Beet Red Ale
Bent Hill Brewery

DATE: December 6, 2018... OCCASION: a nondescript Thursday night and a weird beer, courtesy of Jeff and against my better judgement--why am I nervous to pour this? GLASSWARE: HopDevil nonick... pours an ominous, sediment-rich body of red-tinge amber, lively with bubbles and sizzling with effervescence... its head is white, quarter-fingered and sudsy... caramel, wood chip akin to beech, earthy root and loam, some spiciness, and a desert-like fruitiness... to say it's not what I expected would be to suggest I had expectations... sips dryly, as a foamy, fizzy, malt-forward body--medium-weighted, long at the throat, and lingering with that earthy leafiness that isn't quite an attribute of beers I tend to enjoy... this is rough stuff, though its not the worst concoction I've tried... still, it's a muddle, with an intense earthy fruitiness that grates with malt and oat, forcing this away from a lambic or a fruity wheat... at the end, a beer that seemed like a novelty actually is something I could drink again...but probably would not seek out...

Moderate pour yields a 5/8 inch off white pinkish head over a translucent pink champagne body with no lacing. Head dissipates down to a ring in a a matter of minutes. Nose of nothing I can pin down as I'm guessing it's the smell of beets. Taste of citrus, beets, and finishing pleasantly tart. Very nice feel and overall, I would have again. Cheers!

The color is the most attractive aspect; the nose is slight malty, taste is bready, nutty, feel is soft. I love that the beet ales are unconventional in combining beautiful unexpected red color with a rather yummy (!), unassuming English mild or lager-style beer. Kind of like comfort food in a ruby wrapper. I'll be drinking more of this, as a change from the stouts I drink most often.

Poured into a becher pint glass, the appearance was a soft transparent amber color with a thin finger’s worth of foamy head that quickly dissipates leaving a messy lace running all around the glass. The aroma starts with a sweet soily sugar/red beet maltiness. Some light caramel malts blend in nicely. The flavor leans to the sweet side and becomes fairly vegetal like real red beets. Red beet-like aftertaste and a quick sweet to earthy finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a nice sessionability about it. Carbonation runs fairly low with a smooth vegetal feel on my tongue. Overall, did they use red beets in this brewing of this beer? Haha, I think they did and not only did this beer taste like I was drinking red beets, I would say this was done pretty well. Interesting take on an amber ale.

Nothing great
Can't taste the beets

 

Tastes like a supreme brown ale with a rich sweetness and light brightness all at once. Nothing bitter or beet-y about it, just all around deliciousness!