Double Red
Dragoon Brewing Co.

In many ways reminiscent of 21st Amendment's Toaster Pastry, but less malty and more citric, with grapefruit-pith supplanting the lemony Citra elements effusive in Toaster Pastry. Really nice golden-brown hue, with elements of red and orange; minimal head out of the hours-old crowler, but tremendous lacing and a solid little cloud-white ring crowning the liquid. Rose-petal and rose-hip, malty husk, turbinado, and grapefruit skin anoint the nose, carried on an oddly airy, buoyant course, given the big nature of this double-red—with the sugars surprisingly soft and tropical. The flavors are all heft, though, with lemom-creme, grapefruit meringue, pie-like key-lime pulsing through a big-hearted mix of sticky-brown and almost-rye-spicy red malts. Those mingle, but sweep out swiftly—but not meekly—as cooling herbal impressions of marjoram, lemongrass, and true-&-wet lupulin—alongside young, green, almost twiggy pine-nettle notes—ride out the sweetness to culminate in an extremely pleasant bite that is just the right measure of bitterness.

Deep and big; rich yet refreshing; clean whilst sticky; well-balanced throughout almost every vector, with a trapeze-act of tart-flowers and grassy-bitters and malt-tannic sugars. This is one of those beers one wishes the brewery made more than once in a wet, green moon.

 

 

Poured a gorgeous clear red with a fluffy, two-finger off-white head. It looks beautiful. Scents of citrus peel, citrus pith, orange, grapefruit, pine resin and faint grain. A very enticing, hop forward aroma. I get Centennial hops for sure, and there are likely some other West Coast varieties in the mix. Flavor begins hop forward with citrus, citrus zest, citrus pith and pine resin. It moves into more hop bitterness, though a slight underlying caramel sweetness also appears. Not too sweet, just enough to balance the bitterness, but not to equal it. Finish is still more hop flavors and a bit of caramel. This carries over into the aftertaste. A very good, well executed hop forward flavor that does not disappoint. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation, and a sticky, resinous, semi-drying feel. Overall this is a very good Imperial Red Ale. It is hop forward, but has enough malt to balance, an excellent aroma and a great mouthfeel. I greatly enjoyed it.