Mad River Jamaica Red Ale

Brewed by Mad River Brewery
Style: Amber Ale
Blue Lake, California USA

Pours deep ruby in color with a head that is colossal in size and tumoric (Yes, I made up that word) in its falling. Well balanced aroma that shows a bit of malt (caramel, biscuit and fruit) and hops, which are most likely Centennial or Chinook, or a combination of both, which brings a touch of spicy characteristics and citrus to the aroma. Flavor is uniquely enjoyable with malt flavors of caramel and biscuit and a lovely hop flavor and bitterness. This Mad River beer, like the Scotch Porter, is suprisingly good.

Poured dark cloudy brown with a small head and light lacing. Aroma of malt and fruit. Flavor is fruity, malty, nutty. Almost a bit to sweet for me, but not to bad overall.

Very very cloudy body with a lot of solids in it. Deep red color. The aroma is amazingly fruity, especially compared to the flavor. I was worried when I first smelled it. It ended up being a surprisingly balanced, decently hoppy red ale with a strong citrusy flavor. Much better than I expected from the smell. Not what I’d associate with Jamaica, though -- this is not a warm weather beer.

Murky orange-red body (very murky!), big puffy cream head. Sweet citrusy, earthy, toasty aroma. The flavor caught me off-guard at first with strong pineapple juice notes. These coexist with earthy, floral hops notes, caramel, and pear. Yeah, pear. This is a weird beer, no doubt about it. Tastes like something that should end up in a thermos or an 8 ounce cardboard container with a picture of Slimer on the front of the box. Noteworthy. Thanks Dan (jah noth) for the bottle!

Bottle from Drafting Room, Exton. Amber/ruby pour with aroma of malt, toffee, dark fruit. Tastes as an amber should, with the caramel/toffee/fruit elements, plus a hop kicker at mid and end palate. Nice balance and notable complexity. A nice beer.

(12 oz bottle: Whole Foods in La Jolla, CA) I last rated this beer in December of 1995, which was pretty early in my rating "career." My notes state, "The nose gives a clue as to what is to come: an extremely well hopped beer that quickly overwhelms the sweet, strong and alcoholic malt with bitterness." And then I gave the equivalent of a 4 in the flavor rating. Haha, how times have changed for me. I love this beer!!! What a total flavor bomb, especially considering it’s "just" a red ale. Strong malty flavor, lightly roasty, moderately sweet, caramely, and yes, quite bitter and hoppy. But this is an extremely well balanced beer. There’s a moderate presence of alcohol, and it actually tastes like it’s been aged in wood, so I have to wonder if this bottle sat on the Whole Foods shelf for awhile. Regardless, it’s a very tasty brew. And the nose is equally aromatic, very malty, sweet, hoppy, alcoholic. Medium to full bodied with a very substantial mouthfeel. Deep, ruddy amber color is bordering on brown. Fairly cloudy in appearance, partly from the abundance of small, dark particles suspended in the beer. Small light tan head barely rises above "sheen" status, but maintains a wide rim around the edge of the glass. No lacing, however. I might have to try another bottle to test the freshness issue, but if this is an old bottle, it sure ages wonderfully!

On tap at Barley’s Taphouse in Asheville, NC. Dark reddish brown in color. Great lacing. Outstanding sweet maltiness. Crisp palate with caramel goodness. Tastes like a scotch ale!

Sampled at the Library Alehouse, Santa Monica, 12-02-04. Dark amber color, full, creamy head. Arom is large, warm, herbal, malty... Taste: lush mouthfeel, full on the palate, and very pleasing, earthy, meaty, plump...this is an exemplary amber ale, one that never lacks in flavor or in body, and after this one draft pint, i must say surely ranks among the best available in the U.S. As I was in the company of others, my notes were brief and succint, so no over-effusive typical monkish rambling this time, but it was thoroughly enjoyed and will be long-remembered!