NW Red
Buoy Beer Company

Rated 3/26/2020. Definitely a NW Red. It has good malt body with a nice roasted malt aroma and taste. The Bitterness is a little strong for my taste, for a Red ale. If I want hop flavor, I go for a good IPA that is High in IBUs, like this IBU rating of 65.

The body is deep amber, warm and inviting.
The nose is malty.
The flavor reminds me of the IPA's of 15 --20 years ago before they all went to shit tasting like lemonade. It's well balanced with a malty sweetness and a bitter bite on the end.
Overall a great beer, I'll be having again.

Pours chestnut-hued amber; off white head that leaves a nice little cap that lingers around a while; spots of lacing, very very close to crystal clear.

The nose is both malty, toffee like, and hoppy; the malt shows some toasted character as well, the hops are deep earthy and resin filled, biting.

Hops are front and center on this beer; pinecone, earthy and grassy but cut quickly by toasty caramel malt and a grapefruit like zip of citrus.

Medium body, pretty substantial compared to other NW Reds I have had, this verges into IPA land; dry and clean, lingering pine driven bitterness. It drinks quite smooth but it is a bigger beer.

I enjoyed this beer and would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good malty and also hoppy beer. What I have loved about most NW Reds I've tried is their drinkability and abv range, this one verges into IPA-land ABV wise and feel wise; but I knew that going in from the ABV.

thankful to have these guys selling beer in idaho now. this is pretty darn hoppy, very northwestern as the name says, basically an amber meets an ipa, a red ipa, whatever you want to call it, nice fuller feeling and richer grain profile, big piney hop back end with bitterness that extends beyond the residual grain sugar, pleasant to drink, but certainly robust, and anyone looking for more of a crowd pleasing red ale is going to be taken by storm here, its not crazy aggressive, but its bold for the style, i liked it a lot and dont mind the assertive hops here at all, just caught me a bit off guard. looks like an unassuming amber type with a deep copper tone and some glow, a decent off white head from the tap. nose of fresh pine, bitter orange peel, and a little bit of dankness, but its not green and its not mean. the malt balances it well, some baked and kilned earthen character, not all that sweet, and the ferment seems invisible to me. the flavor is sort of a two part experience, as the hops start a little late. for me its more familiar amber up front, lightly nutty with a honey note, the the hops kick in with big woodsy wintery bitter intensity, spruce and grapefruit pith, could be simcoe or centennial or both in here, although i dont know what they actually use, relatively high alpha and pungent. its drying from the hops at the end, but still has an extended finish, great carbonation, and a lasting bite on the tongue. this isnt for everyone, but its for me. maybe a little too bold to be a session beer, but i dug it!

 

12oz can

Pours a small finger of tan head into my can-style glass. Retention is average, and the head fades within a minute or two. Initial lacing looks decent. Body is a deep red, certainly looks more brown to me. Low visibility, minimal bubbles. Looks fine so far.

Nose has some pretty deep toasted malt character, light breadyness, not picking up much caramel. Behind that, you get a citrus and pine hop aroma, nice touch. This has some potential, but none of the flavors are really coming through all that powerful. Overall the aroma is ok.

Flavor kinda follows suit, everything is “here” so to speak, but like…also not really. Hops, some faint malt. Things seem to be fighting for attention, though nothing makes a big impression. Really just very bland.

Carbonation is on the higher side. Body has a little bit of weight to it, but generally drinks pretty light. Very small and brief sweetness. Bitterness is over medium, and certainly noticeable. Overall the mouthfeel is fine I guess, but I would hope with this much bitterness I would be getting more hop flavor.

Drinkability isn’t bad, but I wouldn’t mind a tiny bit more malt to balance out the bitterness.

Appearance turned out pretty nice, lacing was pretty good all the way down.

Overall this is fine I suppose, but just really not a lot going on. The aroma develops a little bit over time, getting some fuller malt character, but other than that there’s just some bitterness and not much else.

 

Look: Semi-clear deep amber red with a frothy off-white head that lids up and leaves good lacing
Aroma: Warm bread, floral hops, a little toffee, earthiness, wafts of citrus fruit, a little grassiness, and dark bready malt notes
Taste: Spicy and earthy hops along with bready malt start things off and soon joined by toffee, citrus fruit (mainly sharp-tasting lemon), and flowers. More bready malt comes back into frame and mingles with all the hop flavors before a nice hop bite closes things out
Mouthfeel: Full, a little silky, medium-high carbonation, and a noticeable hop bite and dryness on the finish
Overall: This is tasty stuff. A well-made red ale that has a good balance of malt and hops but definitely leans toward being more hop-dominate. Bready malt has good depth and I dig the floral aspects in this as well. I like most of what these folks do and this is no different. Delicious, and if hop-forward red ales are your thing, recommended

Average

Had this on 2019-06-01 in Astoria, OR at the brewery on tap.

 

16.9oz bottle poured into 12oz tulip. Poured a lightly hazy reddish brown color, with just under a half-inch of khaki head that had OK retention, and light-medium lace.

The aroma was as expected, sweet, caramel-y malts, with a hint of citrusy hops in the background.

Nearly identical on the tongue. Caramel and hops, there was just enough bite on the finish to keep things lively though.

The body was typical for the style, medium-ish, and a semi-sweet finish.

Drinkability was fine, it was no chore to drink. Overall, a fairly solid example of the style. Worth trying if one is in the mood.

From a growler filled at the brewery, poured into nonic British pints. Very pretty, crystal-clear, dark amber. Nose is malts and bready yeast coming up from a dense frothy head that fades to a skim coat. Tasty, malt forward with some bitterness on the tongue, but overall well balanced. Good mouthfeel, no off-notes. For a red ale, it is good as any, better than some.

 

 

 

 

 

Pint from Growl Movement in Salem OR $4 Hazy amber color..small off white head Aromas mainly caramel and nuts..with a small amount of hops. Taste same as the aroma.....bitter after yasr. Nice smooth thick mouth feel. A pleasing beer.