Rollstone Red Ale
Z Street Brewing Company

 

Enjoyed on a warm and breezy day in Boston. I tell you this because the beer was perfect for relaxing in the sun.

Poured a nice thick, cream-colored head on top of a redish caramel colored body. The smell was probably the most enjoyable part of this brew -- not overly malty, not overly bitter or hoppy, rather just a nice tame blend of the above that went paired perfect with spring (I'm sounding like a dryer sheet commercial here). Taste starts malty, just a tad on the sweet side, and finishes quite bitter like you would expect from an APA or IPA. Quite bubbly in my pint glass, but not foamy or giving you a harsh over-carbonated feeling.

Best part of this beer... $4.95 for a 6 pack at the local store.

A very nice amber. Reddish with a little white head. Initially creamy yeasty and caramel followed by a long full bitter finish, with some toasty malt in the background. Drinkable. A good change up and nice on a summer night. Fresh from Western Mass. tour.

The beer pours a cloudy amber color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a nice, sweet malty scent that boasts of pale and crystal malts along with some mild aroma hops. The taste is decent. It has quite a bitter bite to it. The malt content is there, but it's not very balanced. It could use a bit more crystal or roasted malts IMO. It does have an excellent hop flavor. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a good drinking beer. I love hoppy beers, but this one could use more malt balance.

12 fl oz brown bottle; served in a tumbler.

Murky amber with a slight garnet hue. Dense, off-white foam with impressive strength leaving sticky, ringed lacing throughout the entire glass.

Floral, earthen hop aromas with a saffron/pepper sprice. Lemon zest and orange peel; whaffs of light citrus.

Mildly tart, citric hop flavors: lemon, grapefruit that lasts throughout the sip. Toasted malt breadiness; airy and biscuit-like that is overshadowed by the waxy, citric hops. The finish is earthen and moderately bitter with a musty, citric aftertaste.

Medium bodied; light, earthy, and somewhat waxy with the over-riding citrus-hop character.

A decent offering, a little unbalanced in flavor as the hops are a bit too solvent-like.

Rollstone Red Ale
12 oz brown bottle
Served in a 20 oz tulip pint glass

Pours a light brown with reddish tint. A decent head forms on top and transforms to a small head on top.

Toasted bread & biscuit backbone with a sweet caramel malt presence. Mini hop snap on the finish with a citrus twang. A smooth and easy-drinking red ale.

12oz. bottle thanks to my friend Ira

Pours slightly hazed amber-brown with reddish highlights. Has a small tan head that thins, mild lacing on the glass.

Light piney hop aroma with a mild caramel malty background.

Taste is a mild piney hop flavor upfront that washes into a light caramel malt flavor with a well balance bitterness. Finishes quite clean with just a hint of piney hops that lingers.

Medium body, solid carbonation.

A nice, balanced beer and rather easy to drink.

A better than average red ale.

It has a nicy malty taste, as well as aroma.

This used to be the beer I drank every Friday night when I went out to play pool in Leominster because it was the only beer they had I would drink.

It's a decent beer, and something easy to drink. It's not outstanding, but it's a good beer to drink when you're just hanging out with your friends.

Bought up in Massachusetts after the NEBF as part of the stash to take home to Jersey. Not much of a Amber/Red Ale drinker, but this beer was pretty tasty. Poured a nice brown with a hint of cinnamon and burgundy in it. About a finger's worth of head and fairly decent lacing on the glass. Pretty inviting start!

The taste was good, but not overwhelming. Notes of caramel and toasted malt in the smell, but nothing very complex. Nice up-front hops settle back to reveal a smooth maltiness and a bit of the burger that the label says this beer goes well with. Could it be that I need not eat with this? Nnnahhh, this beer does call for something meaty and greasy to go with it, but it could be enjoyed just fine by itself. A very mellow, malty aftertaste lingered, but there was just a bit of the bitterness left in it to invite another sip.

Overall, a decent brew that would go great with a decent meal

6 pack purchased at Luke's in Rockland, MA during an Offshore tasting. Thanks to Warriorsoul for putting this place on the map.

Smells like oily hops. Amber with hints of orange body. Thick sticky head and lacing. Creamy hop flavor but little bitterness. My palate is searching for some maltiness but can't find it. In my mind he's going the distance. He's going for speed. In my mouth I'm going for some maltiness but only finding hoppiness. If that's the worst thing that happens to me on my 33rd birthday I'll be doing ok.

Z Street is almost a Boston birthright, even if it's a reincarnation. I'm a firm believer that reincarnates can shine honor upon their predecesors, but in this case it doesn't quite measure up to the promises of days gone by.

Pours a dark amber with a decent off-white head that leaves string lace on the side of the glass. Very inviting.

Caramel malt aroma up front that gives way to a Belgian yeast-like smell. I cannot discern any hops. The taste is harsher than I expect or like. The hop is very upfront which is contrary to the smell. Very dry aftertaste with a lingering bitterness from the hop. Moderate in both body and carbonation.

