Big River Red Ale

This is a red ale that won a 2006 GABF gold medal in the red/amber American ale category. I picked it up at my favorite beer store (JJ's). Red ales are quite tasty. I've made a couple of them myself (one for my wedding that got rave reviews).

Upon opening the bottle, and pouring, the head just vanished. I'm sure it wasn't residue on my glasses. However, this beer gave off a nice citrusy hop aroma, that turned malty. Very intresting. I can defiantly tell they used cascades (as they say on the bottle) but its got a nice subdued character that's balanced by the malt aroma, not too much one or the other.

Tasting this beer was less appealing. It had a sharp carbonic bite up front, with a subtle citrus hop character, that turned quite sweet. It was balanced well, with a mild bitterness, but the bitterness didn't power through to the finish. Because of this finishing sweetness, it ended up being a bit cloying at the end. Its a quite clean beer that doesn't really have much malt flavor.

While some people may really love this beer, it didn't do it for me. Its got this residual sweetness that I just don't find especially appealing. Its almost like an extract beer (not that they're bad... its just a character). Now that being said, in no way would I refuse to drink this if someone handed me one. Lets be honest here.

Overall, some people may really like this beer, I didn't find it especially appealing, but its ok.

5 out of 10