Scarlet Honey
Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery

The past couple of days have been an amazing CANmalgam of Goses & Pilsners, but now my supply is exhausted. I had the Duvel as kind of an oddball, but it will lead me back to some of the breweries from which I reviewed beers the last couple of days, including Transmitter, Manayunk (CANayunk), Sly Fox, Conshohocken (CANshohocken), Sloop & Great North. Following that excursion, I will be focusing on imports for a while, bringing me full circle to that one. Stay tuned. It's gonna be CANother wild ride on The CANQuest (tm)!

From the CAN: "Scarlet Honey Hoppy Red Ale with Estate Honey"; "Virginia's Farm Brewery"; "Drink a Beer. Save a Bee."; "Who cares? Obviously, you care! Thank you for being a bee hero. Over 75% of America's nutrition is pollinated by bees. A portion of the proceeds from Scarlet Honey go to protecting Virginia's bee population through responsible, ecological farming practices. So with every sip, you can taste that sweet nectar of doing good."; "Beer Power."

I was growing CANxious for a beer so I crack!ed open the vent & beeCAN a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. This was crazy foamy, forming a towering two-plus finger of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head that resembled a hive until the bees left & it suddenly fell. 8=O Color was a beauteous Deep Amber/Light Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity. 8=O Nose smelled like freshly-baked bread drizzled with honey. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but on the approach. The taste was an interesting amalgam, reminiscent of early American Amber / Red Ales wherein the focus was malts, until the hop craze came along, the style kinda fizzled & then reappeared with an emphasis on hops. This tasted like the missing link, opening with a bready maltiness, slowly blooming with hoppy bitterness, but tempered the whole time by honey. It was not as honey-forward as the previous The Hive, but it was no slouch, either. Man, I CAN really get behind these honey-driven ales! My honey of an ex-Old Lady is a meaderist & where I was only mildly into meads before I met her, under her tutelage, I really got into them. I'd bet that she'd really dig this beer, Finish was semi-dry, more in line with my expectations.

 

 

Deep amber with a little white head
Quite sweet with the malt bill and the addition of honey. The hop is present but faint.
Nice silky thickness. An okay amber ale

 

12 oz can, dated 8/9/18 - been in my fridge since a trip to VA last month.

pours a murky reddish brown color, very cloudy. thick white head, good lacing and head retention. aroma is sweet malt and also grassy, citrus hops. flavor is a bit stronger on the honey flavor and not as pleasant as the aroma - with a lingering aftertaste that is odd - maybe a bit stale. medium bodied, a bit slick of a mouthfeel.

Poured reddish brown with tan head. Little to no lacing. Smells sweet and floral. Taste is smmoth, sweet with a citrusy mouth feel. After taste is a little bitter. Great beer. I love it. Maybe favorite this year so far.

 

 

 

 

Great easy drinking beer

 

 

 

Poured from a can into a tulip glass.
A cloudy brown amber, much more interesting than the standard red I expected, and with a creamy tan head.
Smell/taste is only a little sweet, with citrusy hops and a woody aftertaste.
Mouthfeel is full for an ale.
My can said the ABV is only 4.9%

From the bottom of the can: "11/03/17 12:15:49"

Appearance: The body of the beer is an opaque tawny brown. The head is very large and creamy textured with an off-white color. It has excellent retention and lacing.

Aroma: It has a soapy smelling wildflower aroma. It is very pleasant and inviting. It smells very much like early Summer on a prairie.

Taste: The flavor is very interesting because it starts out with this mango skin flavor which is tropical and contrasts greatly with the aroma. There is just a touch of what tastes like rye flour. The aftertaste has more of that soapy and floral character that is found in the aroma.

Mouthfeel: It feels a bit thick and textured with a medium and dexrinous body.

Overall: I really didn't get any sweet honey or even mead character from this beer, although it states that it is made "with ESTATE HONEY." In a nutshell this beer is a floral amber ale. I would recommend it as a nice picnic beer for the early or mid-Spring. It would be a good beer to sit and drink contemplatively or while enjoying a good book. I would buy it every now and then.

L) Pours a lovely, deep ruby tinted honey color with a creamy white head. Decent Retention.

S) Fresh, citrussy, hoppiness dominates the nose. If I was told this was a pale ale, or even an IPA, I would have believed from just a sniff. The citrus zest spiciness is juxtaposed by a smidge of lovely crystal maltiness.

T) The taste is incredibly hop forward. Truth be told, this should be considered a red IPA. But it is delicious nonetheless. There is plenty of juicy citrus and deep L60 crystal nature to this brew, and the profile lingers after sipping. A luxurious and wet brew for sure.

F) The beer has a medium to high carbonation and a medium body for the flavor profile. I would almost like a little bit less carbonation with the flavors at play, but everything is well within acceptable ranges.

O) I love Lickinghole, I am happy to see them producing 6-pack beers for everyday drinking. This is an easy recommendation for malt and hop lovers, what a lovely red.