Red Tail
Grand River Brewing
- From:
- Grand River Brewing
- Ontario, Canada
- Style:
- American Amber / Red Ale
- ABV:
- 5.2%
- Score:
- 81
- Avg:
- 3.38 | pDev: 8.88%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 5
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Feb 20, 2020
- Added:
- May 20, 2016
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
81
Good
81
Good
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand
3.3/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5
3.3/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5
Copper amber with a little carbonation and 6 fingers of light beige head.
Smells of toasted malts, light red fruits, and caramel.
The taste follows the nose.
Light body, little carbonation.
A little watery, but decent on the nose. Drinking in Muskoka, Feb 26th, 2018.
Feb 27, 2018Smells of toasted malts, light red fruits, and caramel.
The taste follows the nose.
Light body, little carbonation.
A little watery, but decent on the nose. Drinking in Muskoka, Feb 26th, 2018.
Rated by Pmicdee from Canada (ON)
3.5/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Jan 18 2019
Oct 08, 2016
Reviewed by TerryW from Canada (ON)
3.49/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.49/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Red, the colour of tea. Only a short head on an aggressive pour, a ring, no lace. Plenty of grain in the nose, and sweet malt, caramel and bread. Grainy and malty to taste, sweet without being overbearing. Just enough bitterness to suggest the hops are lurking in there. Drinkable without being memorable.
Sep 06, 2016
Reviewed by jmanion from Canada (ON)
3.73/5 rDev +10.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.73/5 rDev +10.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Picked this up at the LCBO for 2.95, 473 mL can. Pours an opaque deep amber colour without much head. Very drinkable with some good, sweet malt overtones that somewhat overpower the hops.
Aug 27, 2016
Rated by spinrsx from Canada (ON)
3.25/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.25/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
..
Jul 31, 2016
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)
3.48/5 rDev +3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.48/5 rDev +3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
473 mL can from the LCBO, served well-chilled. No canning date, but this hasn't been on shelves for long.
Pours a lightly foggy amber-orange colour, producing one finger of creamy, off white-tinged head. It reduces steadily over the next couple of minutes, leaving few major remnants in its wake - a sickly-thin collar of foam, and a patchy film, but that's it. Grainy malts and caramel on the nose, with notes of toasted bread, wet hay and a muddled, grape juice-like hint of dark fruit. A pretty standard red ale thus far, though without the hop-forwardness often noted in the American style.
It tastes alright, with its backbone of gritty grain, doughy, biscuity malts and toffee candy sweetness. Indistinct dark fruit and Werther's mid-sip, with some dirty, leafy, earthy hop bitterness rounding out the back end with little pomp or circumstance. The malts linger into the aftertaste alongside the muted hops, reminding me of certain English ales (GK's Abbot Ale comes to mind). Relatively light in body, with restrained carbonation that gently prickles the palate and a very smooth, somewhat slick mouthfeel. Drinkability is a major area of strength, but there's not a lot else going for it.
Final Grade: 3.48, a B-. Grand River has a rep for playing it safe, and Red Tail Ale won't do much to shake that label. While not a bad red ale, I can't help but feel like I've accidentally been transported back to Ontario, circa 2007 - because this is the sort of inside-the-box, English-influenced type of beer that permeated the craft market in this province back then. Now don't get me wrong: that doesn't make this a bad beer, and since their grand opening GRB has always been one of the best and most consistent producers of English-style ales in this province. But that doesn't help Red Tail stand out in a market that now has 100x more competition.
Personally, I greatly prefer their Plowman's Ale, but Red Tail's comparatively smooth, mellow, sweeter flavour profile should prove generally unobjectionable, even to relatively picky BAs. Maybe I'm arrogant/clueless and this is exactly what ON beer drinkers have been clamouring for... but I'm definitely sceptical.
Jul 18, 2016Pours a lightly foggy amber-orange colour, producing one finger of creamy, off white-tinged head. It reduces steadily over the next couple of minutes, leaving few major remnants in its wake - a sickly-thin collar of foam, and a patchy film, but that's it. Grainy malts and caramel on the nose, with notes of toasted bread, wet hay and a muddled, grape juice-like hint of dark fruit. A pretty standard red ale thus far, though without the hop-forwardness often noted in the American style.
It tastes alright, with its backbone of gritty grain, doughy, biscuity malts and toffee candy sweetness. Indistinct dark fruit and Werther's mid-sip, with some dirty, leafy, earthy hop bitterness rounding out the back end with little pomp or circumstance. The malts linger into the aftertaste alongside the muted hops, reminding me of certain English ales (GK's Abbot Ale comes to mind). Relatively light in body, with restrained carbonation that gently prickles the palate and a very smooth, somewhat slick mouthfeel. Drinkability is a major area of strength, but there's not a lot else going for it.
Final Grade: 3.48, a B-. Grand River has a rep for playing it safe, and Red Tail Ale won't do much to shake that label. While not a bad red ale, I can't help but feel like I've accidentally been transported back to Ontario, circa 2007 - because this is the sort of inside-the-box, English-influenced type of beer that permeated the craft market in this province back then. Now don't get me wrong: that doesn't make this a bad beer, and since their grand opening GRB has always been one of the best and most consistent producers of English-style ales in this province. But that doesn't help Red Tail stand out in a market that now has 100x more competition.
Personally, I greatly prefer their Plowman's Ale, but Red Tail's comparatively smooth, mellow, sweeter flavour profile should prove generally unobjectionable, even to relatively picky BAs. Maybe I'm arrogant/clueless and this is exactly what ON beer drinkers have been clamouring for... but I'm definitely sceptical.
Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)
3.52/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.52/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
473 ml can served cold into an MGD glass. Purchased from the LCBO for $3 CDN or so.
Appearance - Mostly clear, rich amber colored beer with plenty of carbonation present. A small half finger or so of off-white head is poured and lingers for a short duration. No lacing to speak of and appearance is very much a typical amber ale.
Smell - Grainy with an earthy vegetative backing. Some sweet caramel mixed in with coarse grain up front. Caramel and grain is fairly dominant upon repeated sniffs.
Taste - Clean and fairly grainy, mild bitterness, and just a hint of sweet creamy corn mixed in with a light dose of caramel and maybe even molasses.
Mouthfeel - Rather full bodied, especially for the style, carbonation is a bit prickly and mouthfeel is not quite syrupy but rather dense.
Overall - Red Tail is a reasonably priced reasonably tasty amber ale, but fails to distinguish itself in a crowded marketplace. Nothing earth shattering here, but a good buy for those looking for a full bodied red ale.
Jul 08, 2016Appearance - Mostly clear, rich amber colored beer with plenty of carbonation present. A small half finger or so of off-white head is poured and lingers for a short duration. No lacing to speak of and appearance is very much a typical amber ale.
Smell - Grainy with an earthy vegetative backing. Some sweet caramel mixed in with coarse grain up front. Caramel and grain is fairly dominant upon repeated sniffs.
Taste - Clean and fairly grainy, mild bitterness, and just a hint of sweet creamy corn mixed in with a light dose of caramel and maybe even molasses.
Mouthfeel - Rather full bodied, especially for the style, carbonation is a bit prickly and mouthfeel is not quite syrupy but rather dense.
Overall - Red Tail is a reasonably priced reasonably tasty amber ale, but fails to distinguish itself in a crowded marketplace. Nothing earth shattering here, but a good buy for those looking for a full bodied red ale.
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