Royal Tannenbaum
Maplewood Brewery & Distillery

Pours a brilliant reddish brown color. Excellent clarity. Thick, frothy white head forms on the beer, lingers a bit, then dissipates leaving a thin layer of residual foam. Aroma punches you in the face like a blast from the past. This is an old school red IPA that showcases its abrasiveness from the moment you take a whiff of the nose. Aromas of pine, spruce, grapefruit pith and some woodiness come through along with dank, herbal hoppy notes.

The taste is less abrasive than the nose implied - but its still an throwback IPA full of pine, spruce, woody notes, and some sweet caramel. I can't shake a fleeting impression of fruit punch in the flavor profile - its not strong, but it is definitely there. Finish is hoppy, bitter and a bit harsh. Feel is medium bodied, a bit slick or oily. Carbonation level seems appropriate for the style. I expected a drier finish given the overall profile of the beer, but it's not really dry on the finish at all. Just a touch of bitterness.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I do not think I would pick up a 4-pack of this, but the single can in the box was nice.

Canned 11/??/22 (date smudged); drank 11/23/22 @ the Yarchives.

Mostly see-through ruby red appearance.

A rough pour yielded a huge khaki head; thick lacing.

Fruit punch & nutmeg notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Nutmeg & baking soda flavors up front; dry booze heat & faint fruit punch notes on the finish.

This smelled OK but was very abrasive on the tongue. Not so festive.

 

Ruby brown color...modest head that dissipates in a few seconds...pleasant hop aroma though it's not pronounced...medium body with a lasting aftertaste...a somewhat typical red ale flavor with some dark malt flavors...thanks to Beer Cellar Advent box...

Pours gently without too much head. Deep amber color. Hops overwhelm the smell. Strong dark malt with heavy hops on the back end that linger. Not upset I tried it because its quite unique, but this is not an experiment that needs to be repeated.