Red Star Extra Special Bitter

Flowery hoppy aroma with cat pee and resin and some funky cheese. A bit musty. Wild buckwheat honey with some sour notes. Dark brown-red clear with thin off-white foamy lacing head. Medium-light bodied with medium carbonation. Starts off musty with a lot of fruitiness. Big bitter finish. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the predominant taste brings to mind a mildewy, slightly damp motel room that has been recently cleaned. You can smell the cleanser but there is that underlying humid mildew aroma, coming from either the rug or the air conditioner vent. Either way, it’s not something I want to be reminded of when I drink a bitter. Tried a couple of samples of other beers this same time and all were just odd. Either they got a bad batch of water, or quality control is declining at the Red Star. I was borderline with this place the last couple of visits, and after this one we don’t care if we ever get back.

Sampled on draft at the brewery this beer poured a medium reddish brown color with a medium sized tan head. The aroma is dry and has a very strong floral and fruity hop presence. The flavor is dry and has a crisp and strong floral and fruity hop element. The middle is bitter and fruity and a dry bitterness lingers on the palate. The hops are very nice in this one but I could use a bit more sweetness in this beer.