Double Red
Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro

Sampled during SBW at Collins Pub thanks to my fellow beer hiker JackCrow

A: Poured a deep reddish cherry color.

S: Was nice and malty with hops, caramel and a bready element to it at times

T: I thought this brew had plenty of hops, had a dry hop cirsp to it balanced with a malty sweetness, caramel, sugars, toffee

M: At times it was dry but sticky too, some hop bite and sweetness on the palate

D: A very solid red ale.

Their website describes this as a winter warmer. I'm inclined to agree with them so I think they may want to rename it.

It's a dark brown with a red tint as you can see through it. It has a thin tan head. A nice malty, alcohol aroma with a little hint of molasses. The malty sweetness takes charge with the thick alcohol flavor and coats the tongue and warms as it goes down. There is a little hoppiness upon finishing. All together a fairly well balanced beer.

The reason I say they should rename this is it is missing the characteristic bite I associate with a red ale, which should be even more pronounced in a double. As a winter warmer, this one's good; as a double red, not so much.

This is not a hopbomb Red like Nugget Nectar or Green Flash Hop Head Red. BB went outside of their comfort zone and brewed an almost balanced beer. As a note, I've had this served both on cask and regular tap. This is a combined review.

The beer was served in a 10oz goblet. The beer poured a clear mahogany-red color, with a thin head that had no retention and minimal lacing.

The aroma was solidly malty with a slight hop background. The flavor was solidly malty with a sharp hop flavor and finish. The body was good, solid and full without being heavy.

Drinkability was very good, depending on your tolerance for stronger beers. The brewery is not sure if they'll put this into yearly rotation or if it's a one-off, I suggest trying it while you can.