Mendocino Red Tail Lager

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

12 oz bottle (Beers of the World Oct 2006) served a bit above fridge temp in a shaker glass at my friend Kathy’s house in St Louis Park, MN as I’m typing this. Very clear amber-bronze with little to no head and faint lacing....faint grassy-caramel aroma offers no real depth or interest....extremely bland on the tongue, not really much more to it than typical macro lagers, perhaps a faint hint of smoky/roasty malts, a touch of late acrid bitterness, and more body than you’d find in the multinational "pilsners" -- but at twice the price, this isn’t any more worthwhile than swill. Nothing here folks, move along....

Bottle from Total Wine. Pours a reddish amber with a light white head. Minimal carbonation. Not too bad, light finishing and a slight bite on the finish.

Amber color, white with minimal head. Clean finish with a little bitter aftertaste.

Bottle from Super Saver. Dark straw pour with minimal head. Aroma of pale malt, fruit, some hops. Tastes pale malty, with some vinous fruit notes, plus slight hopcitrus and honey. Medium to light palate heft. Not a bad lager by any means, but not a beer I’d stock in the DLBF (Doc Lock Beer Fridge).

Golden color with a thick white head. Aroma fo malt,grain and a bit of hops and yeast. Malty, smooth body. Crisp hop finish. A nice effort.

12 oz bottle. Pours a nice golden amber and white head. Hoppy and mild caramel malt aroma. Flavor is about as good as you will find for a “premium lager”, certainly at this price. Slightly spicy hops and caramel and clean finish with just a bit of bitterness. Sorta like a Heineken with hops was a thought that went through my mind once, and then the flavors changed. Nothing spectacular here, but I’d rather have this than most of the crap that’s served in bars around here. Total Wine, Jacksonville.

I forgot i even had 3 bottles of this still hanging around,I’ve been on a long dry spell for medical reasons,but damn the Dr. i need to get back on the brew wagon and drink more.Makes me feel better then not.Nice golden/amber color,with a decent white head that was short lived but left a slight amount of lace behind.The aroma was caramel and malt with a slight sweetness coming through.The flavor was nothing special but easy to do.Malty,caramel taste with some mild sweetness in the beginning that changes to a mild bitter side in the end with a decent hop showing.Over all it’s nothng over the top but has a decent enough flavor to try a few more times.

The best thing I thought about this beer was the color, which is one of the best looking lagers I think I’ve come across. A rich, deep amber color, decent conditioning and average head. Aroma is lightly malted, slightly metallic, yeasty and salty. Flavors weren’t really anything to get excited over, nor was it bad enough to bash. Rather boring on the palate, clean finish, no aftertaste. Good enough to quench the thirst, and easy enough on the wallet.