Ard Ri - Upland Brewing Company

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From BeerAdvocate Magazine Volume II, Issue IV:

Bubbly eggshell-colored head rises and leaves a healthy-looking lacing on the glass. Cloudy red color, cloudy to the point of not being able to see through to the other side, though most of it cleared up when the beer warmed a little due to it being chilled. Malty buttery aroma, lots of butter. Bread and caramel with a ripe fruitiness in the nose as well. Full, creamy smooth body. Pungent to start with a hop bitterness twang and biscuity maltiness. Big caramel flavor from the malt and a butter tone from the yeast take over the palate in the middle. Hop flavor plays off of that a little bit but does not make a big impact. Fruity with suggestions of rhubarb and ripe honeydew melon. Finishes sweet with caramelized sugar, bread and vague hop flavor.

Not bad at all, perhaps a bit too sweet, fruity and buttery, but that is the path that was taken with this Imperial Red Ale. Great for anyone that digs malt bombs.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2010 14:49:34 | More by BeerAdvocate

imbuckeye

Ohio

4/5  rDev +7.5%

05-05-2013 17:28:35 | More by imbuckeye

mynie

Indiana

4/5  rDev +7.5%

05-04-2013 18:23:06 | More by mynie

Theniz

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +21%

05-04-2013 03:33:05 | More by Theniz

amcaleh

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -12.6%

05-02-2013 12:32:51 | More by amcaleh

BrianSherry

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +21%

05-01-2013 20:41:46 | More by BrianSherry

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

a very enjoyable hoppy red ale, that drinks like its 5% abv. pours clear amber in color with lots of rising carbonation and a frothy white head with decent retention. lots of bitter citric hops on the front end, totally overpowering any gentle malt sweetness that might exist in the background. fortunately, the malt does come in a lot more in the taste, tempering the hops just a bit. the hops also take on a pine tree flavor, and there is some metallic quality to the finish. the finish is long, with the malt sugar and the hop bitter going back and forth. I cant find the alcohol in this hardly at all either, which is dangerous with an entire growler here before us. I love the mouthfeel, its like the aerated milk they but on a good cappuccino. very light and delicate for how big this beer is. its also a unique format for a beer so hoppy, where thick sticky brews are the order of the day. overall this is a creative and well executed brew, freakishly easy to drink, and as fresh as it gets. the red malts might figure a little more prominently in the flavor, but this is more than adequate in its current form.

Serving type: growler

04-30-2013 18:51:38 | More by StonedTrippin

tswater

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

04-28-2013 06:07:13 | More by tswater

Boilerfood

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

04-26-2013 16:44:52 | More by Boilerfood

MSandahl23

Indiana

4/5  rDev +7.5%

04-25-2013 18:07:14 | More by MSandahl23

Flipmytop

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

04-21-2013 00:14:13 | More by Flipmytop

ridglens

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%

04-20-2013 23:57:38 | More by ridglens

WoodburyMN

Indiana

4/5  rDev +7.5%

04-07-2013 05:15:39 | More by WoodburyMN

outrage213

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%

02-05-2013 23:56:45 | More by outrage213

gratefulbeerhead

Indiana

4/5  rDev +7.5%

01-28-2013 23:48:31 | More by gratefulbeerhead

MordorMongo

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -12.6%

01-13-2013 23:47:06 | More by MordorMongo

Mcvs1507

Indiana

3/5  rDev -19.4%

12-10-2012 01:09:08 | More by Mcvs1507

cleonile2000

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

10-07-2012 03:21:57 | More by cleonile2000

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

AGED REVIEW

Bottled Feb 2011, cellared at ambient basement temperature in Wisconsin, consumed Sept 2012.

Pours out a murky clouded copper color with a single finger of off-white fine foam for a head that sticks around for about three minutes, leaving concentric rings of lacing. Semi-sticky full body, light carbonation levels.

Smells and tastes of plenty of sweet toffee / caramel , pine resin, and grapefruit pith with a minimal level of oxidation... Yet honestly, it hasn't really gotten any better with aging. Even though all of the boozey hotness has been removed, the interesting roasted and nutty malt aspects have been removed as well... and there's not quite enough complexity or new traits developing with this (last) bottle to justify the cost of further experimentation with more bottles. I seem to have started with something just simple enough to be appealing, and inadvertently dumbed it down until it became -boring-.

I think I'm going to just call it a 'learning experience" and move on from here.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 07:46:50 | More by WastingFreetime

Klif

Indiana

3/5  rDev -19.4%

07-15-2012 00:42:52 | More by Klif

mtrain237

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%

06-30-2012 22:15:25 | More by mtrain237

neckbracesub

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

06-22-2012 23:51:46 | More by neckbracesub

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

22 oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Pours a deep clear ruby, with a finger of rich and creamy off-white head. This retains with a frothy ½ finger which leaves back a robust cascade of sticky lacing. The aroma smells dark and sticky in the nose, with roast, caramel, and green citrus all mixed in while ripe tropical notes and herbal character sits along the back. Some pine and leafy accents hang on the edges.

The taste is a sticky mix of toffee and tropical fruit, punctuated by a green citric bitterness that then segues into more of a roasty backend. The finish is dry and resinous with some lingering bitter pith and then a touch of sticky sweetness and char on the very end. The mouthfeel is medium to fuller bodied with some sharpness on the tongue but does get a bit more slick and creamy as this spreads out in the mouth. This does have some heady warmth to it that really sticks those hops to the palate and is overall getting a wee bit distracting at times.

This really came off as more of an Imperial Red Ale than a Barleywine and while I did appreciate the overall brashness of this in spots, the strong flavors of alcohol, bitterness, and roast just clashed a bit too much with each other to really keep this approachable. This was decent but I’ve seen the style done much better before.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 17:05:27 | More by Kegatron

antoines15

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

04-19-2012 00:57:37 | More by antoines15

hopfacebrew

Colorado

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from bomber to pint glass the beer arrives a deep amber ruby color and a bit hazy, nice 2 finger white cap with good retention and lacing. The nose is caramel sweet with hints of toasted malt and nice piney hops. The flavor is more hop dominated with a nice sweet caramel sweet base and a hint of toast. Medium bitter. Enjoyable. Finishes dry with a long lingering sweet hop. Medium bodied and well carbonated.Hadn't heard of this beer and received in a trade. Evidently I enjoyed it more than other BA's, lol. The label clearly reads Imperial Red Ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 22:27:39 | More by hopfacebrew