Boxcar Rapids
Riverbend Brewing Company

Look: A nearly clear rich ruby-red in the glass with an off-white head that settles quickly and leaves good lacing – this is really a beautiful looking beer
Aroma: Herbal hops, freshly baked bread, some pine/conifer notes, a little toffee, earthiness, and some light fruity esters – mainly apple skin and flesh
Taste: Herbal hops, bready malt, and toffee join forces and strike first before developing some depth. Pine and fruity esters trickle in as well and mingle nicely. All hops in the middle – fir needles, pine sap, earthy, and herbaceous goodness, and closes with toffee and bread
Mouthfeel: Full, medium-high carbonation, and fairly smooth on the finish with just a slight sharpness/dry note that tastes to me like a mild hop bite
Overall: This is some delicious stuff. I’m a huge sucker for red ales and was surprised to find that I hadn’t reviewed this one before because I hold it in very high regard. A great combo of darker malt flavors and earthy/herbal/coniferous hops that work extremely well together. This was the first beer I ever had from these folks which helped put them on the map for me and it continues to be impressive. If you like red ales, definitely give this one a try

Pours a clear copper with modest foam in the Kasteel chalice. Plentiful carbonation and prickly on the tongue. Taste is leafy, herbal tea. Smells of leaf mold and under the kitchen sink. Light body. Mucky and grimy tasting. Still, I"ve had worse red ales. (Mojave Red, the flagship of possibly America's most inept brewery).

Well, this is the classic American Red Ale. Overly bitter, murky and musty, but lushly carbonated. This could be a good style but of the 18 I've reviewed I see that Full Sail's Session Fest is the only one I really liked. No date.

 

Noice