Thursday's Red Ale
Septem Microbrewery

 

 

 

 

 

a really deep brick red amber colored beer here with decent clarity until some sediment in the bottom of the bottle is roused. atop sits a creamy tan head with a great density to it and nice retention and lace. aroma is nutty, earthy, toasted, hearty autumnal, and unfortunately, a little bit oxidized. the date on this is from a few years ago, either born on or best by, i cant recall which, but either way its past its prime. a real shame that when these esoteric european brews ever make it to the states they are almost always dated. still, this is quite enjoyable. subtle almond and toffee notes in the flavor, but this isnt very sweet at all, a fire roasted element to it, minerals and soil, and a cool breadiness. the malt is familiar in color only, and more unique than a lot of american made beers of this shade. the yeast has an almost english impression, slightly doughy and old worldy, and it dries the beer out pretty well towards the finish. its a bummer there is a little cardboard oxidation here, but it doesnt ruin the beer for me. id love to try this super fresh, but it was a nice afternoon sipper even still, and a little different in a style that tends to all run together for me. nice!

Interesting brew and brewer.
Sufficient dark malt to Looks (reddish amber with nice foam and then lace), Smells (mostly malt) and Tastes the part of a red ale. I can imagine how some reviewers thought the hops too medicinal or just too much. Their bottle may have been fresher and mine was a month from the Best By date. Thursday's Red Ale was balanced enough to have with an olive oil laden lunch in Greece; the hops and modest bubbles cut through the oil and prepared me for another bite. Done well.

My first from Septem, I went on their website and was impressed by their philosophy of making beer that rivaled wine by appropriately using wine techniques. A very thoughtful brewer in a remote Greek Island, I hope I have time for another of their beers.

10/10/25 Drank again while in Greece. Six years later, I think they moderated their hops. Minor changes in rating and review. Glad to see that Septem is continuing their quest to bring a solid beer culture to this wine culture. I've seen other their lager twice and will catch it the next time.

 

 

 

 

Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance – The beer pours a lightly hazed medium reddish-orange color with a huge head of an off white color. The head has a fantastic level of retention, slowly fading over time to leave big streaks of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma of the beer is heavy of a caramel and molasses smell mixed with some other smells of a yeasty and bready smell. Along with these aromas comes some lighter notes of a sour lemon and a bit of a pine smell.

Taste – The taste begins with a drier roasted bready taste with a lighter amount of a sour, almost funky, taste upfront. The funk seems to get stronger while the little bit of caramel and molasses that are present upfront fade more and more. Bits of grass and pine as well as a decent showing of lemon come more toward the end, leaving one with a somewhat sour red ale flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is on the slightly thinner side with a carbonation level that is average. For the lighter abv and slightly more sour tastes of the beer the lighter body is great, but that said a little bit of a carbonation level would have likely helped to make for an easier drinking and more refreshing brew overall.

Overall – Not a bad brew as it has some nice drier slightly toasted bready tastes mixed with some more sour and lightly hopped taste. One to maybe try once to get a taste, but it is not the best out there in my opinion.

 

Pours two fingers of head on a hazy dark straw body.
The aroma is a rich caramel and grains.
The taste caramel sweet balanced with a lemon bitterness.
The texture is medium and fizzy.
Enjoyable.

 

 

 

Septem Red Ale in a 330 ml bottle with a BB date of 10-2015. Purchased and consumed in the Corinth area of Greece.

Deep red-brown body with a decent of rather short-lived head.
Very earthy, dank hop aroma with some sweet overtones.
Better flavor. Moderately complex. Almost as sweet as bitter initially, but it has a bitter aftertaste.

O: disappointing. Try the Honey golden or Porter instead.

Other reviews are reporting a big frothy head, but mine is as flat as a witch's tit. Zero life with respect to carbonation means I may have a dud beer. The cloud is a deep ruby red which makes it look like a fruit beer rather than a dark ale. Malty nose with a sweet biscuity flavour which continues once you take a sip. Easy going which is initially bitter but this quickly fades to give a more rounded taste. The malt also comes through and although there's a nice hit from the hops, it's all over too quick. Together with the lack of fizz and head, it dies remind me a little of a warm flat cask ale from England. Pleasant, if not remarkable