Patrick's Poison
Rivertowne Brewing

 

Poured into a half pint glass: color is hazy amber, a little dense looking, head starts to foam up and I slow my pour since its a small glass - head presents at least 1/3 inch thick, very dense with fine to small bubbles. Head lingers very well.

Smell is low to moderate earthy, piney hops blended with moderate caramel and toasted malt, very subtle and required some heavy swirling to bring forth aromas.

Taste is on the sweeter side for red ales, though to hit 8% abv not that out of the question. More caramel malt than other (Nugget Nectar comes to mind) but the flavor is balanced by the moderate to strong bitterness. A sweet, strong red ale but well done.

Mouthfeel is on the sweeter side with moderate carbonation, lingering flavors are sweet and caramel like with light toast and a narrow band of bitter bite on the tongue.

Overall a strong red ale that goes heavy on the caramel malt but provides enough attenuation and bitterness to counter.

 

 

Poured from a 12oz can into a shaker pint.

A nice medium amber color with good clarity. A finger's worth of thick tan head that has some good staying power. There is a steady stream of small bubbles rising with purpose throughout the beer. The head leaves some sticky lacing behind as it subsides. This is a pretty beer in the glass.

Piney, resiny hops is the aroma. The carbon dioxide being released from solution tingles in my nose as I breath deeply of the hops. Some caramel malt notes are along for the ride, lending some balance. Nice!

Beautifully bitter with a nice sticky hop punch in the flavor. Caramel malt does come through is the middle before that nice lingering bitter aftertaste that leave you wanting another sip. Mouthfeel is actually fairly smooth with medium to big body. The body is right on for this style.

This beer should define the style in my opinion. A nice big sticky red.
Well done to the brewers at Rivertowne!

The beer pours out into a Duvel glass a lightly hazed reddish copper color with a 1 1/4" light tan head that persists for quite a while and creates some very nice lacing on the sides of the glass as it recedes. Sipping pretty much cleans the side of the glass, leaving on a few scattered small speckles. By mid-way through the beer there's still a thin layer of foam and a small, slightly thicker, irregular island of foam.

The aromas include some caramel, some dark brown sugar and nice hints of earthy, grassy hops.

The flavors are somewhat as expected from the nose but more complex in that they show off both the malt complexity and the dark brown sugar sweetness balanced nicely with a touch of bitterness and while blending in nicely with earthy and grassy notes from the hops.

The mouthfeel is on the full side of medium bodied and crispy with the moderate, persistent carbonation. The finish begins about mid-way through as the sweetness begins to fade a bit and the bitterness emerges more strongly in company with earthy, grassiness. All of them then gradually fade to a nice dry finish that invites another sip. The earthy bitterness lingers longest.

Overall this strikes me as a well brewed beer with an interesting complexity of flavors playing nicely together. I'll certainly be looking to have it again. BTW: This beer is a bit temperature sensitive and should definitley be allowed to warm to about 50 or so as when chilled to refrigerator temperature the bitterness may be too prominent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rivertowne "Patrick's Poison"
12 oz. can, no freshness dating
$1.92 @ Weis Market, Conshohocken, PA

Andrew Maxwell has a penchant for making solid, reliable and highly drinkable beers and this one is no exception. Initially expecting a standard "Irish Red Ale" I was pleased to find that "Patrick's Poison" is actually a stronger and more malty version.

It's a slightly hazy copper with a crimson cast, and it's creamy tan head holds well and leaves short mountains along the side of the glass.

In the nose it's malty with cereal grain, brown sugar, and caramel backed by leafy and grassy hops.

In the mouth it's decidedly medium bodied, almost becoming full; and the median carbonation is fine-bubbled and smooth across the palate.

The flavor is rich and malty but not overdone. It's sweetish to a certain extent, but balanced by a solid bitterness. It's got notes of golden caramel, medium caramel, sweet malt, oats, and soft brown sugar. Going into the finish the bitterness rises and the hops appear, leafy, spicy, grassy, and somewhat floral. It dries readily, and then lingers for quite some time.

 

 

I should know that this brewer seldom makes anything I like. This one made me think about pouring it down the drain on first sip. But I think I will work it. There are some redeeming qualities.

Initially, it looked great. The head was impressive too. I thought it said imperial IPA on it but I must have been mistaken. So it's a bit ugly for a red. The aroma is pretty funky. Robust for sure.

The taste is very malty, bitter and slightly funky. All my ratings are generous, the taste one here is especially generous.

The aftertaste is bitter and does not linger too long, but I still remember a funky taste that did not work.

I don't know why I even try anything from this brewer. Not recommended.