Far West Hedgerow Red Ale

Formerly brewed at Far West Brewing Co
Style: Amber Ale
Redmond, Washington USA

Dusty bottle found on the shelf at Pete’s of Bellevue, a year after the brewer went out of business. Actually it tastes pretty good - sort of pre-aged. Pours a clear mahogany with a scant but lacy white head. The aroma has caramel notes all through it, maybe a little molasses and plum. Smooth medium body, moderate carbonation. Plenty of caramel, and nuts in the flavor, along with a touch of vanilla, sort of drifting into chocolate territory. Crisp pine and grass finish.

Bomber. Pours a deep, dark, clear amber with coppery/medium amber highlights around the narrow parts of the glass. Thick, tightly bubbled tan head with occasional clingy lace. Bready, caramely, anonymous malt nose. Moderate attack but more on the restrained side; medium body, light carb, bold flavors. There’s that caramel and bread again when you get to the mid-palate, but the hops are brilliant; dry, herbal, peppery--they really make this refreshing and different, with a lingering earthy finish. Like I didn’t miss these guys enough already, now it turns out they made a pretty killer amber, too. <sigh>

Bottle from K’s Deli. Probably one of the last ones left anywhere, since they went out of business! Hazy dark red, with a medium off white head. Very nice aroma; a little rasberry and some nutty malts. Very sweet taste on first sip. A sour berry taste that I didn’t expect from this beer. Balanced well. This is almost a fruit beer in my book. Sad to see this brewpub go. The few I’ve tasted from them were quite tasty.

Sampled from bottle. Pours a slightly cloudy amber with a thick, tan head and remarkable lace. Aroma is citrus and floral hops with a subtle sweet malt in the background. Flavor is caramel and chocolate/toasted malts with a bit of American hops (pine/citrus). Good flavor but kind of simple. Medium-bodied, well-carbonated. An enjoyable session beer.

Dense reddish brown appearance. Strong creamy, malty aroma, hints of strawberry and vanilla. Strong characterful palate, smooth, creamy malt with well hopped citrus. Almost fits into the strong ale range in terms of flavor.

Bottle: Reddish caramel, thick and cloudy, big frothy sand colored head, very nice lacing, looks great!   Sweet malty nose, seems like a touch of honey.   Smooth malt base, very slight hop bite up front that quickly dies down.   Finishes somewhat abrupt, doesn’t seem to carry the malt all the way through.   Lingering hop presense after the finish.   Moderate body and mouthfeel, wanting to be bigger.   Very pleasant and smooth drinking Amber.  

Massively hoppy Red Ale here from those Irish folks living in the Northwest. The malt here seemed a bit less pronounced than others here are suggesting, but I definitely picked up some hints of roasted malts underneath the gobs of hops - bits of dried fruit and nuts, some woodiness perhaps, unfortunately most is lost under a sharp grapefruit character. Not a bad Red, but needs some tweaking.

(22 oz bottle: $3.75 at Liquid Solutions in Tigard, OR) Based on the excellent aroma wafting from the glass, I’m really going to enjoy this beer. It’s malty and very toasty, quite nutty, and lightly sour. Can’t wait to take a sip. {takes a sip} Uh, not quite what I was expecting. Yes, it’s fairly nutty, but the strong toastiness I am getting in the aroma just isn’t carrying over to the flavor. It’s a bit roasty and earthy, but fairly dry, mildly sour, and only slightly toasty in the finish. Moderate bitterness lends nice balance, but I’m still wishing for that toastiness. Oh well, it’s still a good beer, but not outstanding, which is what I was expecting after that first whiff. Medium bodied with a fairly clean palate. Dark, ruddy amber in color, not quite fully clear. Light tan head pours to an average size, settles to a thin layer circled by a thick, bubbly ring, and leaves only a modest amount of small, patchy lace on the glass. A rather nice beer, but I don’t appreciate being teased like this by the aroma. Might best be described as a "nut red" or a light flavored nut brown.