Mid-90’s
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Pours a deep amber. Tan foam. Hoppy aroma. Sweet caramel malt body. Smooth. Light bitter hop finish. Well balanced. Very drinkable. A nice red ale.

So. for someone who was in college in the mid 90's, I feel this is probably marketed in my direction, even if I was never particularly excited about red ale. Still, starts with a rugged rocky head and a sweet, slightly spicy nose and amber body with orange highlights.

Well balanced and full of flavor, this is malt centric but switches to more hop and resin based flavors in the back end of the sip. This is a bit of a throwback, well made, and fun for nostalgia reasons but still not something I am going to ouit of my way for.

Appearance: Clear amber, big head.

Smell: Starts with tobacco and roasted malt note then shifts to mild citrus.

Taste: Starts with mild citrus bitterness and stays on that course with a little light roasted malt note. Medium-light body. Finishes the same as the taste up front.

Overall: Picked up a single, this smelled intriguing at first but then just settled into a moderately hoppy red ale bucket. It’s fine.

 

I heard a wiseman on this website once say “One man’s india pale is another man’s pale, is another man’s amber…”-continue that with is another man’s American brown. This applies mostly via appearance-a ruddy, dark ruby/ light brown, with a bit of a chill haze. Head recedes shortly after pouring. Minimal lacing.
Herbal hops and unsweetened iced tea in the nose along with some toast.
Not a ton going on in the flavor dept. restrained, earthy hop bitterness. A little citrus pith. Over-steeped Lipton’s iced tea gives way to a mildly tart, tannic finish that borders on unpleasant but the watery finish makes it disappear shortly after. Was expecting a little more biscuit and crystal malt character that was synonymous with what brewers were using when every brewery had a house red/amber but didn’t get much of that nostalgia.
If DFH was aiming for an indistinguishable amber that every microbrewery had in the early 2000’s, or even the ones that macro-breweries were making like Red Wolf or Red Elephant or even Amber-Bock, in the mid nineties like the label suggests, I guess they nailed it. Would drink again if offered to me but a one time purchase.

 

Brewed as an "old school" craft Red Ale. Still a decent style and this beer was well done!!! Poured from a 12 oz. can into a pint glass, this beer features a beautiful clear dark amber color and a frothy/bubbly off-white head that fades to a cap on the glass. There are some scattered patches of lacing on the glass. Aroma and taste include some caramel malt and dry, biscuity malt, toffee and aa touch of bitterness. The flavors are pronounced and tasty.

Mouthfeel is crisp and malty, not overly sweet and with a little balancing bitterness. Overall a good "throwback" to the 90's

 

Pours clear but dark mahogany/ruby in color with a tan head that leaves generous lacing. Aroma is fairly bold, roasted caramel malt, toffee, and a hint of apples and cinnamon. Flavor follows the nose, with a nice blend of slight sweetness and a touch of bitterness. Feel is light bodied with plenty of carbonation. Overall, an interesting and tasty beverage.

12 oz can poured into a nonic pint glass. Look is clear deep amber color with 1 finger tan head that eventually falls to a light cap. Some lacing left behind in the glass. Smell is a mix of toffee, caramel malt, some slightly piney hops. Taste starts sweet with malt, and bread, middle sees some caramel and earthy hops, end is a mix of toffee and piney notes. Aftertaste lasts for a minute or so with the toffee and pine lingering some. Feel is lighter side of medium, nice zippy carbonation. Overall this is a nice call back to a time when red/amber ales were more prevalent. Well crafted and tasty, bit not overly complicated or complex.

Pours a dark amber color bordering on with a slightly off white head. This beer is surprisingly malty with forward notes of caramel, toffee and nuts. Slight hop bitterness on the finish. A nice take on a red ale/amber ale variation.

From the spring 12pk mix.

Deep clear reddish amber, with two fingers of tan head.

Smell is light caramel and toffee, with faint fruity and bready aromas.

Taste is brown bread, hop spiciness, and light toffee. Mild bitterness at the end.

Feel is medium , smooth, with medium carbonation tingle, with a quick bite at the end.

Pleasant and easy-drinking. ,Nothing wow, but solid.

 

Solid red with good balance/mouthfeel; a lighter but satisfying caramelly/malty/toffeeish flavor and a clean, quick-fading aftertaste. Very quaffable.

Clear dark amber/brown. Malty toffee and light nutty aroma and flavor. Good balance with light sweetness. Medium to light bodied and fairly smooth for 5.3%. Not my favorite style but a good example of one.

12oz can stamped JUN 2026 poured into a stemless wine glass at just above fridge temp 5.3% ABV. The beer pours bright medium dark amber with mahogany highlights and khaki colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. Plenty of lacing. The aroma is mild with sweet, toasted malt offering toffee and nutty notes. The taste is semisweet toasted malt with more nutty toffee and earth tones. Mild bitterness. The feel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, good amber.

Clear ruby-brown; small white head, good retention and lacing.

Chocolate, brown bread, caramel.

Brown bread, apple, toast, caramel.

 

On tap at the source.

A - Dark amber colored pour with perfect clarity and creamy caramel lacing.

S - Toasted caramel with an earthy hop presence.

T - Just as the nose suggests: Nice toasted caramel malt base with earthy hops over the top. Finishes on the sweeter side but the earthy, hoppy side gains momentum after the sip with some earthy piney citrus.

M - Medium body that's thin around the edges.

O - Not my favorite style but this does hit the mark for a Red Ale.

Dark chestnut color, nice lush foamy head. Deep caramel malts, slightly nutty, mild English biscuity hoppiness. Very smooth and easy. Solid.