With such a muted malt flavor, it's difficult to recommend. Yet I find it interesting enough to keep trying it...to figure it out. It's different enough to explore, common enough to recognize.

This was a lovely amber ale, with a low head. Sampled at Yankee Spirits, hosted by Dan, representing the brewery.

The aroma was of mild hops and medium bodied malts. I was informed Centennial hops were used.

The taste was of high alpha content bitter hops, and medium bodied malt. I noticed the hop bitterness focused in on the sides of the tongue, unlike their ZIPA, which focused on the center of the tongue.

An overall good all-around beer.

This poured a clear amber, slight head that did not retain well, smell was interesting, hops, and plumbs, taste was equally interesting hop taste up front, mellowing to a plumby fruit taste, smooth finish! very nice! mouthfeel is light and semi-dry, drinkability is terrific! very nice interesting beer, that I could easily have for a session, I was very surprised by this brew, much better than I had anticipated, not the "king of beers", but not friggin bad!

Presentation: 12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: Deep red color with a generous head. The head faded very slowly until there was a thin lace that remained.

Aroma: Malty and oily, some hops in there as well.

Flavor: Intially malty, but amost immediately the hops take over. I found the finish to be somewhat bitter and flowery at the same time

Overall: The hops weremore powerful than I generally prefer in a red ale, but still I found this to be rather pleasant.

12ozer bottle bought as a single from Yankee Spirits, Sturbridge, MA. Back as a contract brew at Concord, from what I understand.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/2" beige head above the clear, bright copper brew. Head is foamy, and fades, but never quite disappears, with average to good lacing. Aroma is malty, with some hops presence. Taste is upfront hearty grain husks, which get a slight bitterness as the experience transpires . Mouthfeel and drinkabilty both good on this brew. Nice to see Z Street, at least some of them, back on the scene.

The beer pours a dark cinnamon red, topped with a thin almond colored head. Good lacing, cobwebbing down the glass.
Aroma is malty, with some toasted malt, and perhaps a bit of caramel. Bready aroma, with light floral esters, and a touch of pear. Mild hops, earthy, with a little citric quality.
Flavor is initially malty, a bit of toasted malt and some bready flavor up front. Malts linger into the middle, and blend with a light estery pear flavor. Some yeastiness. Hops come through halfway through, with a moderate earthy bitterness. Slightly dry finish, with a bready, malty aftertaste. Medium body, with moderate carbonation. A little bit cardboardy. Perhaps my bottle was a bit old.
Very nice brew. Not my favorite from Z Street, but easy drinking, and makes a great session beer.

Color here is a lovely uburn, and the head is generous, creamy, honeycombed with tiny bubbles, and cast in a nearly pinkish shade.
Aroma: puzzling at first, minerally, dry, and dull, but soon showing itself to be vigorously toasty, malt having a hammerlock on this, but not to any extreme.
Nice hoppiness, warm and fuzzy, medium bodied, nicely textured.
Flavor arises again and again, never quits, delivers malty, toasty tones that are a joy to sip with each meeting between cup and lip!
There's a spicy, zingy kick in it...I like, I like...
Big thanks to UncleJimbo!

This beer pours a dark amber color with orange and red highlights. A medium bodied ivory head with large bubbles quickly dissolves to a ring around the surface of the beer. The aroma of hops and toasted malts give clear warning to what is about to be sipped. Each sip of this medium bodied beer begins hoppy. Toasted malts and some caramel take over about mid sip to balance out the flavor. It finishes rather bitter and leaves some hoppy residue behind.

I find this beer very tasty. It's not often you can find a beer that is very hoppy and malty at the same time.

Pours a dark golden brown with a creamy, very dense head that has no staying power. Peaty/malt aroma.
And the taste in all that? Well, um, interesting. It's very light: light malt (twink o' caramel) with just a smidge of citrus. And, actually, it's this citrus bit that merits it most of the low taste score. IMO, citrus is completely off style for a red ale. I expect a smooth, well-rounded maltiness with a touch of bitterness and what I get with this beer is not quite enough malt, little to no bitterness and the addition of the citrus.
The mouth was just a tad light for me.
All of that said, it is another fine beer to enjoy on a hot summer day - the little bit of citrus and the lightness in the malts make it nice and light and easy to drink....

I was very pleased with this, a very nice all around beer. Not outstanding, but the kind of beer you want to keep a sixpack in the fridge with when you just wnat a good, smooth beer with flavor, but not overwhelming that you have to stop everything to drink it.

Nice reddish mahogany color, decent head. Taste is of a very balanced hop/malt, with no overwhelming flavors to make you scratch your head, and wonder what they are.

I like this style of beer: unpretentious, but with enough body and taste to make it an everyday or with dinner favorite.

pat