Mendocino Raptor Red Lager

Brewed by Mendocino Brewing Company
Style: Pale Lager
Hopland, California USA

On tap at the Hopland Brewing Company, in Hopland, CA (how frickin' cool is that town's name?). Nice full head with a honey-hoppy-sweet flavor.

It poured a clear golden color with an amber hue. I didn't see any red in it. Thick white head (small bubbled foam on top of large bubbles). The head lasted for a bit then faded out. Aroma of faint noble hops that quickly disappeared and malt (toasty grains and toffee). First flavor was of sweetness, then grainy malt, caramel and a faint taste of honey. Well balanced hoppy bitterness in the back end. Sweet, dry finish. Light to moderate mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

It looks more like an amber than a red. Almost no head. A bit hoppy aroma. Really not much aroma. Hoppy taste that has a good bitter bite. I don't think this is a lager. It's more of amber/pale. Definitly different. But it's good.

balanced aroma, good strong carbonation but where does the red come in? nice body, hints of creaminess and a bitter resiny hop finish

Orange gold color. Small quickly disappointing head. Aroma is malty and fruity. Medium bodied amber. The malts are mild, nutty and sweet. Hops are slightly bitter. Has a definite lager like quality to it, with small bubbly champagne like carbonation. Mild flavors. Fruity and dry. This would make a nice summer session beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and dry. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

dimpled mug: aggressively carbonated rusty amber body with big bleach white head. Light caramely, bready nose with intermittent notes of earthy hops. toasty malt profile comes on early and strong, fading into an earthy, spiced hop bitterness, then back to a dry toasted barley sweetness that fills the mouth. a bit of stickyness holds the malty sweetness on well after downing it.

I wasn’t expecting much. I just wanted a cheap, easy to drink, simple beer, without any off flavors. I pretty much have that here. Aroma isn’t very good; probably the worst part of it. It’s hard for me to describe it, but it has a malty, stale macro aroma. The white head was fluffy and creamy at first, but disapated quickly leavy minimal lace. The beer itself was a slightly hazy copper orange. Flavor is a little peppery with a touch of malt sweetness that is in good balance. Just a hint of staleness. Pretty decent

This beer was a little confusing. While most beers with the name "red" in it are typically descriptive of the contents inside the bottle, I didn’t see ANY "red" in the beer. Perhaps they were just describing the bird on the bottle? Anyways, the beer was pretty good considering it’s a simple lager. The appearance is a solid golden color, tiny bubbles floating upwards with what starts out as a solid white head and then melts into minimal top layer of foam. Aroma consists mostly of bready malts with a small dose of yeast. There is also a grassy hop angle to the aroma but it’s very downplayed. Mouthfeel is light in body, crisp and clean. Flavor is mostly yeasty with small bits of grass, finish is slightly bitter. Definitely a clean tasting, refreshing lager although unspectacularly normal.