Imperial Reds (Not Nugget Nectar!)

Have you tried Nugget Nectar? I hear it's fantastic!

 

Off the Rails, it's Karl Strauss Imperial Red Trolly, I love the regular version but don't care for this one. Not available to you, but at least it will get the conversation started.

 

Lagunitas Imperial Red is probably my favorite Imperial Red ever. It's a limited release, but it should come around to NYC when it does come out.

EDIT: GAH! I just checked Lagunitas' site and it's not even on the release schedule... did this beer get bumped off while I wasn't looking?

 

Marble Brewing Imperial Red is fantastic.

 

Come on now....G'Knight!

 

yes

 

Green Flash Hop Head Red and Stone Levitation Ale

 

Right, the malts have nothing to do with it. If it's hoppy, it's gotta be an ipa, right?

Moving forward--I think that O'Dell & Green Flash make good ones. I remember liking the SN Beer Camp imp red.

 

they made it in 08 and then a bit last year as well. Was talking to the local Lagunitas rep the other day and she said they have plans to bring it back again, but didnt give any sort of time frame. But while you wait there is always Lucky 13.

 

Pipeworks blood of the unicorn & I believe the recent Sam vs Unicorn by them as well. Both delicious! I really like imperial reds and think Blood of the unicorn is one of pipeworks more underrated brews.

 

Isn't levitation like 4% abv or something?

 

I second G'knight!

 

It's in the types of malts used, and volumes.

In a red ale you use a recipe close to that of a pale but use some red malt, that's what gives it a redder hue. An imperial red has more malts to create more sugars (to up that abv) and thus more red malts are used. You're also using more hops as balance to keep up bitterness for imperials. But hops don't really alter hue or abv.

A regular pale ale or IPA uses pale malts, mostly 2 row or marris otter. An IPA needs about twice the amount of grains as a pale ale. A barleywine is like 4x the amount of malt and hops you need to brew a regular 5-6% pale ale. But a similar malt bill. You'd use slightly different malt bills to brew a stout etc.

I'm a newer brewer and that's pretty stripped down but hope that answers your question!

 

And not to post a billion times on your thread, but NN is actually an imperial Amber ale, with pilsner, Munich, and crystal malts as a base and nugget hops used to bitter.
I feel like imperial amber ales are more scarce than reds especially as well balanced as nugget nectar. Can't think of any offhand!

 

Not sure exactly how we're defining "imperial," but the best red I've had is CCB Tocobaga. Excellent stuff.

 

Long Trail's Centennial Red is really good (February Thru April.) Not as hoppy as the others, but still a damn solid beer.

 

Trinity Brewing- Redrum
Awesome beer but unfortunately it is tap only.

 

The best red ale in my book is Tocabaga. Everything else is a step down.