Off Axis Crimson Tide

Well just look at this beautiful ruby ale from Home Bargains!  It was very lively and produced a huge frothy cream head on top of its ruby red body. 

I gave it full marks for aroma as it's brewed with five malts so it's incredibly malty and it has hints of sweet caramel, treacle toffee and dark fruit.  The taste is pretty similar, although weaker than I expected from the intense aroma, with notes of sweet malt, dried fruit and caramel together with a nice hoppy tang from the three hops: Amarillo, Nelson Sauvin and Columbus.

It has a good medium body with relatively soft carbonation that gives you a smoothish mouthfeel.  It's another bargain beer from Home Bargains that exceeded my expectations and it's a very nice ruby ale for less than £2.  Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed exclusively for TJ Morris (Home Bargains), UK
4.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Innis & Gunn Blood Red Sky

 

This ale is a stunning colour; it's a rich mahogany red with a loose beige head that disappears very rapidly, leaving just a few bubbles behind.

It's brewed in rum barrels and there's a definite boozy, rum aroma along with malt, fruit and a hint of vanilla.  The flavour is a bit bland at first as the vanilla overpowers the other flavours, but it gets sweeter as you drink it when the malt and spiced rum flavours start to come through.  It's thin bodied and surprisingly well carbonated considering it has no head.

It has the appearance of cola and the spiciness of the rum makes you think of cola too.  It's a shame the vanilla took over as it would've been a lovely scotch ruby ale if it had been balanced a bit more towards maltiness.

It's worth trying but it was a little disappointing, so Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Innis & Gunn Brewery, Edinburgh
6.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Innis & Gunn Brewery

Leffe Ruby

 

I love the packaging of the 750ml bottles from Leffe: this wine bottle sized beer looks perfect for a special occasion with a champagne-like cork and wire trapper hidden under the foil.  I opened my bottle at Christmas to discover the most beautiful jewelled ruby red ale inside.  It has a cute baby pink frothy head that's reasonably loose.

It has an incredibly fruity aroma of strawberries, raspberries, cherries and blueberries that transfers to the taste along with a hint of Parma violets.  With a slightly sour hint and a very fizzy mouthfeel, it reminds me of cherryade and it does feel like more of an alcopop than a beer.  I also picked up a floral aftertaste that seemed a bit out of place.

A light and refreshing ale that was very easy to drink, perhaps a little too easy as it is very much like a bottle of pop.  It's definitely not a traditional ruby ale (which is my favourite style of beer), so I was left feeling a little disappointed.  It's not a Leffe beer Ale Be Seeing again but I'm sure it will hit the spot for those who love fruity ales and sours.

Brewed by Leffe, Belgium
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Leffe

Black Sheep Blitzen

 

I LOVE Black Sheep beers and ruby is my favourite ale so I was over the moon to get my hands on a bottle of Blitzen, a ruby Christmas ale from my favourite North Yorkshire brewery.

It's a dark ruby coloured ale with the thick, tight beige head that we know and love from Black Sheep.  The aroma is AMAZING, it's very fruitcake-like with treacle, dark fruit and malts combining to create a mouth-watering smell.

My first sip took me to beer heaven.  It is so malty with a hint of sweet treacle at first then there was a layer of liquorice and caramel followed by a dark chocolate and zesty bitter orange finish.  It is exactly like biting into a Christmas cake as each layer of flavour hits your taste buds.

With a medium body, it's so very smooth to drink and I would have guessed it was a Black Sheep ale if I'd drank it with my eyes closed.  The trademark Black Sheep head was even more robust than usual as it clung to my lip and left me with a frothy moustache.

Blitzen is a lovely ruby ale that you could drink all year round as it's not a spicy Christmas ale, it's just a lovely fruity ruby.  I loved it and I can most definitely say Ale Be Seeing You again, Blitzen.

Brewed by Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, North Yorkshire

4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Black Sheep Brewery

Greene King Festive Pudding Ale

  

Festive Pudding Ale from Greene King comes in a clear bottle so you can see the amazing ruby coloured ale inside and it was colour that sold it to me immediately.  It has to be the most perfect ruby coloured ale, although the head is very disappointing; only briefly forming a thin loose layer before rapidly disappearing and leaving a flat headless pint.

