Beer of the Weekend #1: Red Seal Ale
My new Friday night ritual of live beer tasting begins tonight. Aren’t my weekend nights exciting?
The beer this weekend is Red Seal Ale brewed by the North Coast Brewing Company of Fort Bragg, California.
I bought it at the BevMo! on Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach, where I usually buy my specialty beers. Tonight I realized they don’t have as many beers as their website makes it seem. They didn’t even have Pabst. They offer it, but it was sold out — the second time that’s happened to me. I didn’t need any, but I’m always curious. It’s the only place I’ve found that sells PBR in bottles.
This is the first time I’ve ever described a beer in writing, so bear with me. It should give you an idea of how I approach tasting. It’s not complex. The first impression I get of a new beer is after I pry off the bottle cap. I smell the underside to take in the aroma. I could smell the scent bubbling from the opening, but cap smelling is a strange, neurotic thing I started a long time ago for no good reason. The fragrance there is often tainted with the metallic odor of the cap (a reason why you shouldn’t drink beer straight from a can — though I do — but we’ll get to that some other time), but, like I said, it’s a habit. Before pouring it into a pint glass I smell the essence floating through the opening from the neck, then sniff it after I’ve transferred it. Yep. I’m weird.
I popped off the cap of the Red Seal bottle and took in the rusty, metallic scent of the amber ale. I like amber ale, but not the copper pipe tasting variety. I smelled the same from the bottle and glass. It poured a ruddy gold with a white, effervescent head that dissipated quickly (I’m trying to sound very connoisseurish on purpose — I hope it’s working). I let it air and warm for a minute (beer, unless incredibly shitty, is not meant to be ice cold) and took the first sip. It was hoppy but smooth. The entry for Red Seal Ale in David Kenning’s “Beers of the World” says it “[provides] a fine balance of fruity malt and bitter hop flavors on the palate, while generous hopping provides a long, dry, spicy finish.” It is dry, and a spicy finish does linger.
Interesting little tidbits about Red Seal Ale:
-The bottle cap depicts a whale’s tail rising above the surface of the ocean before splashing down. Two gulls fly overhead.
-“Water, malted barley, hops, yeast & that’s all” is printed on the label and carrying case. Very organic, hip, and Californian.
-The bottom of the six pack features an ordering form for North Coast Brewing Company and Red Seal Ale t-shirts. They’re “100% Cotton”!
-Alcohol content is 5.5%
-Serving temperature is 50°F (10°C).
-Red Seal Ale goes well with fish pie (whatever that is).
The Quiet Man’s grade: B-. And that’s all she wrote.
The beer this weekend is Red Seal Ale brewed by the North Coast Brewing Company of Fort Bragg, California.
I bought it at the BevMo! on Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach, where I usually buy my specialty beers. Tonight I realized they don’t have as many beers as their website makes it seem. They didn’t even have Pabst. They offer it, but it was sold out — the second time that’s happened to me. I didn’t need any, but I’m always curious. It’s the only place I’ve found that sells PBR in bottles.
This is the first time I’ve ever described a beer in writing, so bear with me. It should give you an idea of how I approach tasting. It’s not complex. The first impression I get of a new beer is after I pry off the bottle cap. I smell the underside to take in the aroma. I could smell the scent bubbling from the opening, but cap smelling is a strange, neurotic thing I started a long time ago for no good reason. The fragrance there is often tainted with the metallic odor of the cap (a reason why you shouldn’t drink beer straight from a can — though I do — but we’ll get to that some other time), but, like I said, it’s a habit. Before pouring it into a pint glass I smell the essence floating through the opening from the neck, then sniff it after I’ve transferred it. Yep. I’m weird.
I popped off the cap of the Red Seal bottle and took in the rusty, metallic scent of the amber ale. I like amber ale, but not the copper pipe tasting variety. I smelled the same from the bottle and glass. It poured a ruddy gold with a white, effervescent head that dissipated quickly (I’m trying to sound very connoisseurish on purpose — I hope it’s working). I let it air and warm for a minute (beer, unless incredibly shitty, is not meant to be ice cold) and took the first sip. It was hoppy but smooth. The entry for Red Seal Ale in David Kenning’s “Beers of the World” says it “[provides] a fine balance of fruity malt and bitter hop flavors on the palate, while generous hopping provides a long, dry, spicy finish.” It is dry, and a spicy finish does linger.
Interesting little tidbits about Red Seal Ale:
-The bottle cap depicts a whale’s tail rising above the surface of the ocean before splashing down. Two gulls fly overhead.
-“Water, malted barley, hops, yeast & that’s all” is printed on the label and carrying case. Very organic, hip, and Californian.
-The bottom of the six pack features an ordering form for North Coast Brewing Company and Red Seal Ale t-shirts. They’re “100% Cotton”!
-Alcohol content is 5.5%
-Serving temperature is 50°F (10°C).
-Red Seal Ale goes well with fish pie (whatever that is).
The Quiet Man’s grade: B-. And that’s all she wrote.
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