The Wayward Son
Radical Road Brewing Co.

The Wayward SonThe Wayward Son
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From:
Radical Road Brewing Co.
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
Belgian Pale Strong Ale
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.4 | pDev: 12.35%
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
31
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 08, 2016
Added:
Jul 29, 2013
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  2
Belgian-style golden ale aged in Pinot Noir barrels
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by WeissBoy:
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Rated by WeissBoy from Canada (ON)

3.75/5  rDev +10.3%

Jul 29, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.41 by beerhunter13 from Canada (ON)

Feb 08, 2016
 
Rated: 3.88 by Corson from Canada (AB)

May 25, 2015
 
Rated: 3.58 by Mr_Hoptimistic from Canada (ON)

Mar 01, 2015
 
Photo of taxandbeerguy
Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)

3.3/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
750 ml bottle served fairly cold into a pint glassy comes in an artistic looking box. Purchased for $11 CDN.

Appearance - dull hazy golden color. Three fingers of dense creamy white head and good retention. Significant bubbles are present, and while not completely hazy, it's not clear either.

Smell - spicy and a bit of musty aroma, certainly some grapes from being aged in wine barrels. A little bit yeasty smelling too. Interesting, but doesn't all come together.

Taste - mildly bitter, with a bit of the Belgian yeasty flavor. Also a bit musty. Some sweet fruit juiciness up front but it fades away pretty quick. It's not bad but just seems a bit all over the place. The aging in wine barrels doesn't seem to have too big of an impact here.

Mouthfeel - light, smooth and moderately carbonated. Soft feel in the mouth and slightly dry finish.

Overall - not necessarily a bad Belgian pale ale, it just doesn't jump of the tongue as being something that is absolutely delicious. Worth a try, but the price is fairly steep and the end result is middling. Unless you have a real thing for beer aged in wine barrels, it's probably safe to give this a pass.
Nov 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Bf_89 from Canada (ON)

Jun 09, 2014
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Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

3.75/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle: Poured a golden color ale with a large foamy head with quite good retention and some good lacing. Aroma of vinous notes with lightly sweet malt notes with some residual grapes notes also identifiable. Taste is also dominated by light sweet notes with remarkable vinous notes which are well balance against some residual sugar notes. Grapes notes are also noticeable. Body is about average for style with good carbonation. Enjoyable overall with very solid balanced of all the flavours.
Mar 05, 2014
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

3.47/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
The Wayward Son started off pure - a clear, golden beer of angelic brightness and virgin white head - but the second half of the bottle defiles that; it ultimately becomes dull, turbid, and its pearls crumble almost entirely. Appearance wise, the ale doesn't live up to its packaging.

The nose is splendid but lacks any mark of the pinot noir barrels in which the beer was aged. It is a classic Belgian Strong Golden Ale bouquet: strong, spicy, savory, and fruity. It has the air of an orchard (lots of apple, pear) but not a vineyard. The oak, however, is mildly perceptible.

Any red wine characteristics that may have leaked out of the barrels remain concealed on the palate. There's still no sour cherry, berries, currants or any other kind of taste or texture I'd associate with the grape. Once again, this flavour is more orchard and citrus fruit focused, notes of apple and orange peel prevailing alongside the soft, sweet, ultra-bready maltiness.

True to its style, the mouthfeel has zesty, spicy, and herbal qualities. A pepper and coriander-like piquancy, fueled in part by the 7.5% alcohol, stings the tongue on some sips while an earthy, dried herb-like savoriness and barnyard-like yeastiness pull the reins in the aftertaste.

'Wayward' is an adjective meaning "difficult to control or predict". It's a very fair word to describe the challenging and inexact science of barrel-aging; envisaging the combination of flavours and textures between the beer, the oak, and the wine is no easy task. But given the success of Radical Road's Canny Man, this follow-up offering was surprisingly disappointing.
Feb 17, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Jan 29, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by curewhatalesu from Canada (ON)

Jan 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by irishkyle21 from Canada (ON)

Jan 11, 2014
Photo of BGDrock
Reviewed by BGDrock from Canada (ON)

3.18/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Appearance: wildly effervescent at first, generating a sizzling, frothy white head that burns out quick; peach coloured, juicy

Aroma: tinny; lightly of stone fruit (peach) and banana, floral

Taste & Mouthfeel: apple & pear, light and juicy; definitely doesn't feel like a 7% beer, swear you could feed this to a toddler - it's simple enough for one, with only a fleeting memory on the tongue and little depth of flavour; can get a bit of honey and orange as per the description, but other than that it's oversold; could use something to balance out the sweetness and make it more crisp

Overall: nothing exciting here, a one dimensional brew that is somewhat reminiscent of cider; worth it if only for the packaging
Dec 15, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by byronic from Canada (ON)

Dec 10, 2013
Photo of FondueVoodoo
Reviewed by FondueVoodoo from Canada (BC)

3.31/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Huge thanks to TheSevenDuffs for including this brew in our 2013 fall canbif.

A: Exceptionally clear pour with a golden apricot hue. 2 fingers of bone white head which settles to a light covering with minimal lacing.

S: Traditional Belgian yeast profile with yeasty bread and white pepper together with light notes of buttery caramel.

T: The French oak is noticeable with a buttery, caramel profile. The Belgian yeast is mild and there are background notes of light spices and coriander.

M: Medium bodied with moderate levels of carbonation.

O: The French oak is prominent in the taste lending a buttery, caramel profile. The Belgian ale aspects remain in the background with an overal mild profile. A good tasting beer but there are more exciting ones out there.
Dec 01, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by TerryW from Canada (ON)

Nov 19, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by sbarre from Canada (ON)

Nov 08, 2013
Photo of TheSevenDuffs
Reviewed by TheSevenDuffs from Canada (ON)

2.38/5  rDev -30%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.25
Bottled poured in to snifter.

A - Poured a translucent pale orange colour with two fingers of thick cream coloured head.

S - Very sweet with some Belgian yeast and clove aromas coming through and a very light citrus aroma. No barrel notes come through on the nose at all. Some noticeable alcohol.

T - Sweet bread and candy notes dominate. Lighter Belgian yeast and clove notes with a hint of lemon. No barrel notes come through at all, as the nose indicated. Very sweet and generally bland.

M - Medium body. Somewhat dry. Moderate to high carbonation.

O - This was very disappointing. That makes two VERY disappointing beers so far from Radical Road. Interestingly enough first one (Canny Man) was ALL barrel and this one had no barrel whatsoever. I think these guys should focus less on their packaging and more on the beer.
Oct 27, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by SupremePie from Vermont

Oct 26, 2013
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Reviewed by magerob from Canada (BC)

2.07/5  rDev -39.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Poured vertically into glass elevating to 6-12 inches but only generated a centimeter of head that dissipated quickly. Very little aroma, mostly cider sweetness. Flavour is light with cider notes, some barrel, no real malt or yeast. Strangely full mouthfeel paired with flatness. Really needs some carbonation and malt presence, no good.
Oct 19, 2013
The Wayward Son from Radical Road Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 31 ratings