. 75 IBUs

 

Really love the color of this one, pours nicely with a pretty faint head on it.

Taste is good, lingers for a long time which I love. Mouth feel is great as well.

Only real downside here is the aroma for me. It smells weirdly bad to me and nothing like it tastes.

Not a bad beer, but I’ve tried better from Ninkasi. Would rather pick up a pack of Maiden the Shade next time.

Pours a brown golden color with a retentive head.
Smells of grains, and yeast.

Bitter hop taste right up front.dome yeasty notes and a bitter finish.

Appearance: pours a clear copper color, with an off-white, one finger foam head. Low carbonation. Leaves behind some sticky lacing.

Aroma: semi-sweet malt, and some piney and bready notes. Some slight citric fruit in the background.

Taste: Rich malts up front coupled with a hoppy bitterness bite and citrus fruit peel.

Overall: this one isn't very complex, but it is fairly balanced. This reminds me of a slightly hoppier version of an Amber Ale. Brings back nostalgic memories. Definitely good for a party.

 

Bottled and poured into a good fashioned dimpled handled pint pot
pours a very slightly hazed cherry red body with solid off white head
aroma once possible skunking wore off is big carob
flavour is bitter rye

On pour: brownish gold with moderate haze. Nice head, soapy and clingy. Smells of bread and very mild citrus hops. This follows on the taste— most of the hops are on the finish. Starts with malty dough, shifting to wheat, and then to light piney hops that strengthen as it goes down. Feel is on the wet side, and pretty foamy too. Overall I like it. It doesn’t do IPA or red ale good enough to be the next big thing, but I appreciate the experimentation and wouldn’t turn one down if I was offered it.

 

 

Look: Opaque dark orange leaning red with a quick-forming head that recedes to a lid, leaving good lacing behind
Aroma: Grapefruit, fir needles, pine, some earthy notes, sweet malt, candied orange, and some dank
Taste: Citrus fruits, pine, and dank come out swinging and are quickly tethered by some nice rich malt sweetness. Orange-led citrus and more pine break back into the forefront and mingle before a nice bite leads to the finish
Mouthfeel: Full, a little slick, medium-high carbonation, and noticeable dryness on the finish
Overall: I dig it. A tasty, somewhat old-school hoppy red IPA that is well balanced and easy to drink. I find most of these folks’ hoppy offerings to hit all the right notes for me – pine, citrus, a little Cannabis (dank), and some degree of dryness on the finish – and this is no exception. Been drinking this since it first appeared as a seasonal many years ago (though it likely replaced another favorite of mine, Believer Double Red). Tasty and recommended

 

 

 

Deep amber appearance with a large off white head and good lacing. Aroma of rye and resin. Spicy, herbal hop flavors up front followed by a dry, biscuit-like taste. Aftertaste showcases some tropical fruit. Medium bodied, decently carbonated mouthfeel with a lingering finish.

12oz bottle

Pours a small half finger of just off-white head into my can-style glass. Retention is average and it fades within a minute. As with my last Ninkasi beer, there is a nice noticeable rim of foam around the edges, and initial lacing looks very good as a result. Body is a dark orange with some brown hues. Clarity is pretty high and there’s a decent amount of bubbles coming up. Looks pretty good, but not really like a red IPA at all.

The nose has some semi deep malts, but not nearly to the nutty, biscuity level that a solid red IPA would have. Some citrus, maybe a little alcohol. Extremely faint stone fruit. It smells ok, but there is a little to be desired for sure.

Yeah the flavor is quite bland. Drinks far more like a pale ale. No real distinct flavors coming through until a little bit of malt and maybe a nano second of fruit hit towards the end. This is quite unimpressive. Don’t put “red” or “IPA” and definitely not “red IPA” on the bottle just to sell it, because it’s not any of those things.

Mouthfeel is good. Carbonation is medium. Body is medium. Bitterness is moderate. Sugars do not come through too much and play only a supporting role, keeping it from being noticeably dry. This is clean and well put together.

Drinkabiltiy is fine. Nothing wrong with this, it’s just somewhat boring.

Appearance turned out very nice. Even after some pretty serious agitating, a little foam remained, leaving some pretty solid lacing.

Overall there are no off flavors here, but it’s not to style at all, and it’s pretty flavorless.