Red Tape Lager
Jack's Abby Brewing

Red Tape LagerRed Tape Lager
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From:
Jack's Abby Brewing
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
Munich Dunkel
Ranked #61
ABV:
5%
Score:
86
Ranked #19,489
Avg:
3.81 | pDev: 10.5%
Reviews:
75
Ratings:
254
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 21, 2024
Added:
Aug 07, 2011
Wants:
  8
Gots:
  32
Navigating the labyrinth of brewery licensing and state regulations isn't easy. When we finally got the green light, we also got inspired with the perfect name for our pilot brew. Red Tape Lager has a full malty flavor typical of Bavarian dark lagers. It's brewed with 100% Dark Munich Malt. Additions of Glacier hops for bittering and noble German hops for aroma strike a balance between American and European flavors.

25 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by CTHomer:
Photo of CTHomer
Reviewed by CTHomer from Connecticut

3.79/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
A: crystal clear; bronze in color; 1 finger finely pored beige head that receded to a wispy cap; nice thick rings of lace;

S: sourdough and a little caramel;

T: caramel breadiness with mild bitterness on the finish;

M: light to medium bodied; moderate, tingly carbonation; moderately dry finish;

O: easy drinking; would pair well with a lot of foods;
Jan 06, 2019
More User Ratings:
Photo of Treyliff
Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

4.13/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
16oz can poured into a SA glass

A- pours a bright brown color with a ruby hue, one finger foamy off-white head has great retention

S- bready and nutty malt aroma with notes of brown bread crust, walnut, caramel, toffee and a hint of chocolate. Light floral hop undertone

T- sweet caramel up front with notes of bread crust and nutty brown malt. Mid-palate gives some light floral hop notes, along with more toasted bready malt. The finish gives light chocolate, caramel with a long malty toasted linger

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that turns slightly creamy into the finish

O- full flavored and super drinkable, very good
Feb 21, 2024
Photo of hudsonvalleyslim
Reviewed by hudsonvalleyslim from Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From the Jack's Abby website:

"MUNICH STYLE DUNKEL. This is the first beer we ever brewed, named ironically in celebration of the arduous process of opening a brewery. There’s a lot of red tape to work through, but this full flavored, malty, amber lager helps make the process a little more enjoyable. IBUs 25 OGPLATO 12.4 ABV 5%"

I'm old enough and lucky enough to remember this when it was introduced. No idea if it's the same now, so let's do a field test. Can is dated 11/9/2023, so a tad over 3 months old. Poured into a Weihenstephan mug. Amber, a little cloudy. No real nose, but mine is questionable. Halfway through my first pint, I'm liking it. Malty like a Dunkel, but wouldn't have ID'ed it as such. I'm all for variations on a theme. Hudson like!
Feb 15, 2024
Photo of cjgiant
Reviewed by cjgiant from District of Columbia

3.59/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
While I like this beer, I feel it fits better under its old style claim, despite the ingredients used. The auburn colored body leans floats a off-white, slightly dingy rusty head. The nose has a bit of an amber beer base, with an woodsy spice bite. Not sure if the hops interfere with me finding the toasted to lightly roasted malt notes I tend to see in Dunkels (more roasted in American versions), but it just seems more of a moderately bitter red lager in profile to me. I have very fleeting moments where I think I get a taste akin to the style as I interpret it, but then mineral and hop notes wipe it away.

As a beer, I enjoy what's in my glass, but if I were really in the mood for a Dunkel, I would skip this one.
Dec 16, 2023
Photo of Nass
Rated by Nass from Florida

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
The pour is amber colored. The taste is sweet roasted malt, caramel, & a hint of big red bubble gum. Cheers! B
Nov 27, 2023
 
Rated: 3.78 by Budlum from Maryland

Nov 24, 2023
 
Rated: 3.75 by seakayak from Massachusetts

Nov 18, 2023
 
Rated: 3.81 by Hockey_Fan from Maryland

Nov 02, 2023
Photo of woodchipper
Reviewed by woodchipper from Connecticut

3.74/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a 16oz can stamped CANNED 10/18/22 to a Nonic glass at fridge temp.
Amber body (as advertised) with ½-inch off-white head that goes quickly.
The smell is sweet caramel, charcoal and dry hay.
The taste is malty, not too sweet and there are hops poking through creating a drier finish than you would expect.
Mouthfeel is light, carbonation moderate.
Not bad at all considering the age of this sample.
Mar 12, 2023
 
Rated: 3.58 by mltobin from Connecticut

Jan 23, 2023
 
Rated: 3.81 by SpaethJam from New York

Nov 27, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by LAM01833 from Massachusetts

Aug 01, 2022
 
Rated: 4.02 by Taenim from Maine

Jun 11, 2022
 
Rated: 3 by prisdefer from New York

Mar 30, 2022
 
Rated: 3.63 by FrancisM12 from New Jersey

Mar 12, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by ricknelson from Vermont

Mar 09, 2022
 
Rated: 4.29 by lakewy17 from New Hampshire

Feb 28, 2022
 
Rated: 4.12 by infuturity from Massachusetts

Feb 14, 2022
 
Rated: 3.96 by cdub70085 from Connecticut

Jan 15, 2022
 
Rated: 3.88 by eluvah from New York

Sep 02, 2021
Red Tape Lager from Jack's Abby Brewing
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 254 ratings