The aroma isn't strong but it's malty and fruity; it's not looking bad at all up to this point so I had reasonably high hopes for the taste test.  First sip isn't bad with a sweet malty flavour and a slight hint of treacle but then it has the weirdest aftertaste: Is it biscuit? Perhaps grapefruit? Possibly cardboard?  Maybe even dirty water?  Certainly no taste at all reminiscent of Christmas, never mind Christmas pudding.

The mouthfeel is just as weird; it's thin-medium bodied with decent carbonation but the bubbles are so harsh that my tongue felt like it had been rubbed with wire wool.  My tongue was tingling for ages after drinking it.  Supposedly 6% ABV, it doesn't feel anything like that strong and I would have put it more at around half that.

Apart from the name, there's nothing festive about Greene King's Festive Pudding Ale and other than the perfect ruby colour, it doesn't have much going for it.  I still drank it all, of course!  

I wouldn't recommend this one so Ale not Be Seeing You again, Festive Pudding Ale.

Brewed by Greene King, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3/5

Find out more at Greene King

Otter Brewery Otter Claus

I love the otter wearing a Santa hat on the label of Otter Claus, a winter ale from Otter Brewery in Devon; as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to grab a couple of bottles.  Of course, it's what's inside the bottle that counts and this ale is a beautiful deep ruby colour with a very loose, rapidly vanishing cream coloured head.  This definitely looks like my kind of beer!

The aroma is malt, dark fruits, biscuit and toffee with a hint of spiciness and a slight metallic bitterness.  Flavour is malt, toffee, dark fruits and hops followed by a warming spice and a slight bitter finish that builds up as you drink.  As the flavour develops, it's like a liquid Christmas cake as the taste of raisins and warming spice become more noticeable.

It's medium bodied with soft carbonation that gives it a rather flat appearance when the head vanishes, however, it feels very smooth in the mouth and is so easy to drink that it goes down far too quickly.

A lovely winter ale and an absolute steal at a current price of only £2.63 per 500ml bottle direct from Otter Brewery's Online Shop.  I'd be more than happy to drink Otter Claus all year round and Ale definitely Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Otter Brewery, Devon
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Otter Brewery

Greene King Gangly Ghoul

 

🎃 Hoppy Halloween, beer lovers! 🎃

It's the perfect time to release my review of Gangly Ghoul, Greene King's Halloween themed beer.  This comes in a clear bottle so you can see the beautiful mahogany colour of the beer inside and it definitely looks like my kind of beer.

It really is a beautiful ruby tinged mahogany ale with a loose being head that disappears quite quickly to leave a thin patchy foam.  The aroma is so malty that it instantly had my mouth watering but there's also a definite whiff of toffee apples and a hint of orange peel.  It couldn't smell more like Halloween and I was just thinking what a great job Greene King had done, until I tasted it...

The flavour is so weak and the body is so thin that it tastes like slightly malty sparkling water.  With the appearance and aroma scoring so highly, to say I was devastated is an understatement.  I got absolutely no hint of toffee, orange peel or spice that should have been there according to the label.  So very disappointing.

It's so weakly flavoured that it's a ghost of a beer, which is surprisingly relevant for Halloween.  It's only due to the appearance and aroma that it managed to creep into the 3 pint rating with a total score of 25/50.  It's perfectly drinkable and I wouldn't have considered throwing it down the drain, but it's nothing to write home about and unfortunately I wouldn't recommend it.

Brewed by Greene King Brewery, Suffolk
4.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 2.5/5

Find out more at Greene King Brewery

Rudgate Ruby

 

As the nights are drawing in, it's definitely time to get back to the dark side.  Ruby is one of my favourite styles of ale so I was very excited to try Rudgate's Ruby mild ale.  What a beauty it is when it's poured into a glass.  It's a beautiful deep mahogany red ale with a thick, tight beige head that lasts really well and clings to the side of the glass.  It is well named as it shimmers like a ruby when it's held in front of the light of the window.

Oh the aroma is so malty it made my mouth water.  There is also some sweet caramel and dark fruits coming through like raisins, sultanas and possibly cherries.  It's a mouthwatering mix of smells and so very inviting that I dived right in.

My first sip left a huge smile on my face; this delicious ale is definitely my kind of thing.  With flavours of sweet malt, dark fruits, treacle toffee, smooth caramel and a hint of nuts this ticks all the boxes and scores top marks for flavour.  With an initial sweetness followed by a slight bitter finish, it's a delicious well balanced ruby with a medium body and decent carbonation that provides a nice bit of fizz without being too harsh.

