Yellowstone Valley Renegade Red Ale

Brewed by Yellowstone Valley Brewing Company
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Billings, Montana USA

Murky copper with medium beige frothy slowly fading head. Aroma of pale malt, sweet malt, fruit and plastic. Taste is somewhat sour and off kilter and has mild fruit, floral and sweet malt characteristics. It’s a bit tough to choke down and I’m not having fun watching the Packers get clobbered by the Saints but the leader in the ESPN beat the streak contest lost at 24 so my hopes are still alive at 20.

12oz bottle acquired in trade with ughmash (thanks!). Poured a deeper and cloudy copper color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of butter, caramel, yeast, and lighter fruitiness. Tastes of caramel, dark fruits, and all around malty.

Aroma a bit floral, earthy and malty. Appears deep red with light foam. Flavor is good bitterness, citrus tang, slight bite and creamy caramel. Aftertaste complex mix of lemon sour, caramel malt and tartar. Beer has an interesting complexity but not a memorable consistency.

Sampled from 12-oz bottle via last summer ABA 07 trip. Pours a clear orange amber brew with a fizzy and fast dissolving white head that leaves behind some lacing and a white ring. Aroma of caramel bready malt, sour apples and plenty of yeast funk. Taste is medium bodied, caramel malt and over the top sour apples. Has to be another infected beer. Memo to self... road trip to Billings in ’08 and try the beers locally and fresh.

Bottle. Pours a pretty deep red with brown highlights. Malty on the nose. Slightly malty, sour/sweet on the palate. ESB? Really? Where’s the hops? Finishes dry and malty. Inoffensive.

Bottle, mild aroma a bit of caramel, and very light hops. The amount of head was rediculous, very foamy and long lasting, took at least five minutes to pour this brew. That was the highlight, there was nothing wrong with it by anymeans, but it was definately lacking hops to be an ESB.

Rusty reddish brown color, lightly hazed, no head to speak of. I see a few bubbles rising, otherwise I might think it was flat. Moderate caramel-honey malt aroma is pretty nice. Caramel malt flavor up front, also somewhat fruity. When it first starts to get just a tad too sweet, the hops kick in for a nice balance. But the aftertaste is sweetish, something like a subdued caramel apple. This sweet flavor really lingers in the aftertaste. Medium body? Lighter body? It depends. I found both. The first couple sips were heavier, then when I got used to it they were lighter. I will settle with this: it starts medium bodied, and finishes a bit lighter. But overall - medium. Carbonation a bit too mild. Hops in the aftertaste missing completely.

Bottle. Dark amber colour with a little head. Malty and candy aroma with some notes of caramel, malt and cherries. Flavour of caramel with notes of berries.