Mendocino Red Tail Ale

Brewed by Mendocino Brewing Company
Style: Amber Ale
Hopland, California USA

Bottle at the Nut House in Palo Alto. Pours a cloudy reddish-amber with a small white head. Aroma of sweet caramel malt and cereal grains. Flavor is sweet bready caramel malt with a touch of hops on the finish. Medium-light body with soft carbonation. Like Fat Tire, but not as good on the finish.

12 oz. bottle courtesy of the Binnys Singles Rack (Orland Park, IL). I’ve had this before, but decided to rate it this time. Pours a small hazed orangey amber, moderate white bubbly head that dissipates to a small one. Faint lacing. Aromas are a tad subdued, pushing toffee and carmel malts with a grainy sweetness overall, light floral and citrus bouquet balances, but leaves a little to be desired. Initial is fairly light bodied, pushing some good hoppy florals and bitterness up front, pulling along carmel malts and a biscuity feel behind it. Nothing too sweet, and the hops hold up better than the aroma would have led one to believe. Sessionable, but a bit lacking in body and substance. Out of place finish (too sweet) and aftertaste leave a bit of a bad impression on me. Then again, I dislike Amber Ales largely.

Bottle: Pours a deep copper with a small beige head. Aroma of dirty malts, husky grains, and light florals. Lots of lager malt in the taste with light florals. Not very good.

Inert clear amber pour with a thick off-white head. Cereal malt aroma with hins of caramel. Bitter malt flavor. Lots of grainy. Hoppy finish. Watery. Not bad, easy to drink, crisp, and refreshing.

Bottle. Pours a slightly hazy light amber with a half finger off-white head that results in delicate lacing. The nose is really faint with a touch of malt and grain. The taste is light sweet malt and bitter earthy hops. Light-to-medium bodied. An OK Amber.

Pours an amber color (suprise, suprise) with a 2 findger whitish head. Smells just a bit of sweetness, with some bready notes. smells. Tastes i pretty bland up front, not getting a lot of the sweetness really, and ends pretty bitter, which i think is from the toasted malt, as its not a real clean bitter finish I usually get from hops. overall its just decent, dont love it by any means, and wont be getting again, i cant get past that sharp bitter flavor.

Bottle, another ale shared with Philly gents- Amber pour with head that simmered down, good carbonation. Nothing really to say on the nose. Pale malts with a grainy feel-dry.