Shark Bite Red Ale
Port Brewing

Shark Bite Red AleShark Bite Red Ale
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From:
Port Brewing
 
California, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
Ranked #94
ABV:
6%
Score:
85
Ranked #20,979
Avg:
3.77 | pDev: 11.94%
Reviews:
130
Ratings:
196
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 07, 2024
Added:
Jan 18, 2003
Wants:
  10
Gots:
  8
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by bulletrain76:
Photo of bulletrain76
Reviewed by bulletrain76 from California

3.8/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz bottle courtesy of Ryan (Should have gone with the Giants), from KNB next to SDSU. A clear, dark copper ale with a beige head that leaves some lacing. The initial aroma is grapefruit hops, but warmth reveals some nice brown sugar and caramel that round out a quite nice aroma. The flavor is some malt, leading into more dominant and bitter hops. Medium body with small carbonation. Finishes bitter, dry, and lasting; just a little watery. It's a nice, quite sessionable beer, but a little more malt beefiness to balance out the hops would make it excellent.
Jan 26, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by acurtis from New Jersey

Mar 07, 2024
 
Rated: 3.25 by mpenske from California

Feb 17, 2024
 
Rated: 3 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Aug 05, 2020
Photo of sjrider
Reviewed by sjrider from California

3.86/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a deep amber red color with big khaki head leaving plenty of lacing. Nose is lots of malt and a bit of hops. Taste follows with a hint of bitterness on a big malt palate. A tasty example of the stye.
Sep 15, 2018
 
Rated: 3.19 by Swoosl from Austria

Aug 15, 2018
Photo of rand
Reviewed by rand from California

3.93/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
On tap at Fools and Kings San Diego, into a pint glass

Partaked in this deliciousness dozens of times but never done a proper review.

Deep copper-tan, slightly opaque brew with a wispy head. Hoppy, bready nose, with notes of lemon a caramel. Follows through on the palate with plenty of citrusy notes offsetting caramelly malts. Did I mention this is bready? Like hop-laced squaw bread.

With all the crazy beer trends, something old school like this is throwing back easy. I remember when this was 'pushing the envelope'...hop-forward red ale? No way!
May 27, 2018
Photo of JamFuel
Reviewed by JamFuel from Sweden

4.03/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a gorgeus deep copper, with thick, billowing head.

Smell is malty with hints of caramel, and a little bit of pine and citrus.

Taste is malty with plenty of caramel up front, with a well integrated bitterness in the back. Very good balance.

Mouthfeel is medium, well carbonated.

Overall, one of my favorite red ales, and it's just beautiful to look at.
Oct 10, 2017
Photo of rex_4539
Reviewed by rex_4539 from Greece

4.12/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
L: Hazy red color, one finger off white head, messy lacing, light carbonation.

S: Hops.

T: Hoppy, malty, bitter.

F: Medium bodied, nicely flavored.

O: Another good beer from Port Brewing.
Sep 29, 2017
 
Rated: 3.74 by ummswimmin from New Jersey

Aug 15, 2017
Photo of DefenCorps
Reviewed by DefenCorps from Oregon

3.78/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Canned for the 30th anniversary.

A clear deep red with a beige head with boys retention and nice lacing, this looks great. The nose is a blend of pine, caramel, a little toffee, and candied grapefruit. A slight chalk note is present. The palate opens moderately bitter, with pine,
Aug 13, 2017
 
Rated: 4.12 by gboley from California

May 21, 2017
 
Rated: 4.16 by Not_a_Shovel from Arizona

Apr 21, 2017
Photo of breadwinner
Reviewed by breadwinner from California

4.42/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Tremendous. Hopped to high hell red, bursting with resin and grapefruit, this is unapologetically West Coast. But it ain't just a hop show, as lurking beneath is a malt profile tinged with dry chocolate, an almost peat-like greenness, and pleasing biscuit overtones. Mostly, though, you'll be focused on the hop oil coating your teeth, unrelentingly and delightfully bitter. There's a point to the bitterness, by the way. People think something so big and brash can't have a purpose, that it's sloppy and simplistic. But, in the same way that certain Southeast Asian cuisines incorporate mouth-melting levels of spiciness into their dishes, which can actually serve to highlight other flavors, so here the hops may appear dominant but in fact complement the robust malt character. This is beautiful stuff, and I can only hope that, while nouveau hopsters kill each other for the next juice bomb, stuff like this never goes away.
Mar 28, 2017
Photo of TheSixthRing
Reviewed by TheSixthRing from California

3.79/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Canned on date of 01/11/17

Appearance - Pours clear and ruby brown in color with a khaki, one-finger width head. Fair retention, resulting in a thin, broken layer of suds. Not much for lace save one broken line running near the top of the glass.

Smell - Toasty notes with some floral hop qualities. Lesser hints of citrus, toffee and faint chocolate.

Taste - Malts upfront, with toastiness and a fair amount of powdered chocolate. Hops come in mid-taste, bring notes of floral and herbal quality in addition to a bit of citrus. The finish is bittersweet before some waxy bitterness kicks in and lingers in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Medium-bodied with low to moderate carbonation. Slick, slightly creamy texture with an easy drinking finish.

Overall - A solid, quaffable red. Simple, but tasty. For a recipe supposedly drawn up in 1992, I'd venture to guess this as a brew a bit ahead of its time.
Feb 28, 2017
 
Rated: 3.61 by rawfish from California

Feb 06, 2017
 
Rated: 4.18 by snakeayes11 from Missouri

Aug 04, 2016
 
Rated: 3.54 by SDStoutly

May 22, 2016
Photo of StJamesGate
Reviewed by StJamesGate from New York

3.82/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
On tap at Pizza Port, Carlsbad, CA.
Chestnut with tan film. 3.75
Light lemon - not much malt. 3.5
Slight sticky caramel, blood orange, kronik and pine sap, and a speck of cherry. 4
Speck of chocolate and lime rind linger.
Medium, sticky, chew. 4

Big hoppy amber. But not Lucky 13 - no juice, not enough crystal brightness, some pretty scratchy IBUs. Not quite one thing or another. 3.75

*moved from wrong listing.
Feb 25, 2016
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.32/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Red amber with lots of clarity and a full inch of off white head. Substantial hopping and toasted red malt aromas.

Drops waves of c hops, red malt flavors with that peat and wood aftertaste to it. Pretty bitter stuff.
Dec 20, 2015
Shark Bite Red Ale from Port Brewing
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 196 ratings