Red Truck Ale
Yaletown Brewing Co.

 

 

 

I had this while watching the Oilers beat on the Canucks on the big screen at Dix BBQ. It arrived at the table with thin minimal white soapy head, and was a medium red amber colour. It smelled of mild caramel malt. The taste was sweet grainy malt, with a subtle, read: hard to determine, bitterness. There was quite a bit of effervescence, with a dry finish and a thin malty aftertaste. Not bad, but this really showed nothing to distinguish it from all the other plain amber ales out there in Canadian brewpubs and liquor stores. At least the Oilers finished off the Canucks by shutting them out as I finished this pint.

This is a standard, easy drinking ale. Looks OK - hazy copper with a decent head and lacing. Smells OK - fruity nose with toasted malt aromas. Tastes OK - big on toasted malt and citrusy hops. Feels not too bad - light bodied and a bit hard on carbonation. Basically a one-dimensional, quaffable brew. Decent, but not great.

"Absolutely yes!"

That's what I wrote in my notebook as soon as this beauty hit my tongue. Following a quite pleasant taster round, I chose a full pint of this Red Truck Ale on my recent visit to Yaletown and later, Dix BBQ - a sister brewery - and I was very glad I did.

At any rate, Red Truck Ale is a beautiful red-hued ale with a nice, cream-colored lace head. Nice nose, too, with hints of smokiness and spice.

I really like the way it played on the tongue – the word delightful comes to mind – and the aromas hinted at the taste, which was smooth and uncomplicated without being boring.

I was lucky enough to have this twice - first at Yaletown, and then
had the pleasure of enjoying my pint with a BBQ sampler plate and chat with Dix's Brewmaster Tony Dewald.

This is the best non seasonal beer from Yaletown. Hoppy, intricate and above oh so drinkable, this is the beer to quaff and to savour. Hoppy nose but malty backline. A true Vancouver classic; served at Vancouver Canadians baseball games. Can be found at all Mark James Brewpubs.

Mid September 2005. Had at the Yaletown Brewing Co. in Vancouver, BC.

Presentation- via samplers from the tap.

Appearance- Light amber in color, 1/4 inch head and good lace.

Smell- Had to sniff at this a while to get some sweet malts and that was about it.

Taste- Roasted sweet malts carry this beer. Some light bitter hops are also prevelant.

Mouthfeel- Medium carbonation, great aftertaste.

Drinkability- Maybe my favorite brew from the 6 I sampled.

On tap at the Flying Beaver.

Deep copper red colour with a decent white head. Smells faintly of malts, with a sweet almost caramelly hint to it. Couldn't detect much of a smell, to be honest.

Tastes of mild roasted malts, with a good balance of bitterness. Almost like a lite brown ale. Somewhat sweet, almost too much so. Tasted like iron or copper pennies near the end, but maybe this was due to the food I was eating? Flavour was not very strong, but was acceptable.

Essentially, this is a decent brew worth repeating, although its flavour was a bit weak and it did come off a bit watery.