Juggernaut Double Red
Dragonmead Microbrewery

I tried this beer at the brewery. It poured a clear copper with white head that did not leave much lace. The scant had sweet citrus hop presence. the taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with subtle fruit base a light hop clean finish. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it was a decent beer.

An all out onslaught on your taste buds. This beer does not skimp on taste and big bold bossiness! This one is exactly like the mutant in the comic book and it will punch you in the face repeatedly!

 

 

 

 

Had this draft at friends house and honestly didn't know it was a double red, thought it was a blended beer from Dragonmead... good nonetheless... not great, but good.

This brew was served on tap at Dragonmead in Warren, Michigan. It arrived in a standard glass, glowing a ruddy burnt auburn coloring. It held a half finger tall head of decently creamy tan foam that held on for a nice retention. Blebs of lacing were left around the glass. No haze or sediment was noted, and carbonation appeared to be moderate. The nose gave amber and raw barley maltiness, syrupy sweet red cherries and plum fruitiness, granular white sugar, phenolic plastics, hints at fusel booziness, burnt caramel grain, and faint brushes of skunky but pleasantly citrusy and piney hops. The flavoring opened with that same densely fruity graininess that was showcased in the aroma. Notes included vanilla bean, crispy caramel, pale, amber, and caramel malts, white flour, raw barley, rye metallics, vinyl plastics, red apple and maraschino cherry fruitiness, white corn, bittering and vinous hoppiness of piney, citric, and herbal varietals, lightly hot booziness, and green grassiness. The body was solidly medium, and the carbonation was medium. The mouth was left foamed and covered, but this quickly thinned and dried into a lazy astringent streak. Slurp, smack, cream, and froth were all only marginally contributory. The abv was appropriate, and the beer sipped back easily for something they call a “double”.

Overall, this was a nice offering from Dragonmead. You don’t encounter a lot of “double red ales”, so this was a treat for that, if for nothing more. The ingredients were bold and wholesome, with nice representation from both the hop side and the malt side. The latter won the battle a little bit, as the big grain bill blunted the freshness of the hops. This was true of the big fruitiness of the beer as well, making it seem a bit more skunked than perhaps it otherwise might have. The hops were much more clearly defined in the flavor than the nose, which is where most of these issues arose. Again, the beer otherwise lives up to its name and its label, and is worth a try if you’re in this type of mood.

 

 

Had on-tap at Dragonmead.

Appearance: A fairly deep red color. Clear. No head on it. No lacing, really. I like the color though.

Smell: Hops. Looking for this beer on this site, I'm surprised that this is said to be a strong ale, but sure, why not. Smells like a red IPA to me. Plenty of piney and grapefruity freshness in Juggernaut. Some sort of malt character, but this is no doubt a hoppy beer.

Taste/feel: The biggest disappointment I found with Juggernaut was without a doubt the feel. Almost no carbonation, and a little on the thin side. Then again, this is said to be a strong ale. I've only had one strong ale (Stone's Arrogant Bastard) and the feel was similar now that I think about it, so that could just be my ignorance. Hoppy, bitter, and quite red IPA-esque. Not a great beer in my opinion, but it's still a very nice and tasty option.

A-red amber color with a decent off-white head and good lacing

S-caramel malt, citrus, pine, light fruit

T-caramel malt, fruit, little citrus, light pine, mild to moderate bitter finish

F-medium body with moderate carbonation, smooth

O-I enjoyed this beer, solid example of the style

 

 

Ah, my first review in a series of many to come from the Dragonmead Brewery in Warren Michigan. While Dragonmead is well known for making great Belgian, English, and German beer, my favorite still is the Juggernaut Double Red, an American Imperial Red Ale. Something about this beer just really stands out as being special for me, and is always a staple everytime I go to the brewery (except the few times it's not on tap ;( ).

Served into a pub pint glass on tap at the brewery itself.

For starters, it has the most beautiful appearance of an unmolded ruby, it's a bit cloudy but a very attractive and somewhat deep red color. It always pours with a nice 2-3 finger head that slowly dissipates into foamy ring. The beer is well carbonated with a small amount of bubbly activity going on as the beer sparkles in the light.

It smells of hop aroma, citrus, and some malts, particularly cascade. The taste definitely derives from the smell, as the delicious citrus taste is accented with a not too overbearing hoppy bite, that finishes a bit bitter and slightly creamy, but it works so well here. In the mouth, it's a bit thick, but feels consistent and strong. The ABV is well hidden for a beer with 8% ABV, and I could easily be deceived by the alcohol content if I didn't know better.

Overall, this is still my favorite Imperial red ale. I've had many in that subcategory, and while they're usually quite excellent, I think Juggernaut is the most well balanced between it's bitter flavor and hops, with the tangible sweetness in the initial taste. Sadly, this beer is not yet bottled by Dragonmead, and is usually not one of the beers Dragonmead distributes to other bars and pubs in Michigan, meaning you'll either need to visit the brewery, or know someone who can send you a growler to try it.

Until next time, stay thirsty!

 

Absolutely one of my favorite beers!! honestly can go good with anything, but you are better off enjoying this beer by itself. it has so much too offer, such great combination between the yeast and malt's making this an outstanding brew. you can put this on my list of top beers.

 

Enjoyed at the brewery, review is from notes from two weeks prior. Aroma is caramel malts, citrus/earthy hops and pine. This is a double red but the malt presence barely rivals a standard red ale. This is a trend among these beers which seem to be "under malted". So many double reds also have a betetr hop profile, this one is lacking this element. Medium body and moderate carbonation.