Ridgeback Red
Block 15 Restaurant & Brewery

Ridgeback RedRidgeback Red
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From:
Block 15 Restaurant & Brewery
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
Ranked #124
ABV:
6.3%
Score:
86
Ranked #19,684
Avg:
3.77 | pDev: 9.28%
Reviews:
12
Ratings:
22
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 16, 2023
Added:
Jun 12, 2008
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
"Munich and Vienna malts give this ale a hearty malt profile. Noble and high alpha hops balance the palate with an easy finish. Dry hopped for a fresh aroma. 32 IBU's, 6.3% alc/vol"
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by bros:

  None found.

Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Taster at brewery. Dark amber pour, ring of off-white head. Gentle sweet caramel malts in the aroma and taste, toasty, toffee. Lightly dry and bitter.
Nov 16, 2023
More User Ratings:
Photo of jonphisher
Reviewed by jonphisher from New Jersey

4.47/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a beautiful crystal clear burnt red, perfect shade of darker shade of off white head; nice thick film sticks around for the glass, moderate lacing throughout.

Nose is a combination of so many things...caramelized malts, light orange zest, some nuttiness, cedar like spice too it and some really nice pine/sap to it.

The taste shows some of the same but leans very heavily into that caramelized orange rind and some beautiful pine, lingering sap, and a somewhat black pepper like hop bite on the finish; the hops pop over the malt and that flips in the aftertaste.

Body verges close to medium but still light, crisp and clean; this thing goes down incredibly easy; soft and creamy carbonation...on the finish the beer presents a bitterness that combines mostly pine aspects with an ever so slightly toasted bitter character as well.
Jan 08, 2023
Photo of mactrail
Reviewed by mactrail from Washington

4.02/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Handsome red-amber color with plenty of foam in the Orval chalice. Plush mouthfeel with clouds of carbonation and a light body. Interesting musty and roasted malt flavor. Walnut and some nut skins with a flicker of sweetness. Fortunately quite restrained bitterness, a common fault with these things IMO.

A pleasant quaff. Hoping some other breweries will use this nutty and malty kind of base to showcase some very elegant hops. From the 16 oz can dated 01/05/22.
Aug 06, 2022
Photo of kemoarps
Reviewed by kemoarps from New York

3.88/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Pours a dark clean mahogany red. On the darker end of the spectrum, but not like inappropriately so. Good build of off cream head that eventually settles down to wet bubbles and leaves a bunch of sticky lacing down the sides of the glass.

Nose is malty sweet and spicy.

Very hoppy. Earthy piney bitter up front. Some herbacious high green notes to it as well. The malt support dissipates a fair amount, which is a little disappointing. There's a thin ribbon of caramel buried in there, but I was hoping for more of the big supporting, if not leading, malts. Very dry and the bitter finish lingers lingers lingers with elements of pine and pith.

Dry and bitter, and honestly a little thin bodied.
It's an enjoyable drink, and I'd happily drink it again if someone handed it to me, but it's not really what I'm looking for if I'm looking for a red/amber. It honestly reminds me more of an old school midwest-style IPA, with PNW hopping.
Mar 24, 2021
Photo of MaltsOfGlory
Reviewed by MaltsOfGlory from Oregon

4.02/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
16oz can

Pours nearly two fingers of off-white head into my Willi glass. A little pillowy, and a little fizzy. Retention is about average, and the head fades within a few minutes. Initial lacing looks promising. Body is a dark burgundy, clear, with few bubbles coming up. Looks pretty decent so far.

Nose is pretty nutty, which is always welcome; biscuit/toffee as well. Smells very fresh when agitated and some of that toffee flirts with caramel. Definitely malt forward, some sugar to be sure, even rich at times, though it doesn’t smell cloying at all. Some faint pine which comes out more with time. Not super complex since all the malt aromas really hit you at once, but it’s full, hearty, and very nice.

Biscuity malts come through pretty clear from the first sip. A little bit nutty towards the end, but not nearly as much as the nose. A little dryness hits as well at the end and certainly sets a firm tone. Not much caramel or toffee. Pine is joined by a little grapefruit, which hits well at times. Hop flavor doesn’t really compensate for the pretty significant bitterness in the finish though, which may be a little much. A very solid flavor to be sure, but a little rough around the edges.

