Mad River Brewing Co.: Jamaica Brand Red Ale

I have seen the Jamaica Brand Red Ale at Bevmo in the past but though that the name seemed kind of odd . . . so I never bought it. I saw it again at the Beverage Warehouse in Los Angeles for sale as a single bottle. After thinking about it for a short while, I decided to just buy it and give it a shot . . .

I will have to add this to my short list ASAP. I cannot believe that I have been passing this up for almost two years now. Why?

Well, first, the color is anything but red. Alright, its close to red, but nothing like any red I have seen in a long while. It looks more like a mahogany-stained dinner table than a red ale. Its dark and opaque with a rich head. The aroma reminds me of some of the finer IPAs on the market . . . the hops provide an array of floral notes that are nicely balanced by the rich malt scent. The taste of the Jamaica Brand Red Ale is crisp and clean. It starts off with a bite on the tongue followed by the mellowness of the caramel malt while finishing with a lingering tingle in your mouth. It is not the kind of lingering that makes you feel as if someone just gorilla-glued hops to the roof of your mouth. It is far more subtle than that . . . enjoyable in fact.

According to Mad River, the Jamaica Brand Red Ale has 42 IBUs and 6.7% ABV. Personally, I think this is within the range of very drinkable beers, not too hoppy, yet not bland and just the right amount of alcohol so that you can enjoy more than one in an evening.

The bottom line: Darn, Bevmo is closed already . . . I will have to wait until tomorrow to stock up on the Jamaica Brand Red Ale

Green Flash Brewing Co.: Hop Head Red Ale

I picked-up a six-pack of the Hop Head Red Ale on my beer mission that resulted in the purchase of Mephistopheles' Stout. My expectations were this: 1) Hops, and lots of them, 2) A typical red ale (with more hops that usual), and 3) Hops, and lots of them.

Turns out that the Hop Head Red Ale should more accurately be called the Hop Fingernail Ale. Note the TWO changes that I made.

1. This is not a beer for hop heads. It comes in at 45 IBUs, which is on the low scale for IPAs, but given the beer's name, I was expecting more, i.e., 60-70.
2. I am not sure where the "Red" comes into play here . . . in all honesty, it is no more red than any of the IPAs that I have tasted. They pose the question on the bottle: "Is this Red IPA"? My response is no . . . I would be willing to go with IPA, but not red!

The one nice thing about the Hop Head Red Ale is the strong aroma produced by dry-hopping Amarillo hops . . . a very nice touch. In all honesty, if it wasn't for this added flare, I would probably not drink the rest of the six-pack. With that said, the dry-hopping does overwhelm the caramel malt used in the brew. For me, this is a good thing . . . however, if hops are not your thing, then maybe you would have voted for not dry-hopping the beer if employed by Green Flash.

If you live in Southern California, you are in luck . . . Green Flash opens its doors every Friday and Saturday for beer drinkers of all types to come taste all of their ales. It is well worth the trip given that the standard 4 ounce sample costs you only 50 cents.

And, one more thing of note about Green Flash . . . what is a Green Flash anyway? The short answer is that it is the flash of light observed just after sunset or just before sunrise, normally over a large body of water (like the ocean!), caused by the refraction and extinction of light in the atmosphere. For more information click here.

The bottom line: Its not red, its not really for a "Hop Head", but it does taste good at the end of a long day in the office.