Imperial Reds (Not Nugget Nectar!)

Great Lakes Nosferatu is probably my fave.. it's almost that time of year too!
Two Brothers Revelry was really good, I wouldn't mind seeing it again..
Ithaca Cascazilla is great when fresh, and it's year-round..
Bell's This One Goes To 11 Ale was awesome.. too bad it was a one off.. they should brew it again..
Mad River Double Dread Imperial Red is a really nice malty one.. hops take a backseat..
Lagunitas Imperial Red is great..

 

The Green Flash offering is a good one, I've seen that mentioned a few times. I personally think Pursuit of Hoppiness from Grand Teton is great and tastes like its Nugget Nectars little brother.

 

Odell Red is very good. I also liked Eagle Claw Fist. This is a style of beer that I really like, but isn't common in the northeast (or not good ones anyway). ; G'knight did not do it for me.

 

Came here to say this! Maine's Zoe is just fantastic!

 

Port Brewing's Shark Attack I though was a good imperial red when fresh... Unfortunately haven't had a fresh one in years... Also, you may want to check out Grand Teton's Pursuit of Hoppiness, especially since it's available in 12oz 4 packs now (originally only in 750mL bottles only)...

 

I almost forgot, I had an Alaskan Imperial Red Ale (Pilot Series) a few months back that I thought was pretty tasty, as well...

 

Without fail, every single Irish or American red ale has the same disgusting flavor for me, including when I've had them blind. I can only liken it to a cross between burnt toast and moldy bagels; I have been calling it the "red flavor" for years. There was a thread about the particular chemical that causes this back on the old forum, but it got lost in the crash. There was wide mutual agreement that it is found in higher quantities in some of the malts responsible for the red hue of these beers.

Now, in fairness, it can be found in other beers that have some of the same malts as a red ale, particularly IPA's (I can't stand Hop Devil for this reason....rotting bread and pine needles don't go together so well), but this is one style that is pretty damn distinct for people sensitive to that flavor. I find it hard to even distinguish between one brewer's red ale and another brewer's red ale, to be honest, that taste is just overwhelming.

 

Dogfish's India Brown Ale is really good

 

Fixed, and I uphold that the style is one of the most contrived of all.

 

Yeah. The exact opposite of an "imperial" red

 

Pinglehead's Red. Or Cigar City Tocobaga..

 

Noooo

 

They had one last year too. It was okay.

 

Y'all forgot the best one: Bear Republic Red Rocket.

 

tongue buckler by ballast point ... thats a serious imp red

 

It was a one-off, but I loved Bell's this one goes to eleven. One of my favorite beers ever. Only downside was it was a bit pricey for everyday purchasing.

 

I, too, was going to mention that one, but wasn't sure if the 6.8% qualified it as an imperial or not...

I'm probably overthinking it, but I figured the Racer 5 is considered an IPA, and it's 7%, and the Racer X is their imperial IPA (at 8.3%), so Red Rocket ale, by their standards at least, is only a red ale...?

 

Didn't read through all the posts, but I want to make sure Alesmith My Bloody Valentine got its due.

 

Steel Toe Rainmaker is great

 

MBC Zoe, Lagunitas Imperial Red, G'Knight.