Back Road Pecker Head (Red Ale)

Brewed by Back Road Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
LaPorte, Indiana USA

Sampled at the March 25th Tosa Gathering, courtesy of BBB63: Pours a clear copper orange with a nince, whispy-lacing off-white head. Hoppy, sugary, candy-like aroma with a mild caramel malty presence. Starts semi-sweet and bitter with some earthy hops and a touch of toffee. Nicely hopped and fairly well-balanced IPA, but not imperial enough for me.

Bomber: I wish there was a description of this beer on Back Road’s website, because this doesn’t come across as a Marzen. (It wouldn’t be an "ale" then, would it?) It poured a clear copper color with reddish highlights and a thin white head. The aroma is of sweet malts, toffee-like, with some fairly strong floral and pine hop scents. The mouthfeel is fairly creamy with hints of fizziness. There’s caramel malt in the taste and an earthy, herbal hop bitterness. It finishes on a bitter, alcoholic note. I really wish I knew what this beer is, because it’s not too bad.

March Tosa tasting ala BBB63. Hazy copper color with a small but stable off white head. Very herbal and "weedy" aromas, with golden rod and other pollens filling the air space. Hints of caramel malt in the far reaches. Light zippy feel. Light sweet start with a hops component that shows up mid gulp and really takes over. A long and lasting caffeine type bitterness. Some nuttiness does seem to come in, but there again there’s the bitterness, like that of a pecan shell. A touch more malt sweetness to offset the bitterness and this would be more in the lines of an english IIPA.

Pours a darker amber color with a very thin white head. Aroma of light caramel and some old leaves. The taste is toffee and some earthy malts. Hints of pine in the aftertaste. Surprisingly lively and refreshing. A nice version of the style.

Bomber from Chuck the brewmaster Private Stash (limited distribution): Boy is this beer different from past version, the hop change adds a crisp bite on the back of the palate which adds to the completely refreshing nature of the brew. The Color shines a reddish ue with a small but lasting head and good lace. The aroma has notes of citric and grassy hop, toasted and biscuit malts, and lots of aromatics. The taste as mentioned above is a crisp balance of bitters and malts with a lingering acidic nature. The feel is lively and medium bodied, the alcohol is well hidden and will sneak up on you. Overall, this change is for the best and I liked it alot. Cheers Chuck !
Earlier Rating: 3/27/2004 Total Score: 3.3
New recipe, Bottled from the brewers private stash: Coppery hue with fizzy off-white head and good lace. The aroma hints of caramel and toasted malts, prunes, mild sage, floral hops, and earthy yeast esters. The taste starts roasty and fruity, lots of sweet and twangy character. Undertones of light bitterness and bready nature. The finish displays a bitter and grassy character with some peppery notes. The mouthfeel is soft and chalky. A nice version, quaffable.

Careful. Make sure you’re rating what you think you are. This was provided by BBB63 but the bottle didn’t say pecker head red. I rated the correct item (he told us what to rate). Aroma: weak, light hoppiness. Appearance: Copper, thin head, small particles, light bubbly. Flavor: Hoppy, grassy, nutty, caramel. Palate: bitter. Overall: I’m not a big fan of this one.

12oz bottle, BBB63. Thanks, Mike! Pours a hazy, orange-amber color; light tan head with patchy lacing. Syrupy malts in the aroma: like mildly tart, cherry cough syrup. This definitely has a mild infection to it: medium mouthfeel, with a tart cherry astringency that overwhelms any sort of malty warmth underneath; puckering, and unpleasant. I don’t like rating infected beers, but bottled beers shouldn’t be infected in the first place. Medium, tart cherry and sugar finish.

50th rating for Indiana. Bottle, "Red Ale", rang up at the register as "Pecker Head Red". Not sure about this being an IIPA, though. Rush of sweet hoppy aroma, lychee and very slight grapefruit with more of a generic fruity quality. Red-amber body, clear, with a rocky beige head. Sour start and not much else. Genericlaly fruity. Medium body with a sour end.