This is a beer I'd be more than happy to buy a case of and at £28.75 delivered for a 12 pack direct from Rudgate's online shop, it's an absolute bargain.  If you want a bit more variety, you can also get Ruby in a mixed pack of 12 for the same price of £28.75 including delivery.

Ruby is an absolute gem.  Dark, malty and delicious, Rudgate show just how a ruby should be done and I'm not surprised to learn that Rudgate Ruby has been winning awards since 2002.  It gets a big gold star from me and Ale Be Seeing You again.  

Brewed by Rudgate Brewery, York

4.4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.5/5

Find out more at Rudgate Brewery

Schlenkerla Fastenbier

When I placed my first order with Honest Brew, I was intrigued by the Fastenbier from historic German brewpub Schlenkerla.  The bottle label is very striking and the beautiful deep amber/ruby coloured beer inside looks pretty good too.  The small, cream coloured head is quite loose and it disappears quickly leaving just a few bubbles around the sides.

The most striking thing about Fastenbier is the smell.  As soon as I popped the lid off I was hit with the smell of a German food market.  In fact, the first thing I said when I opened it was: 'it smells like bacon'.  I haven't eaten meat for almost 30 years so there may be some people who disagree with my description of this aroma, but the smell of this beer evoked memories of my Nanna frying bacon.  Aside from the smokiness, there's also a distinct malty aroma but I couldn't get past the bacon aroma so I was a little scared to lean in for a sip.

The taste is definitely better than the smell, and improves if you don't breathe in when you're drinking!  The initial flavour is sweet malts and burnt caramel followed by smoked meats.  A very odd combination but it sort of works and it did grow on me.  Despite the lack of head, it's surprisingly fizzy with soft carbonation and a medium body.

No wonder the sneaky monks invented this beer when they were fasting over Lent; it's like a bacon sandwich in a glass!  Although it's wasn't for me, I'm glad I tried it as it's a very good smoked beer and I much prefer a beer tasting and smelling of smoked meat rather than an overflowing ashtray.

Brewed by Schlenkerla Brewery, Bamburg, Germany
5.9% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3/5

Find out more at Schlenkerla Brewery

Black Sheep Ram Tackle

I consider Black Sheep Brewery to be one of my favourite breweries and ruby one of my favourite types of ale so it's almost as if Ram Tackle was made for me.  I like my ruby ales more on the dark side but there's no denying that this is a beautiful looking ale.  It's a mouthwatering amber colour and looks like molten toffee with the trademark thick and creamy Black Sheep head.

The aroma isn't terribly strong but I got whiffs of hops (unsurprisingly as there are 8 varieties of hops in it), juicy raisins, biscuit and caramel.  The aroma matches the flavour with malty biscuit flavours transforming into tangy bitterness.  The bitter aftertaste is lovely and if I had a blindfold on, I'd have said it was a bitter rather than a ruby ale.

With decent carbonation, a smooth mouth feel, medium body and amazing lacing, you can tell it's a Black Sheep ale.  I would have liked a stronger flavour to give my taste buds a workout but it's another quality ale from Black Sheep and one Ale Be Seeing again.

Brewed by Black Sheep, Masham, North Yorkshire
4.1% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Black Sheep Brewery

Otter Brewery Otter Head

This would look like a perfect pint for me if it had a bit more of a head, perhaps it should be called Otter Headless (sorry).  It's a beautiful mahogany red/brown ale with an AMAZING aroma of fruit cake, malt and sweet baked apples.

Oh my word, I can describe the taste in one word and that word is DELICIOUS!  The maltiness is perfection itself with hints of sweet treacle and a slightly bitter aftertaste.  It is so full of flavour that it actually tastes as if it has been home-brewed.  Full-bodied, smooth and quite strong at 5.8% it's a good contender to give me beer goggles to watch the match.

I bought this from Help for Heroes with the glass and, despite its headlessness, Ale definitely Be Seeing Otter Head Again if I come across it when beer shopping.

Brewed by Otter Brewery, Devon

5.8% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Otter Brewery

Adnams Broadside

Adnams Broadside is the first beer listed in World Bottled Beers by Adrian Tierney-Jones, and you can find out more about this bottle-shaped book here in my beer books section.