Carbonation is about medium. Body is on the lighter side. Hardly any sweetness at all, though not extremely dry either. Bitterness is about medium, but gradually increases in the finish. A tiny bit abrasive for my tastes, all the beers flavors can still shine through with a thicker body, a little more sweetness, and reduced dryness/bitterness.

Drinkability is pretty nice for the most part. It’s not extremely harsh by any means, and it’s pretty tasty.

Appearance turned out ok. The lacing took a while to hold onto anything, but it was pretty decent once it did.

The flavor starts to come together a little bit as the beer warms, malts, hops, everything gets a little bit fuller. However, I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it changes the whole narrative of the beer. Solid beer, and imperfect.
Mar 01, 2021
Photo of TheBricenator
Reviewed by TheBricenator from Oregon

4.09/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Look: Dark ruby red with a quick forming off-white head that settles to a nice lid, leaving good lacing
Aroma: Dark malts, toffee, some citrus fruits, pine, warm bread, and earthy hops
Taste: Earthy hops, dark fruits, and toffee come on first, joined by citrus, pine, and more bready notes. Malt sweetness and earthy/citrus hops do battle in the middle and finishes with a decent bite and medium dryness
Mouthfeel: Medium-high carbonation, silky but with some sharpness from the hops cutting through near the finish
Overall: I dig it. A tasty and well-made red ale from one of my favorite breweries. Great balance as this is hard for me to put in either the ‘malt-forward’ or ‘hop-forward’ sub-category of red ales. It reminds me of their now-retired flagship beer Aboriginale. Regardless, it is delicious and I may have to score more of this while it’s around
Aug 28, 2020
 
Rated: 2.89 by jason_nwx from Oregon

Aug 17, 2020
Photo of NickSMpls
Reviewed by NickSMpls from Washington

3.95/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Packaged July 24th; reviewed on Aug 9th.

A beee-a-u-tiful pour...totally clear rich ruby red with a tight head. Heady, malty aroma. Taste is quite dry, light and mildly hops, letting the malt shine through. Very smooth on the palate, light carbonation, maybe needs a bit more zing there, but that's a small quibble. If you like red ales and are not into the sweeter varieties, seek this one out.
Aug 10, 2020
Photo of Reidrover
Reviewed by Reidrover from Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pint from Tsunami Taproom.
$4.50 (special).
Old time Block 15 brew!!!!
Pours a deep garnet/amber..small light tan head.
Fine malty, fruity aromas. Old style.
Taste similar..but more brown bread..floral hops..acceptable.
Nice softly carbonated mouth feel.
Good old style Amber..like it was 15 years ago.
Aroma
Jan 02, 2019
 
Rated: 3.79 by BirdsandHops from Oregon

Jun 25, 2018
 
Rated: 3.42 by kkenagy from Oregon

Aug 09, 2017
 
Rated: 4.17 by CMC73 from Oregon

Jul 17, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by SeaAle from Oregon

Nov 14, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by Anonymous1 from Illinois

Nov 09, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by shelby415 from Oregon

Sep 22, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by xnicknj from Pennsylvania

May 02, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by JD4003

Nov 11, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by juliusseizure from New York

Oct 18, 2012
Photo of Billcr222
Reviewed by Billcr222 from Missouri

3.66/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
I had this on tap at Brick 15 in Corvallis on tap in a pint. Reds are my favorite beers so I had high hopes from this one as everyone in town swears by this brewery. It held up pretty well. It had an average look not much lace and what was there disappeared quickly. The smell was average in that there was not much of an aroma at all, at least not one that enhanced the brew. The mouthfeel was good creamy and thicker like how a red should be in my opinion, and the taste was above average flavorful but not overpowering. Overall an average red but I'd drink it again.
Aug 11, 2011
Photo of PapaJ
Reviewed by PapaJ from Oregon

3.76/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap into an 8 oz. glass; while awaiting my 'take away order' at Venti's Cafe, Salem, OR, 27 June 2009.

a: cloudy red / little head
s: mild - slight hops aroma
t: sweet / flavorful / bitter finish
m: pleasant / semi-dry
d: very drinkable; I look forward to a pint before it rotates out.
Jun 28, 2009
Ridgeback Red from Block 15 Restaurant & Brewery
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 22 ratings