North Coast Red Seal Ale

Brewed by North Coast Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Fort Bragg, California USA

Tap - Orange ale with an off white/yellow fluffy head. I found it had a hop-fruit nose with a melon & spice flavour with hints of cinnamon and a long finish. Very enjoyable.

Bottle. Pours clear amber with an average, white, frothy head, lasting, good lacing. Aroma is average malt (grain, meal), heavy hops (flowers, perfume, pine), average yeast (sweat) with notes of pear and peach. Medium bodied, sticky texture, average carbonation and a bitter finish. Average duration, light sweetness, moderate acidity and heavy bitterness.

12 oz. bottle - pours slightly red and clear; mild hop and fruit aromas; drinks smooth w/ a slight spice and bitter aftertaste

A very nice amber color. A little red in the color. A nice head that stuck around through the beer. Has a very nice hop taste to it, but is paired very well with s sweet finish. A excellent drink able ale.

12oz bottle. Pours a brilliant, deep orange with gold highlights and hints of red. It pours up a somewhat thick, light tan head that slowly fades into a very thin, but opaque, disc of foam that leaves lots of lace on the glass. The aroma is rather nice - it is strong with citrus fruit and a touch of pine. The awesome hop aroma is complimented by a backdrop of honey-glazed bread dough. The flavor starts with a very well-balanced bittersweetness - a nice pine and grapefruit hop note covers sweet caramel malts. The middle of the tongue detects lots of lightly toasted bread, hints of yeast, and more hops. The finish is medium in body with a nice balance of bitter citrus hops and sweet bready malts. The finish is very long and leaves an aftertaste that is surprisingly bready and malty. The aftertaste is hoppy, too, but not near as bitter as one might expect from a hoppy pale ale. The mouthfeel is a bit heavily carbonated and provides a slight stinging character that mutes some of the flavors on the tip of the tongue. Other than that, the mouthfeel is nice - creamy and medium in body. Overall, this is a very nicely done APA.

12 ounce bottle in pint glass. Hazy amber with puffy off-white head and lace. Lemon-citrus hop and bread aroma. Mild caramel flavor with very pleasant fruity bitterness. Medium body and carbo. Very enjoyable and sessionable.

The 12 ounce bottle poured a beautiful, sparkling clear reddish-amber beverage with a moderate sized off white rocky head that lasted well and left great lacing on the glass. The aroma had a nice hop quality to it with notes of grass and grapefruit. It had a medium body with lively carbonation and a watery texture. The flavor starts out lightly bitter with just a hint of sweetness in the background. As it matures on the palate it develops a more pronounced bitterness and has a nice long dry finish.

GREAT beer. Just like all of North Coast’s offering, this beer is solid. One of the best examples of an APA that I know of and one of my favorite everyday beers.