Scarlet Night
Demented Brewing Company

Like what they did with the name of this beer, as it's a clear play on the nickname of New Jersey's collegiate athletic team. With that being said, I expected this to be reddish in hue since this was an American Amber / Red Ale but surprisingly, it was quite dark and looked more like a Black IPA or an American Porter. The aroma and feel was a bit more along those lines too and although this was not a bad beer, it was just a bit tough to pin down during my session...

Of course, the pour to this was a deep mahogany with plenty of frothy, tan head to top this off while offsetting the liquid. Roasted malt, caramel, chocolate, and charcoal were in the nose as this was quite dark and rich for a beer of this type as the taste was also deeper than I would initially guessed. Malt forward with lots of pumpernickel in it, the spice, depth, and lack of bitterness made this quite interesting as the toasted aspect shined through once this fully warmed up. Hints of cola, blood orange citrus slickness, and dank pine came through as this was one of the most complex examples of this style that I've ever had, with some grassy and deep forest undertones emerging in the aftertaste once the liquid fully went down.

Not a lot of booze in this although that would have been hard to guess given how potent and flavorful this was. This was one of the biggest anomalies / misnomers that I had in quite some time but it was a pleasant surprise at the same time. Dated 12/19/16 with "FIRST RUN" written underneath it, this deserved to be rated higher than 3.79 as I delighted in it's darkness and rich complexities. Still wondering how this could be better classified!

 

Poured into a grip shaped goblet: color is hazy dark amber to brown, the haziness deepens the color; head is light tan with fine bubbles, presents about 1 inch thick and then dissipates to solid top that is dense in the middle, head laces the glass sides well.

Smell is pleasant - moderate toast, light toffee, chocolate and caramel, well blended; hops are grassy, herbal.

Taste follows the aroma with moderate toast, toffee, nutty and chocolate flavors with a bit more caramel; hops are notable and develop well with grassy, spicy, herbal notes.

Mouthfeel is a low to moderately carbonated with a solid bitter presence and then drying flavor.

Overall a pretty good spin on the style with a lean to toasty, toffee flavors, maybe blending brown ale and amber ale styles.

 

Demented Brewing Company 'Scarlet Night American Red Ale"
16 fl. oz. can, coded "< - B318008 10/3/17"
$3.99 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: Surprisingly dark. It looked like cola while I was pouring it, and it's a very, very deep mahogany brown in the full pint. Definitely out of bounds color-wise for an American amber ale. 17 SRM is the tops for that, and this is at least 25 SRM, into porter territory. It's slightly hazy as well, and displays glowing orange highlights at the base of the glass when held to the light. The head is a creamy khaki colored cap that holds fairly well and then drops to a thin surface covering. Not surprisingly considering the color, there's a hint of chocolate in the aroma, as well as some lightly spicy hops. The flavor bears out the chocolate as well. It's also caramelish and toasty and a bit nutty, which is nice. A firm, median bitterness balances it nicely, and it finishes dry and lightly spicy with some residual bitterness and leafy hops lingering. In the mouth it's medium bodied with a gentle caress on the tip of the tongue due to its moderate carbonation, and it becomes creamy once warmed. It's actually quite nice, a wonderful pint to sit and relax with. What's the ABV? 5.8%... ahh, that really cuts it out of becoming a session ale, but you could always fit one in. Unfortunately it's not to style, and is really on the way to becoming a brown porter, not that that's a bad thing. I won't ding them for the style variations though, I'll just rate it hedonistically. Mmmmm. I don't have one on hand but I could go for another. Nice beer.

 

 

look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A) From an (expensive) 16oz can of a 4 pack from WFM, pours a beautiful, dark, old blood red-bronze color, transparent that sprouts a tan creamy, frothy head that has decent retention and lace.
S) As with all reds it smells of malt, caramel, and cola with toffee notes and a bit of flowery hops.
T) Follows smell and with red ales it's caramel malt first than hops. Toasty, complex, with toffee and caramel, then leaning into citric and floral hop. Aroma and taste better at cask temperature.
F) Clean, balanced, slightly sweet, light and easy to match with grilled burgers with mushrooms and onions (tonight) or grilled anything or cheese.
o) Noble Jersey effort. We try harder.

Dark caramel amber color with three fingers of light tan head. Fairly clear despite being quite dark, with the head leaving excellent webbed lacing.

Strong caramel malts and a little mustiness in the nose, but the malts really shine in the taste. Deep, bready caramel flavor balanced by strong citrus-and-pine hop bitterness. Maybe even a hint of green coffee. Old school American red right here, with the malt dialed up to 11.

Medium to heavy bodied with good carbonation. This one bucks all the current trends, with intense bitterness and an even stronger presentation. Tasty. Batch #223.

From a 16oz can

It is a dark, almost blood red color. Semi transparent as a little bit of light comes through to highlight the ruby tint. There is a substantial tan colored frothy head that has really good retention.

It smells pretty malty. Toasted dark bread and caramel with an almost toffee like note and a touch of citrus and some floral hops.

It tastes like it smells. Much more malt forward than hop forward. Very bready with toasted crust, some rich toffee and caramel, a little kick of grapefruit and a musty/earthy citra hop like flavor. There is a bit of a spicey bite before it finishes with a smooth doughy aftertaste.

It is medium to light bodied and easy drinking.

I know Amber/Red Ales can be a catch all style and there are a lot of variations and different expectations, but this one is very balanced, leaning malty. A solid and enjoyable beer.

 

DATE: September 29, 2017... OCCASION: watching Moana with the family... GLASSWARE: Victory nonick... pours a crimson red, opaque body that pitches up a creamy, brown head, thickening around the glass's edge... musty caramel impales the nostrils, with cracker and subtle spices... first sip is smooth, dry like merlot, and a lively mouth feel... creamy, thick, and sippable at 5.8% ABV, with a borderline cola feel... the finish lingers, but the caramel flavor is subdued, but tangible... the toasted aspect is peaty and mellowing... the hops are musty, earthy, with a tinge of citrus and resin... this is a beer that could easily be a go-to, if only for its price and availability... at least this one came through a blind mix-twelve... solid overall...

 

Nice dark Amber color. Smooth malty taste. Solid foamy head. Great after taste.

 

On draft

Dark red in color, amber highlights. Foamy off-white head. Malty aroma - caramel and a bit of chocolate. Mildly sweet in taste. Medium bodied.

 

Decanted from a 32 oz crowler prepared at the brewery on 6/10/2017. Reportedly available in cans at stores locally (north central NJ), although not at the brewery the day I visited.
A: Pours a clear dark copper color with a perceptibly red cast; half inch head that persists normally.
S: Sweet maltiness with aromas of biscuit and fruit (grape, kiwi).
T: On the very sweet side of malty, with fruit notes (more kiwi, than grape) and light bitterness/pepperiness. Slightly bitter, albeit not unpleasant, aftertaste.
M: Creamy, but medium bodied with nice persistence of effervescence.
O: Sweeter than many amber/red ales. Consider if you like sweetness without maltiness. Could see it working in some but not all food pairings, but would be less inclined to drink it solo.
Note: Demented Brewery is close to the New Brunswick and Piscataway campuses of Rutgers, where the mascot is the Scarlet Knight.