Rare Breed: Blind Salamander
Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
- From:
- Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
- Texas, United States
- Style:
- English Pale Ale
Ranked #180 - ABV:
- 5.2%
- Score:
- 81
Ranked #36,183 - Avg:
- 3.47 | pDev: 16.43%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 27
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jan 10, 2026
- Added:
- Nov 14, 2008
- Wants:
- 3
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
81
Good
81
Good
No description / notes.
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Ratings by Techichi:
More User Ratings:
Rated by TizzleJizzle from Texas
2.73/5 rDev -21.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
2.73/5 rDev -21.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
RateBeer Transfer
Sampled on 9/26/2008
Jan 10, 2026Sampled on 9/26/2008
Reviewed by Pegasus from Texas
3.41/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.41/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Clear, deep amber in color, with a massive, dense, and persistent cream-colored head. Profuse streams of carbonation rise lazily to the surface. The lacing is scattered and patchy.
Aroma: Abundant notes of caramel, nuts, grassy hops, and some vegetal notes.
Taste: Opens with lots of caramel and nut notes. As the taste progresses, grassy and earthy hop notes appear. The taste concludes with a pleasant wave of earthiness.
Mouth feel: Smooth and full, with a little stinging carbonation.
Drinkability/notes: Quite interesting, it is reminiscent of an amber ale, with even some porter characteristics.
Presentation: Packaged in a twelve-ounce brown glass longneck bottle with a twist-off crown, served in a Pilsener glass.
Jun 26, 2011Aroma: Abundant notes of caramel, nuts, grassy hops, and some vegetal notes.
Taste: Opens with lots of caramel and nut notes. As the taste progresses, grassy and earthy hop notes appear. The taste concludes with a pleasant wave of earthiness.
Mouth feel: Smooth and full, with a little stinging carbonation.
Drinkability/notes: Quite interesting, it is reminiscent of an amber ale, with even some porter characteristics.
Presentation: Packaged in a twelve-ounce brown glass longneck bottle with a twist-off crown, served in a Pilsener glass.
Reviewed by cmkendrick from Texas
3.55/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.55/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Well portions of all sales are donated to help protect Texas' endangered species, so I had to try to save the animals.
L - Clear amber color that has a decent amount of off-white head
S - Sweet caramel, a little hoppy
T - Well it's not unpleasant, but it doesn't taste like it smells, so that part let me down. I would say diluted is a good word.
F/D - Pretty fizzy and little dry. Smooth drinking for me but probably not something I'd regularly go back to.
Nov 23, 2010L - Clear amber color that has a decent amount of off-white head
S - Sweet caramel, a little hoppy
T - Well it's not unpleasant, but it doesn't taste like it smells, so that part let me down. I would say diluted is a good word.
F/D - Pretty fizzy and little dry. Smooth drinking for me but probably not something I'd regularly go back to.
Reviewed by JoeyBeerBelly from New York
3.03/5 rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.03/5 rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
I got this beer from kiltedtxn and aggieboudreux, Thanks Guys!
12oz bottle served in a standard pint glass.
L - almost clear copper color with a white head that stayed as a layer and left small trails of lacing.
S - light caramel malt aroma.
T - toffee malt taste with a little bittering on the finish.
F - medium bodied with ok carbonation.
D - it was just ok.
Nov 18, 201012oz bottle served in a standard pint glass.
L - almost clear copper color with a white head that stayed as a layer and left small trails of lacing.
S - light caramel malt aroma.
T - toffee malt taste with a little bittering on the finish.
F - medium bodied with ok carbonation.
D - it was just ok.
Reviewed by champ103 from Texas
2.83/5 rDev -18.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
2.83/5 rDev -18.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
A: Pours an amber/orange color. A small white head forms, but recedes in a second. Light lace as well.
S: Toasted malt, grain, metal, and vegetables. Some musty, basement aromas going on. Odd and not very appealing.
T: A little better. Plenty pf toasted malt and grain which I like. Though a metallic and chemical flavor detracts a bit.
M/D: A light to medium body. Fairly high carbonation as well. A little to much of a light and fizzy feel. Not hard to drink if I had to, but nothing I am going to come back to soon.
Just blah, and a little blew average as far as I am concerned. There are better examples available. I love to support Texas breweries, but more of a dud than anything.
Oct 18, 2010S: Toasted malt, grain, metal, and vegetables. Some musty, basement aromas going on. Odd and not very appealing.
