Tule Duck Red Ale - Buckbean Brewing Company

jrallen34

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev +21.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A pint in a can, how nice. Poured into a tulip...Pours a dark copper/amber, not to attractive. A huge creamy dark tope head, good retention and lacing, 50% good, 50% could be better...Aroma is super sweet caramel, bread, and sugared orange fruits, never had so much of a fruit character on a red. Seems off but makes it more appealing to me, I want to try it...The taste isn't as successful, reminds me a macro in feel and slight skunk finish. Lots of rye and toffee, fruit is gone. Not bad and totally crushable.

After the reviews I was expecting a terrible brew. This beat my expectations. I can't recommend this outright, but for a Nevada tick, sure. Thanks Destral!

Get's a little tough to drink after a while.

Serving type: can

01-14-2011 22:53:06 | More by jrallen34

sendbeer

Georgia

1.5/5  rDev -51%

10-23-2012 21:21:02 | More by sendbeer

mmilyko

Nevada

3/5  rDev -2%

09-14-2012 02:27:56 | More by mmilyko

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev +22.5%

09-09-2012 02:31:15 | More by t0rin0

PavementBlues

3.75/5  rDev +22.5%

03-26-2012 20:49:16 | More by PavementBlues

Cinderbike

Nevada

2.5/5  rDev -18.3%

02-01-2012 21:20:39 | More by Cinderbike

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.45/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Received in trade from mdaschaf, thanks for the opportunity!
Pours a slightly hazy reddish brown color with a smallish beige head with minimal retention and lace. Smell is sweet and malty with toffee and caramel being dominant in the nose. Hints of citrus, earth, and orange zest cut through the sweetness but this one leans heavy to the malt world. Taste is sweet and malty with caramel and toffee as advertised. A bit more earth and zest than citrus come through in the flavor. Medium to thin body with a high level of carbonation and a sweet almost sticky mouthfeel. Decent enough beer, but really nothing spectacular. Reminds me a lot of an English dark mild or a brown.

Serving type: can

01-12-2012 00:16:00 | More by johnnnniee

godmare

Florida

4/5  rDev +30.7%

12-27-2011 21:40:30 | More by godmare

jbweld

Nevada

3.5/5  rDev +14.4%

12-19-2011 02:09:53 | More by jbweld

jenray

Texas

3/5  rDev -2%

11-20-2011 15:49:53 | More by jenray

jh1982

Nevada

3/5  rDev -2%

11-14-2011 17:27:51 | More by jh1982

ktrillionaire

Florida

3.05/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The brew looks pretty good; it sports a rich amber body and is topped with persistent khaki cap of froth. The brew is mildly sweet, and shows notes of citrus zest, towards lemon, to balance it out; the aroma and flavor are largely the same experience. The feel is medium-bodied and softly carbonated. Overall, not stunning, not bad, I'd probably drink another.

Serving type: can

08-11-2011 22:04:22 | More by ktrillionaire

mdaschaf

Washington

2.6/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Review from notes.

A: Pours a clear amber color with a large, foamy, white head. Good retention with little bits of sticky lacing.

S: Some spicy caramel malt and ripened strawberries. Extremely sweet tasting.

T: Extremely sweet like sugared candy, too much for me, and a bit off-putting. There is some strawberry, toffee, and a a nutty flavor.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

O: Not great in my book. I have no problem with malt amber/red ales, but this one went strayed a bit too far for my liking.

Serving type: can

07-13-2011 20:26:24 | More by mdaschaf

StLThrash

Missouri

1.73/5  rDev -43.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Received in trade with Rizalini as an extra.

Can poured into pint glass.

A - A murky blood red / amber with a one finger head. Didn't drink enough of it to see about lacing.

S - Earthy, wood, sweetness.

T & M - Not good at all. Very thin bodied, tasted a bit like I was chewing on a piece of cedar. May have been a bad can. Skunky a bit and left an awful aftertaste. Others with me who drank it felt the same way. One of the worst beers I've tasted.

O - Avoid. Unless I got a really, really bad can and it's completely different from the one I've had - I would never have this again. I poured it down the drain.

Serving type: can

06-18-2011 11:49:31 | More by StLThrash

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.7/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A plethora of jumbled color, amber, ruby red, light brown to create this, good off white eggshell head to it, nice retention. Grassy, mildly hoppy and sweet malt aroma out of this one, unique and somewhat complex.

A silky texture to this, different than many standard red ales that aren't all that hoppy, this one really lets the slick, oily and grassy malt bill do its thing. Caramel and vanilla aspects. Some orange peel feel to it.

