Loakal Red - The Bruery

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

brown color with a good amount of cloudiness and haze to it. Not much in the way of a head reaching up through it at all, in fact it was rather lifeless on the first pour, though the second got a bit better. Nice side glass lacing towards then end and some moderate carbonation coming up through it.

The aroma was sweet, nice touches of caramel malts and an almost candy like sweetness that was wrapped up nicely in a bit of a grassy, earthy, hop like nose. The flavor was more of the same, but I have to admit I am impressed here with this. Lots of alcohol in the flavor here, a bit of a hotness that I have not seen in the rest of the their beers. Lots of grainy malts, touches of light caramel and a mostly understated hop flavo

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 03:03:01 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Bruery

A: The pour is a lightly clouded dark red/amber color with a finger's worth of off-white head.

S: I must say, a nice nose on this beer. Citrus hops in the form of grapefruit and oranges, and plenty of sweet caramel malt. Some vanilla notes from the oak, as well.

T: A fairly complex flavor, I must say. Sweet caramel and toffee along with a solid citrus hop character and a moderate bitterness. The oak again provides some vanilla character and there's a light spiciness and tannic quality from the wood, too.

M: The body is medium and so is the carbonation.

D: One of the few new beers from the Bruery that I've really been impressed with lately (of course, it's not Do It To Gruit). I'd gladly have another glass of this.

Serving type: on-tap

10-05-2010 17:54:38 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to drabmuh for opening this bottle. Served in a snifter.

Pours a dark amber-red color with a really nice light tan head and quite a bit of lacing as it goes down. The nose brings a fair amount of citrus and pine hops plus a bit of oak and some sweet amber malt. The taste brings more of the same with a fairly-strong oak presence plus some citrus and pine hops. Body is medium with a slight bitterness. Overall, a decent beer but a bit time and the flavors and scents never really seemed to pop or meld. Hopefully The Bruery will stray out toward styles like this more often, as this was a step in a positive direction.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2010 23:45:59 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.15/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Quietly pours out a hazed, amber-tan body with a creamyish, off-white head.

Smell: Oaky, earthy aroma from the American oak barrels rounded by some soft, sweet-scented light caramel, a faint breadiness, and juicy citrus fruit peelings.

Taste: Sweetish flavors of caramel and candy made from orange blossom honey. Touch of apricot. In creaks a spicy, zesty, earthy toasted oak wood character, lightly tannic, and yielding a very small, very distant hint of vanilla. Citrusy, lightly floral hops with a modest amount of bitterness. Preserved oakiness on the drying, fruity finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: It's pretty tasty. The restrained hop bitterness allows the quarter-oak to come forward a bit more, which I like, though hopheads may be left disdainfully shrugging their shoulders at this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2010 20:43:44 | More by ChainGangGuy

UCLABrewN84

California

3.93/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Bruery Provisions in Orange, CA.

Pours a slightly hazy amber with a beige head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is malty and fruity with some herbal hop aromas. Taste is of malt and herbal hops with a subtle caramel flavor on the finish. There is a mild bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

03-18-2012 22:11:39 | More by UCLABrewN84

drabmuh

Maryland

4.15/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Bruery tulip. Beer is red and mostly clear with a nice white head of small white bubbles. Carbonation moderate.

Aroma is a little hoppy with a little bit of fruits in the palate. I was in such a good mood while I was drinking this.

Beer is pretty light in body and pretty fruity (in a good way) in the flavors. Its pretty hoppy and overall good. I like this beer, its not wonderful, its not an IPA but its a solid American red. Yum.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2010 19:46:17 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Really glad I got to try this one. The beer pours an amber color with a huge white head. The aroma is classic red ale with a lot of caramel malt and a little bit of grass, but I also get a lot of oak notes from the barrel aging. While the aroma is good, the flavor is better and more complex. I get a lot of caramel malt notes, as well as some oak, maple and vanilla. I also get a little bit of cherry and other dark fruit in the aroma which is a welcome addition. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A very nice, relatively low alcohol barrel aged beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 01:19:30 | More by Mora2000

MasterSki

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Nate for sharing this one last night. It was a nice change of pace from all the massive stouts. Served in a New Belgium tulip.

A - Pours with a giant billowing lightly tan foam that slowly settles to a solid cap and leaves behind sticky glass-coating lace. The body is a murky reddish brown color.

S - Great hop aroma, with big orange and tangerine citrus notes. There's a good amount of oak, and as it warms a caramel and sugar malt backbone emerges. I actually prefer the initial brash hoppiness over the more-balanced room temperature aroma, but it's quite good no matter how you slice it.

T - The taste is a bit of a step back. The hops don't "pop" quite as much, and instead impart a more herbal, pine, and catty character rather than the juicy citrus nose. There's a good amount of oaky vanilla, and of course the caramel and slight cotton candy malt base. Some bitterness, but not palate wrecking.

M - Medium-light body, zesty carbonation, and perhaps a touch gritty and tannic. Finishes dry, with some oily hop resins lingering.

D - This was very refreshing, and is one of the better Bruery beers I've had. There seemed to be a lot of oak considering only 25% of the beer was aged that way - after a half glass I felt I could do with a touch less. Still, definitely recommended, particularly while it's fresh.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2010 20:21:39 | More by MasterSki

Halcyondays

California

3.78/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at The Bruery itself, on-tap Review No. 500,

A: Pours a dark red with a medium white head, average retention, some good lace.

S: Crystal/red malt heavy, with notes of oak and citrus.

T: To me a bit like a mini Woodcut No. 3, though the residual sugars are lessened in this beer making it much hoppier. Good oak component (mostly a wood flavour, not vanilla); the hops are fairly prominent bringing a lot of white grapefruit and melon.

