Ramapo Valley Copper

Brewed by Ramapo Valley Brewery
Style: Brown Ale
Hilburn, New York USA

hazy amber color, slightly musty aroma, nice white foamy head Tastes of pine, crisp hopiness, slight maltiness. Better than a 26% percentile.

From a bottle I got at a local grocery store. This poured with a very very large head. When I popped the cap, it was relatively loud. Even my large tulip glass could not handle all the head. The body is dark copper with a dark khaki body. The aroma is sweet with pancakes and cherries. There is also a little bit of sweat socks. The taste is very dry with hints of nasty pear cores and some bell pepper. There is a weird sweet note through this one. Not too bad.

12 oz. bottle labelled "Copper Ale". Pours a clear copper (duh!) color with an energetic off-white head. This beer is definitely a very slow pour if you want to keep it all in the glass. Very effervescent. Light but pleasant aroma of malt. Not really all that flavorful. There’s some malt and also something close to unsweetened iced tea. Bitter finish. I enjoy brown ales, but I think if offered the opportunity, I’d pass on this one. There are much better choices out there.

Bottle. Clear copper to brown with a fizzy/sudsy cream colored head and some small floaties. Malty sweetened cereal nose. Flavor of caramel to light coffee malts, with some bitterness in the background and the finish. A trace of that salty brown ale vegemite yeast flavor, but not too bad. Not really a brown ale fan to begin with, and this does not change my preference.

In the bottle from HyVee Council Bluffs. New label and being marketed as simply "Copper Ale" now. Pours a cloudy brown with large floating chunks of debris. A muddy beige foamy head that errupts out of the glass due to excessive over-carbonation. Has an earthy, dirty astringent aroma. The flavor has a strong tartness that is not pleasant. In fact, a vinegar sourness. This beer has turned. Rancid. Down the drain.

Bottle purchased at Oliver’s Beverage in Albany, NY. No clue how old this is, but I know I purchased it about a month ago. Named "Ramapo Valley Copper Ale" Very interesting, sweet aroma. Lots of toffee, caramel, chocolate, brown sugars in the nose. A slight metallic aroma is also present. Very sweet and pleasant aroma. Mildly hazy dark amber color with a fizzy light khaki colored head that is pretty small. Ack! Very very sour. Dry grainy maltiness to finish. Definitiely infected. Drainpour.

Tap. Dark amber/copper color, off-white head, with a ring and very little lace. Aroma was hops and malty. Smooth and sweet to the palate, not bitter. Slight hop flavor, but mostly fruity, and a malty finish.

1.14.06 I tell you what, Ramapo is back recently with much better labels and possibly better brews. I thought this was a pretty fine brown (bitter? debatable?) to my tastes. Forget what you heard about RVB, check their stuff out again.