Red Cockaded Ale | Southern Star Brewing Company

4.15/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

If I am the creator and founder of The CANQuest (TM), then the mighty JenRay is the high priestess! I have had many sustained trades and traders over the years, but she tops the list. A fellow hophead, she sends me CANs from seemingly out of nowhere, mostly from Texas and I bow in deference to her prowess.

Nothing held me back from initiating an inverted Glug following the much-anticipated Crack! an so began my Saturday. The pseudo-cascade was pretty to watch, settling into a dense, two-finger cap of rocky, tawny head with good retention. Nose smelled of tea. Texas tea? No, hop tea! If you have never tried it, you should, It is more relaxing and soothing than those herbal teas that are commercially available. Grass, mint, black pepper, caramel, all present and accounted for. Color was an oh-so-slightly-hazy deep-copper (SRM = > 17, < 22). The heavy lacing that began to form was going to need a jackhammer to remove. I know that we are CANstantly advised not to age AIPAs and DIPAs, but this did not suffer from same. Man, the hops were muted, but still busting the IBU meter after all of this time! I CAN only imagine how intense it must have been while fresh. Possibly undrinkable because even now, my taste buds were left smoking in its wake. Yes, the caramel maltiness was more prevalent than it should have been, but the hops were taking no prisoners. Halfway into it, I was panting for breath. The finish was as dry as the zephyr winds blowing across the Sahara desert. I was curled into a fetal ball, sucking my thumb and crying out for my mommy! This from a self-avowed hophead, no less. "No mas!" I cried out, but the CANferee was nowhere to be found. I CANtinued onward, the assault raining down on my weary tongue like German bullets at Normandy. Sgt. Saunder crawled over to me and got me under cover as we regrouped with Caje and Littlejohn. I was saved! Hallelujah! Praise the lord and pass the hops.

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4/5  rDev +10.2%

4.06/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.24/5  rDev +16.8%

3.56/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

3.65/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

3.23/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

3.25/5  rDev -10.5%

3.78/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

12oz can poured into a tulip glass

A- pours a deep ruby brown color with a small cream colored head that retains nicely, leaving some lacing behind

S- big doughy and bready malt aroma up front complimented by some spicy & earthy yeast, piney and resinous hop undertones hide beneath the sweet malt

T- big sweet malty notes up front quickly mix with piney & citrus grapefruit hops, earthy and floral mid-palate, the finish gives more sweet malt with a woodsy cedar flavor on the linger

M- medium body and carbonation leads to a creamy chewy mouthfeel that continues to the finish

O- quite sweet up front but some nice hoppy notes poking through, high drinkability at 8.5%

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4.25/5  rDev +17.1%

3.25/5  rDev -10.5%

3/5  rDev -17.4%

3.85/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

4/5  rDev +10.2%

4/5  rDev +10.2%

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

4.23/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

3.24/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

12 oz can pours a hazed garnet color with a dense, creamy off-white head. Retention and lacing are both ridiculous...supreme looking brew.

Nose is apple skins, tropical hops, burnt caramel and cotton candy...interesting melange of aromas.

Taste is a smooth jumble of mismatched flavors...you have pears mating with caramel drizzled toast, rye bread mingling with pine resin, grapefruit pith in a menage a trois with matchsticks and toffee. Just all over the place...not a well thought out recipe at all. Not to mention this is an amber/red ale - certainly not a DIPA. Either way, it is just not very good and I will not be buying another 4-pack. Shame on you Southern Star for putting out something as lame as this.

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3.25/5  rDev -10.5%

4.96/5  rDev +36.6%

3.2/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

3.97/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75