Definitely not for everyone, but gets some unique points, they always have such weird hop bills for their stuff w/ buckbean.

Serving type: can

06-03-2011 22:04:40 | More by Beerandraiderfan

oberon

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

I believe this is my first beer from Nevada.Poured from the can into a stadard pint glass a hazed maber with a frothy off white crown,almost like a nitro can except for no cascading.No aromas to speak of,after a few rigorous swirls only an off tin aroma came into play.Flavors are alot better with caramel and brown sugar notes upfront and a nice earthy finish.Its not a bad amber ale in my mind,its not anything earth shattering but its got a nice mouthfeel and decent flavor profile going on.By the way what's a tule duck?

Serving type: can

06-03-2011 21:50:07 | More by oberon

RoyalT

Ohio

2.88/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance - This is a beautiful, reddish-brown in color with a huge tanned head that showed great retention.

Smell - The hops are big if a little stale and all citrusy herbal like Amarillo. The three Cs are absent here. The malt is very light as well, mostly caramel but definitely too small for this hop profile.

Taste - Well the concept of using cans to keep out the skunk seems to have flopped. There's an off taste here, a tangy kind of funk, that ruins it. Absent that, the malt structure that you'd expect in the style is absent and the big hop nose, must have been dry-hopped, wimped out at the taste.

Mouthfeel - This is bigger than medium-bodied but not full. The carbs are mild in accordance with the style.

Sinkability - There were a few decent components to this beer but it just didn't come together and the skunky funky thingy was too much.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2011 01:11:16 | More by RoyalT

PintOHops

California

3.7/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Glass - Nonic

A - When I opened the can it spewed over causing me to pour it quickly, so watch out it may happen to you! It produced a 3-finger head that held nicely, it's a bit tan and creamy looking. The color of the beer is a somewhat dark brown/orange color that' kinda hard to describe, it's also quite cloudy. It left some nice splotching on my glass and a thin tan and creamy ring held atop my beer throughout consumption.

S - It smells sweet with lots of toasted sugary malt notes. I can pick up caramel, brown sugar, toffee, nuts and cherry's. I get a bit of underlying hop character, a bit leafy with hints grapefruit rind. The aroma is pretty inviting to me.

T - The flavor is actually very different than the smell led me to believe. Upfront I get this bright pop of hop character, it's lemony with lots of grapefruit rind, flowers and herbal flavors, but it's a different mix of flavors that I don't think Ive ever tasted before. Underneath the dominate hop flavors are some nutty and bready malts, as well as notes of biscuit and brown sugar. It finishes with a soft but noticeable bitterness that lingers just a bit.

M - Oily feel with soft-moderate crispness and a lite-medium body.

O - Overall I think this beer is very fruit juice forward, and it's kinda strange because it doesn't quite remind me of fruit flavors in Pale Ales or IPA's which makes it strange to me. Anyway I think It's good and moderately drinkable but different from the style. The appearance and aroma are very inviting to me, and I'd definitely have this one again but probably wont buy anytime soon. Worth a try for sure though. Cheers!

Serving type: can

03-18-2011 23:41:24 | More by PintOHops

JosiahS

California

2.88/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2.5

glass: nonic

Produced a massive 5-finger head, mostly in-part because the beer erupted as i opened it, forcing me to jug the beer into the glass. The head is tan and a bit creamy, lacing already looks great. Body is a hazy and deep mango mixed with pomegranate.

The smell is very fruity with a sort of dark yet tropic fruit with a zesty and peppery overtone. I'm not picking up anything more subtle, the initial fruitiness is very overpowering.

Taste is quite similar to the aroma, an odd bright sweetness that doesn't initially come off as a hop or malt sweetness. If you haven't already noticed, i think this beer is sweet and even slightly sour towards the end. Bitterness tones things down a bit and the finishing bitterness is nice. There's a mineral-like quality that I'm not too fond of either.

mouthfeel is on the high-end of light and carbonation is relatively low but this may be due to the very aggressive (forced) poor. Lightly oily.

Body reminds me of Killian's but the intense fruitiness is something i cant put my finger on. There's much better stuff out there. I guess i was suckered into getting a no-name beer by the cool new hipster cans.

Serving type: can

03-18-2011 23:34:08 | More by JosiahS

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

My 1,500th beer review and I decided to make it an homage to both The CANQuest (TM) and my regular local trader, tone77, who recently provided me with this beer. I CAN't wait!