T: A little better. Plenty pf toasted malt and grain which I like. Though a metallic and chemical flavor detracts a bit.
M/D: A light to medium body. Fairly high carbonation as well. A little to much of a light and fizzy feel. Not hard to drink if I had to, but nothing I am going to come back to soon.
Just blah, and a little blew average as far as I am concerned. There are better examples available. I love to support Texas breweries, but more of a dud than anything.
Reviewed by Mora2000 from Texas
3.04/5 rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.04/5 rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
The beer pours and orange-amber color with a white head. The aroma is not too great. I get some caramel, but I also get some nuts, corn and something musty. Definitely not what I expected and somewhat disappointing. The flavor is definitely better than the aroma, but it is still just average. I get a lot of nuttiness, along with some bready and toffee malts. To help keep things in balance, there is also a good amount of earthy and grassy hop characteristics. The beer is very balanced, not being very bitter or sweet. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Disappointing overall.
Sep 21, 2010
Reviewed by crusian from Oregon
1.8/5 rDev -48.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5
1.8/5 rDev -48.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5
have tried to update this as it is not retired... just bought a fresh one.
pours a great looking burnt amber color with a tiny tiny head. Looks awesome... and thats where it ends. smells of caramely malt. smells ... o...k. smells, honestly, like a cheap pale ale.
tastes... the same. cheap pale ale. very thin, very lacking in what I want from a pale. It is hop absent, a pale needs to have a lot of hop presence. this one is very weak. bad example of a pale ale. while Ido like that it is over the 5% abv make, which is a big thing for rahr... this one is an epic fail. Dont buy it. One of the worst representations of a pale ale I have had. Tastes really diluted.
Sep 04, 2010pours a great looking burnt amber color with a tiny tiny head. Looks awesome... and thats where it ends. smells of caramely malt. smells ... o...k. smells, honestly, like a cheap pale ale.
tastes... the same. cheap pale ale. very thin, very lacking in what I want from a pale. It is hop absent, a pale needs to have a lot of hop presence. this one is very weak. bad example of a pale ale. while Ido like that it is over the 5% abv make, which is a big thing for rahr... this one is an epic fail. Dont buy it. One of the worst representations of a pale ale I have had. Tastes really diluted.
Reviewed by fjordhook from Texas
3.12/5 rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.12/5 rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Just found this at the Central Market in Plano, was rather surprised since I haven't seen it sold in a long while. It poured with an amber color with a light beige foamy head. It has very earthy smells, almost nutty. The taste was mostly a blend of hops and malts, wasn't anything special. I felt it was a little bland, because of this I felt the drinkability suffered which was disappointing. I still look forward for more Rahr beers, however, most definitely.
Jan 25, 2010Reviewed by wnh from Missouri
2.95/5 rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
2.95/5 rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
12 oz. bottle poured into a pint glass.
Pours a dark, reddish-amber, dark for a 'pale' ale, with a large, foamy, sticky off-white head.
Aromas of earthy hops on top of caramel and toasted malt. To style, perhaps, but uninspired. Damp and earthy hops on the palate, with an unpleasant wet-cellar-like funk on top of a subtly toasted malt backbone. Light bodied and quite highly carbonated.
A decent enough beer, but uninspired and frankly kind of boring. Not generally a style to get excited about, but there are plenty of other earthy hopped pale ales that outweigh this.
Nov 01, 2009Pours a dark, reddish-amber, dark for a 'pale' ale, with a large, foamy, sticky off-white head.
Aromas of earthy hops on top of caramel and toasted malt. To style, perhaps, but uninspired. Damp and earthy hops on the palate, with an unpleasant wet-cellar-like funk on top of a subtly toasted malt backbone. Light bodied and quite highly carbonated.
A decent enough beer, but uninspired and frankly kind of boring. Not generally a style to get excited about, but there are plenty of other earthy hopped pale ales that outweigh this.
Reviewed by brownbeer from Missouri
3.15/5 rDev -9.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.15/5 rDev -9.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours more of an amber than a pale. The nose implies more of a nutty amber ale. The flavors aren't much either, nutty with a generic malty/hoppy balance.
Drinks more like a mediocre American Amber than an English Pale. Easy to drink but doesn't stand out or taste great. Maybe mine wasn't fresh enough.
Oct 23, 2009Drinks more like a mediocre American Amber than an English Pale. Easy to drink but doesn't stand out or taste great. Maybe mine wasn't fresh enough.
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