Better Off Red

I love red. Redheads have always been a weakness. I dated several back in the day. A couple of my cars have been racing red. Before I shaved my head I even had dark red hair. That red addiction continues when it comes to what is poured in my pint glass. Big, juicy, hoppy, red ales will always have a place in the beer fridge. Over the past few days I've pulled a few from my liquid stash to sample.

What all these beers have in common is a big hop profile. What separates them is how they work those hops. Some offer more balance with the malt, while others ride a big hop wave from start to finish. From Bitter to dry to sweet and sticky these beers all offer something interesting.

Founders Red's Rye
Red's Rye starts with a big fruity aroma. The taste is spicy with grapefruit and chewy caramel that blends well with the rye. Don't expect a huge rye bread experience. The effect is very subtle. The hops are the big performer in this beer. Red's Rye finishes dry with a solid bitter finish.

Lagunitas Imperial Red
Mmmm, sweet. The fruity malt sweetness comes through in the aroma as well as the taste. The piney hops work well to create a great balance and it never becomes a sticky mess. This is a big flavorful, easy drinking beer with no alcohol sting. Along with Lucky 13 and Censored Ale Lagunitas seems to have a fascination with the reds that rivals mine.

Green Flash Hop Head Red Ale

Where some of the other reds have fun with the malts this is a big hop punch to the pallet, BLAMO!!! There is some malt sweetness however it never comes to the front. The hops rule all the way through. Think pine and grapefruit rind for flavor. As you may of guessed this one finishes dry and bitter.

Legacy Hedonism

It had been a couple years since I'd had this beer and what I remembered most was the big bitter finish. After this recent taste the bitterness is there but it's not nearly as harsh. Was there a tweak in the formula or have my tastes changed? Who knows? Either way it's an improvement. Hops are very upfront followed by some malt sweetness and dark ripe fruit. I was surprised to catch a bit of a biscuit/bready flavor before the expected bitter finish.

Out of the four Lagunitas Imperial Red just topped Founders Red's Rye. The overall great balance of malt and hops made it the standout. Ideally I wanted to have Troegs HopBack Amber, Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale and Southern Tier Big Red for the tasting. Unfortunately a few things prevented me from getting my hands on those bottles. If I had the top ranking beers may of been a bit different.

1. Lagunitas Imperial Red 2. Founders Red's Rye 3. Green Flash Hop Head Red 4. Legacy Hedonism