From the CAN: "Native Nevadan"; "Made In Nevada"; and "This rich, robust American Red Ale has a seductively smooth, full body, deep red color and a sweet, nutty malt flavor. A blend of finest hops yields a subtle, but satisfying, hoppy aroma and finish."

My, what big, dense frothy head you have there, duckie! It was an unusual shade of light tan and evinced very good retention. The beer's color was a slightly hazy deep-coppery red. Nose had a sweetish nutty biscuity scent, kind of reminiscent of nut bread. Mouthfeel was medium with a pleasant malty sweetness on the tongue. As a self-avowed hophead, this was not going to be a regular thing for me, but it beat yet one more AAL six ways to Sunday. Finish had an initial burst of light hoppy bitterness, but the lingering flavor was that of the nutty biscuity combination that I noted on the nose. Not bad, but not really cooler worthy, IMHO.

Serving type: can

03-08-2011 00:14:24 | More by woodychandler

tone77

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +31.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 16 oz. can. Has a beautiful amber color with a 1 inch head. Smell is of malts and hops. Taste is good, malts, caramel, a bit of hops, just a touch of sweetness. Feels creamy in the mouth and is very drinkable. Overall this is a very good beer.

Serving type: can

02-12-2011 15:16:19 | More by tone77

indiapaleale

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev +16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pour - dark auburn in color, looking very rich and almost as if its unfiltered due to the scarcity of light coming through. When held to the light things look nice and clear however. Nice fluffy head on top of all 16 oz. in this glass.

Aroma - toffee, butter rum ice cream, oranges, cream and iced tea.

Taste - caramel, sweet malt along with hints of vanilla and toffee. Very soft and almost creamy on the tongue. Some nice citrusy, orange and lemon flavors towards the end with a nice crisp finish. If someone gave me this and told me it was poured from a nitro tap I would probably believe them. Its that rich and creamy.

Overall - Solid brew with plenty of malt flavor and quite tasty to boot. I really enjoyed just how smooth this beer was and how amazingly quick it disappeared from my glass. That's always a good sign.

Serving type: can

08-28-2010 02:17:14 | More by indiapaleale

HalfFull

California

2.55/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass from a 16 oz. can, the Tule Duck pours a light amber with orange and mahogany notes. Sporting a full inch of foam on a cautious pour, the beer offers strong retention and maintains a fine effervescence from the bottom of the glass.

Hop notes are evident on the pour but settle out and mix with some malt notes to offer a short caramel nose with rather limited depth.

Flavor follows the nose with a rather dubious structure. Somewhat sweet and fruity in nature with a berry flavor that overwhelms the caramel notes expected and leads to a short finish. The firm carbonation up front doesn't offer even a tingle on the finish and there seems to be some stuck yeast notes throughout. Does offer a bit of pleasant spice when drawn through the foam however.

Overall rather full bodied and frothy in feel yet subtle in body and lackluster for the style in character, yet fairly enjoyable though aside of the style per se.

Serving type: can

07-13-2010 05:44:10 | More by HalfFull

scottfrie

California

1.8/5  rDev -41.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

16oz can into SA perfect pint.

A: Pours a blood red-grapefruit color with a large tan head that slowly reduced to a thin film leaving some streaks of soapy lace.
S: Smells fruity and a bit like bread. I get notes of blueberries and blackberries for some reason.
T: Oh wow. No. Not for me. This tastes like thin blueberry juice with a weird bitter graininess to it. The aftertaste has a foul flavor and is slightly metallic (not from the can I believe, I love cans). Slight malt and nut notes as well.
M: Medium-thin body with good amount of carbonation. Aftertaste coats the mouth with something awful and doesn't agree with me at all.
D: What a letdown. I wasn't expecting world class, but this isn't even average. Not worthy.

Serving type: can

07-04-2010 04:28:41 | More by scottfrie

Halcyondays

California

2.13/5  rDev -30.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Pint can,

A: Pours red with a creamy off-white head, good retention.

S: Extremely sweet crystal malt to the point of being off-putting.

T: Super sweet red ale malt with some astringent malt bitterness. Not balanced, way too sweet. Some odd medicinal notes.

M: Medium-bodied, but slick and cloying on the palate, needs more attenuation for sure.

D: I've liked the other 2 Buckbean beers I've had, but this one isn't very good, tastes a lot like some below average brewpub reds I've had. Some food tempered the sweetness, eat this with food if you want to finish the can.

Serving type: can

07-03-2010 01:26:15 | More by Halcyondays