Woodenhead Ale
River City Brewing Company

Had this on draft in 2012.
A: pours an amber body with small white head with nice retention and lacing.
S: sweet, toffee taste with subtle citrus notes; pretty sweet smelling
T: nice balance of sweet citrus notes with some subtle toffee notes; pretty well balanced overall; sweet caramel aftertaste with subtle earthiness
M: smooth and pretty crisp; solid overall
D: excellent feel and taste combo; definitely a top notch amber ale; balanced and easy drinking

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oak-aged amber ale with a solid finger's worth of tawny head. Color was a deep-amber with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a bourbon-sweet alcohol quality, no doubt borne of the
aging. Mouthfeel was medium with a lot of distilled alcohol flavor on the tongue. The finish was very reminiscent of a distilled beverage. Celebration of their 10th anniversary? Sounds good. A solid 4.

On tap at River City on 7/15/09. Described as a "big amber ale with three new varieties of American hops and aged in oak."

A - Deep amber/copper-colored (almost bronze) body with only a slim off-white ring around the edges and a patchy film that yielded sparse lacing.

S - Very subtle aroma despite the description of this ale. There is a hint of oak chips, but the hops are really restrained. There is a smidgen of herbal hops and a scant citrus character, but that's about it.

T - Again, there's just not much there, unfortunately. I can't really discern an identifiable hop profile, and the oak character is very subtle at best.

M - Medium bodied with a light syrupy texture, though ultimately watery. Carbonation is moderate, resulting in a slight prickle factor. Finish is fairly dry due to the oak with a slight metallic bitterness and astringency on the palate.

D - I feel this beer has a lot of potential, but I was otherwise disappointed with this offering overall. It's a great concept that falls short, in my opinion.

The server told me that this was an anniversary ale from a few years ago. Can't confirm that from the website. I think the beer may have been coming from a serving tank instead of kegs which might explain a few things.

Pours clearish and really more brown than amber. Some redness but mostly a light colored brown. Offwhite head with some decent retention and lacing.

Smells hoppy, oaky, and like a hybrid red/brown. Can't pick out the hops exactly but there are a few in there. The oak is fairly strong as well. I get some biscuit aroma mixed with a touch of sweet malt and a hint of alcohol.

Flavor is heavy on the hops and oak. The hops come off as old, not bad but to the point where its tough to tell which hops are in there. Decent bitterness but the hops are mostly of the flavoring variety. The alcohol is well hidden in the midst of all the strong flavors.

Body is medium and drinkable. Interesting for sure and relatively "extreme" considering the abv. If I was into either reds or browns I would order it again, but instead I'll stick with either the Kolsch or the Doppelbock.