North Coast Red Seal Ale

Serving date: 2009-03-22. Best before: 2009-10-31. Served in half-pint glass. Amber colored, almost like candied apricots. Slight chill haze. 2 cm off-white semi-tick head. The smell has a light, but prominent and distinct, hop profile. Grapefruit and citric notes coupled with some pine needles. Some caramel malts as well. Butterscotch, bark. The taste is quite similar to the smell. Decent malt sweetness with a distinct caramel character. Butterscotch, bread. It quickly turns to the hop flavors. The hops are prominent, but not that well defined - it’s a bit blurry. Plenty of grapefruit, lemon peel, pine needles, some tobacco. The hops get a slightly raw character every now and then. Well balanced bitterness in the finish, but it’s not very powerful. Some spiciness as well. Medium body, decent creamy sensation, pretty crisp. It’s a decent beer. The hop character is a bit too raw and unpolished. Serving type: bottle (Copy of old Beer Advocate review)

CASK at Verdugo Bar. Real bland. Smooth, but bland. Nose is of moderate and nondescript malt, color is a great red, flavor is bland... very much an "ale" that is just supposed to contain alcohol and not be a pale lager.

Pours a hazy light amber red with off-white head. Smells piney, bitter citrus, and fruity strawberry. Taste is nice bitter hop and sweet malt. Very balanced. Medium body and carbonation. This is a great beer and may be my new best friend. By far my favorite APA.

Bottle - Man, this was a great APA. Poured it out of the bottle and into a Duvel tulip, and it looked wonderful--deep, reddish amber with a creamy head. The smell is great too. You get a whiff of smooth, sweet malt and a bit of sourness, with light, fresh hops co-mingling. It’s crisp and well-balanced. Taste is light, sweet malt that finishes with a bitter, grassy hop flavor that kind of tastes like chewing on a dandelion (not that I do that a lot, but still). Feels creamy and medium-bodied in the mouth. Delicious.

33cl bottle, Alko. Hazy, copper color. Hop, malty aroma with a nice citrus and caramel flavour. Liked it.

Draught at Pizzeria Paradiso. Cloudy orange, aroma of orange peel and malt. Light bodied, not very complex. Slight bitter finish. Nothing to write home about.

Bottle sample at the Red Ale tasting at Blacklick Wine & Spirits on 10/8/09. Clear copper pour with a thin beige head. Grassy hop aroma with a nice malt balance. Pine and citrus hop flavor up front with some caramel malt on the back end. Flavor is less pronounced than I remember, but the flavor that is there is good. Still a solid session beer.

Good, but not great. Middle ground APA. Haven’t had for quite a while now, but have tasted many times in the past.