This ale is my kind of colour: a deep ruby red with a reasonably tight beige head.  It smells mouthwateringly malty along with the kind of aroma you get when you first open a dark fruit cake.  I didn't smell it for long as I couldn't wait to take a sip!

The taste is predominantly fruity and bitter chocolate but more flavours are apparent as you drink it.  It's quite fizzy and I could taste some spiciness and liquorice, which is very reminiscent of dandelion and burdock, followed by a metallic copper coin bitter aftertaste.  It's a strong one at 6.3% so just aswell the metallic taste is there so you don't mistake it for dandelion and burdock pop.

It definitely tingled my tastebuds and I can see why it is such a popular beer.  I think it would have been a 5 pint rating for me if the metallic taste had been toned down a notch or two; I'm not averse to metallic bitterness but I don't want to feel like I am licking all the copper coins in my purse.

I wouldn't mind another pint of Broadside, perhaps on a chilly winter's evening beside the fire to accompany a slice of fruit cake.

Brewed by Adnams, Southwold, Suffolk

6.3% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Adnams

Three Kings Brewery Canadien Red

I popped into The Exchange in North Shields for a coffee but I was like a kid in a sweet shop when I saw all the local hand pulls on offer.  I went from tempted to sold in 0-60 seconds when I saw a red ale was among the brilliant selection.  Each pump had a little kilner jar of ale in front of it so you could see the colour of the ale, but obviously I wasn't going to go for anything other than the Canadien Red from Three Kings Brewery.

The first thing I noticed, after the mouthwatering ruby red colour was the thick tight creamy head.  It was as smooth as a milk pond and the whole appearance is like a ruby red Guinness.  It has a lovely light malty fruity aroma but I admit to not being able to resist diving in for a taste without lingering on the smell.

Oh it is just heavenly.  It is deliciously malty with a liquorice undertone but with a slightly citrus and metallic bitter aftertaste.  It is a full bodied ale that is SO smooth it slips down far too easily and I could have stayed for a few more.  I even let my Mam have a taste and usually she would comment with a 'bleurgh' but she liked it and said: 'I could drink that'.  Give it back!!!

Canadien Red, Ale Be Seeing You Again and I might even buy my parents one instead of a coffee next time we visit North Tyneside.

Brewed by Three Kings Brewery, North Shields

4.8% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Three Kings Brewery

Consett Ale Works Red Dust

This is one of my old favourites after being introduced to it by a real ale loving ex-boss who used to buy it by the case.  It is named after the red coloured clouds of dust that were formed during the steel making process in the famous Consett Steel Works.

Red Dust is a beautiful deep rich mahogany colour with a frothy beige proper Northern head, although the head does disappear quickly there is enough left to lace the glass.  It smells deliciously fruity on opening with a strong malty aroma which left my mouth watering in anticipation.

Despite the strong aroma, the flavour is not terribly strong but it is absolutely sublime with hints of toffee and biscuit but a definite taste of malt and bittersweet hops.  There is a slight citrus bitter aftertaste that rounds it off nicely.  It is softly carbonated to give a pleasant tickly tongue feeling.

I really like this one, it's easy to drink and not overpowering in flavour; it won't give your tastebuds a work out, it's just a damn fine ruby ale.  Of course, Ale Be Seeing You Again.

Brewed by Consett Ale Works, County Durham

4.5% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Consett Ale Works

Hardknott Infra Red

Now that is one fine looking beer!  Unsurprisingly from the name, Infra Red is a deep ruby red beer with a frothy beige head that almost attempted to spill over the glass and left such tremendous lacing that I had to get the Brillo pad out.  It gives off the most amazing orange and toffee aroma with a slight hint of something floral and fragrant.

I changed my mind so quickly about this beer as the initial burst of sweet burnt toffee and yummy malt changed to a very harsh bitter aftertaste.  It certainly gave my tastebuds a wake up call and my tongue felt like it had been stabbed by a million bubbles carrying daggers dripping in grapefruit pith.

I really wanted to love this one but it wasn't really for me; I just felt it was a little too harsh as you often get with stronger alcohol content beers.  It gets full marks for looks but not so much for taste, so unfortunately not one Ale Be Seeing Again but if you like citrus bitter tasting beers, you will love this one!

Brewed by Hardknott, Cumbria
6.2% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Hardknott