Chromatic Imperial Red Ale
Empirical Brewery

Taste: tasty, bready, balanced German malts and some hops. Earthy roasted malts, some brown sugar. Brown hue, mostly clear, with delicate lace. Medium body. Would pair well with BBQ, had this several years ago. 45 IBUs

 

 

A dark copper color with a nice white head. Scent is a kind sweet malty and yeasty fruitiness. Very unusual. Taste is rich and complex. The taste is a complex mixture of sweet caramel, slightly spicy rye?, and dark fruit. I don't get much hoppiness, though what I'm calling spiciness may be a hint of hop kick. Mouthfeel is huge and creamy. This is a big beer. Not one for everyday. Reminds me more of some great holiday beers because of its super rich taste and texture. I will revisit but probably not in the summer months.

 

 

 

I wanted to like this. The rich mahogany body supporting a thick robus tan head looks beautiful in the 10 oz snifter.
The citrus aroma evokes hints of raisin (or deeper..is it prune?)
There is no alcohol burn, but 9%abv goes somewhere. I've decided it is port beer. Full and silky mouthfeel with low carbonation.
This would be great mixed in a ganache and spread between layers of moist vanilla cake.

Just one beer though.

Tasted in a Spiegelau IPA glass from a 12 oz bottle on March 4, 2016.

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a tulip.

A - Pours a deep, clear ruby red, off-white head.

S - Caramel, biscuits, raisins. Very sweet aroma.

T - A rich caramel malt character emerges from the front. Sweet, toasty, and Vienna-style biscuit notes accentuate the intense caramel, giving a slight dark berry impression on the mid-palate. Sweet, but balanced. An earthy, spicy hop flavor comes into play near the back, with impressions of resin and bark. Finish is unexpectedly bitter.

M - Medium-full body, no dryness, moderate bitterness on the finish.

O - Very interesting beer, somewhere between an Amber Ale, Marzen, and an Old Ale.

 

 

somewhat of a red ipa here, my buddy and i had differing opinions about it. i liked how big and hoppy it was, he thought it was too sweet, but i think it was really well done overall, and one of the better beers here. nice dark amber color, looks very rich and full bodied, and holds its just off white head really well, leaving ring lacing as i sip it down. smells and tastes almost nutty from the malt, sort of an english earthiness underneath the more conventional sweet red grains. i get hints of honey and orange peel in this, more than just a generic sweetness, and the citrus from the hops for me is very orangey. i like the way it comes together, and there is enough bitterness to balance on the back end. still, there is a lot of beer in this glass. filling and sweet at the same time, one was absolutely enough for me, but its a cool early winter beer and i think its very well made. very very sturdy, tons of body to it, but also very smooth, even creamy for a second going down. this place is cool, and this is one of their better beers i had.