Roark's Red Ale
Half Door Brewing Co.

my first beer from these guys, enjoyed in what feels like an enlarged nonic pint glass, holding its head well over the muted brick red base. i have to confess i dont drink a ton of red ale, because they usually bore me to death, but this one is full of character even without being the least bit hoppy. sure the newly made good friends help any beer taste good, communion after all is what its all about, but here we have a drier red ale with some yeast flavor, irish or scottish or something old worldy and even rustic, with some nice round body, a kilned and toasted grain complexion without much sweetness, and a sort of immediately timeless appeal. not that the wheel has been reinvented or anything, but the sure did do a nice job with this, and the fact that there is some yeast character here makes it interesting. medium body but weighty in the belly, still drinkable though somehow, and overall a pretty solid first impression from these guys. i am surprised to see this rated so poorly here, its definitely better than its ratings!

 

 

 

With a dark copper color, it has the malt, but it's very, VERY bitter overall! So bitter I can barely figure out what's in the beer itself. This may be a part of the learning curve for those who just opened up their microbrewery. Until they [possibly] sort this out, it's best to go for Karl Strauss' Red Trolley Ale. That is a benchmark for Irish Reds!

 

Coppery red with a long-lasting white foam in the pint monic. Quite spritzy and attractive. On tap at the restaurant & brewery in downtown San Diego.

Pleasant nutty taste at the first sip. Then the surprising bitterness. Another sip-- the malty roasted taste is inviting, but then it turns harsh. The aggressive bittering hops turn what would be an interesting Red Ale into something barely drinkable.