Red Shed Redemption
Wild Rose Brewery & Taproom

1L howler from Sherbrooke Liquor store - I presume that this is made with all Red Shed malt, given the name?

This beer pours a clear, dark orange-brick brown colour, with two fingers of puffy, loosely foamy, and bubbly tan head, which leaves some decent splattered snow rime lace around the glass as it quickly blows off.

It smells of bready and doughy caramel malt, some free-range char, bittersweet cocoa powder, faint cafe-au-lait, a bit of oily bar-top nuttiness, and very subtle earthy, musty, and floral noble hops. The taste is gritty and grainy caramel malt, toasted breakfast cereal, ethereal dark chocolate, a growing black stone fruitiness, bitter coffee grounds, a hint of wet ash, and more understated earthy, leafy, and floral green hoppiness.

The carbonation is pretty low-key in its generic frothiness, the body a so-so medium weight, and mostly smooth, with perhaps a minor roasty character making a few dents in the armour here. It finishes trending dry, the malt contending with a bit of lingering hops, as well as the just noted roast.

Overall - this is a fairly well-executed version of the style, nice and flavourful, with an adequate smoky essence. I know this sounds contrived, but I am really getting a feel for Red Shed's house profile, and I totally sense it in this offering. Good, good stuff!