Death Valley Johnnie
Mankato Brewery

Appearance: Pours a beautiful, mostly clear, dark ruby color with a bronze hue. A light tan head unfolds. (4.25)

Aroma: Strong hoppy aromas of orange and tropical fruit. There is citrus and nectarine. Rich with a sweet caramel backbone. Some light pine and flower underneath. Not unlike a Sierra Nevada aroma. (4.25)

Flavor: Flavor follows the nose of rich citrus and tropical nectar. Sweet and nectar-like with a rich caramel backbone. No bitterness and finishes smooth and sweet. It's superb. (4.25)

Feel: Medium-bodied. Low-carbonation. Not too heavy. Sort of watery, but heavy and sweet enough to feel like nectar. (3.50)

Compared with Bell's Amber Ale 4/15/20: Pours a darker color. Stronger aromas. More citrus and tropical nectar. Less caramel. Similarly malty without bitterness. Overall, this one has more flavor. Winner: Death Valley Johnnie.

Overall: A very nice and pleasant red ale. Lots of dry hopping. Lots of citrus and tropical fruit. No pine or bitterness. Sweet and malty all the way. Flavors remind me of Sierra Nevada with the rich citrus and caramel backbone. Extremely drinkable. Not enough caramel to be an amber, but fits the red ale category. Absolutely delicious now at only 5% ABV. Gosh this one is malty but good. (Final Rating: 4.18)

Got in a trade with The-Adjunct-Hippie. 12 ounce can into tulip glass, best before 6/21/2018. Pours moderately hazy deep ruby red/orange/copper color with a 1 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, citrus peel/zest, wood, light peppercorn/pine, honey, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, nuttiness, toasted biscuit, brown bread dough/crust, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. A bit too malty/muddy aromas. Nice aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops and dark/bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, citrus peel/zest, wood, light peppercorn, pine, honey, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, nuttiness, toasted biscuit, brown bread dough/crust, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, citrus peel/zest, wood, light peppercorn, pine, honey, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, nuttiness, toasted biscuit, brown bread dough/crust, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops and dark/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, fairly sticky, and slightly resinous/rindy mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 7.4%. Overall this is a very nice imperial red ale. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops and dark/bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/drying finish. Nice Falconers Flight profile. Very juicy and fairly dank/earthy hops; with a great rich malt backbone. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example. Held up well considering the age of the can.

This beer pours dark red. The head, when poured from the tap was less than 1 finger and white. The nose is pretty strong. I'm a bit under the weather, but it seemed to be malty. The taste is rich. It's got a bit of a hop bite to it. The beer isn't watery. Nice beer. Would like to try it again.