M: Medium-bodied, soft and spritzy carbonation, fairly smooth, easy on the palate.

D: A solid red from The Bruery. I'm not usually the biggest red fan, but this was nice, I think the oak aging helped to round out the flavours making it almost a light barleywine.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2010 00:19:17 | More by Halcyondays

mdfb79

New York

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From 12/12/10 notes. Had at a local tasting thanks to drabmuh; thanks Matt.

a - Pours a dark red color with two fingers of fluffy white head and moderate carbonation evident

s - Smells of fruity malts, dark fruits, oak, citrus hops, and light pine. Pretty enjoyable.

t - Tastes strongly of oak and fruity malts, also some light pine and citrus.

m - Medium body and low carbonation, nice smooth mouthfeel.

d - A very good red ale. Normally not a favorite style of mine, this is one of the better ones I've had. Lots of nice oak and fruit in the taste. Glad I got to try it and would like to have again.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2010 20:21:23 | More by mdfb79

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.24/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Shared with rudzud as our Hoarders membership dictates.

Big fluffy pillowy almost 2 finger head fades slowly with lots of layered lacing, dark slightly hazy mahogany chestnut deep reddish brown color.

Nose is like an imperial red, big reddish malts, candy malts toasty but not caramel, wait... there is some toffee and caramel and a bit of candy syrup. Then nice toasted oak chips, touch woody, hint of what seems like booze esters and touch fruity, and a really weird spicy very strong clove like and an earthy root thing. Some earthy grassy terrior like hop aroma.

Taste starts with creamy malts, reddish toasty like, little candy malt flavors with faint toffee but again very little caramel like. Then nice oak chips, light vanilla and hint buttery oak chips, light woody flavor. Light grassy earthy like hops, again a light terrior like flavor from the hops, and hint spicy, but light overall. the finish dries a bit, a slight spicy hop character with some bitterness tries to come through before another wave of vanilla toasty oak and reddish malts wash it away again.

Mouth has a nice creamy feel, plenty of nice carb almost fluffy.

Overall quite nice, the oak is really interesting, nice malts too, hops are a little on the lighter side but not too bad. It also seems like it wants to be boozy but doesn't quite get there, tricky. The imperial version should be interesting.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 14:14:41 | More by jlindros

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark golden orange/apricot color with a 1.5 finger white head that settles into a lasting ring.  Streaks of soapy lacing left behind.

Slightly earthy aroma with lots of sweet malt notes, bready yeast and subtle funk.  Hints of toffee, caramel, biscuit and light fruit.  Not as hoppy as expected.

Medium bodied with a dry, resinous hop presence that lingers over sweeter notes into a dry finish.  
More hops than nose suggests. Subtle creamy texture with some faint citrus that gives off some sweetness to balance the  malt presence.  Hints of caramel, toffee and bready yeast but hops are still prominent.  . Decent amount of dry bitterness but still well balanced with above average drinkability.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2012 01:09:29 | More by corby112

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.55/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap right after Black Tuesday, Chocolate Rain and then Cherry Chocolate Rain, and seriously, the taste of this still shined right through. Was so good I bought a bottle afterwards, and that was damn good too.

Obvious red color, good head and retention. Aroma was very complex, like the taste. Vanilla and citrus, more in the orange vein. The mouthfeel, you come across so much in different sips. Hoppy, then woody, then vanilla, then some spice, then more hop crispness.

This is my favorite red ale in the world. So many good red ales simply go for the ipa hopping. Sure, this has tons of centennials in it, and they are very complimentary, but this is no one trick pony. The 25% barrel aging really seems to be the perfect amount.

Serving type: on-tap

11-03-2010 23:41:38 | More by Beerandraiderfan

DoubleJ

California

3.98/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very excited to run into this at the source itself, on to the beer:

Pours dark red in the glass. Spotty head retention on top. The nose is a mixed bag, but does get better. The good is represented by toasted oak, sugary sap, and passionfruit, the bad is a band-aid aroma that is noticable. A relaxed beer to drink, and although I'm tasting that band-aid flavor, I'm still drawn in by the relaxed hoppy profile and tasty oak. More specifically, hints of pine, sweet citrus, passiofruit, and dominant oak aged sugar. It has a medium body, and a little bit of stickiness to it.

Fun to drink despite the band-aid distraction. The best comparison to this beer than I can think of is a neutered Oaked Arrogant Bastard.

(Update 8/11/11: Had again at Stadium Tavern. No band-aid nonsense, so I'm raising the score on smell, taste, and overall 0.5 points.)

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2010 18:01:01 | More by DoubleJ

HopHead84

California

4.15/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

10/29/10

Thanks to Javier for cracking this one. I guzzled quite a bit of this tincture at Black Tuesday and was looking forward to revisiting it on a less obliterated palate.

A: Dark red with good clarity and a big frothy white head with good retention. Great lacing.

S: Big hop aroma, fresh and bright. Vibrant notes of pine, grapefruit, orange pith. Some floral aromatics are at play here, mingling with oak. Malt is caramel in character, adding a light sweetness, though the beer comes across as quite dry overall. The oak is well integrated, and adds an interesting dimension to the hops and caramel malt. I detect a little vanilla and a subtle spiciness.

T: Moderately bitter, with a blend of caramel malt, grapefruit, pine, and oak. Really tasty and much different from anything else The Bruery has offered in the past. Big bitter pine oak finish with some grapefruit rind.

M: Medium bodied. Creamy. Sticky. Upper moderate carbonation.

Overall: A unique hoppy red ale that's quite delicious and very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2010 04:50:45 | More by HopHead84

kojevergas

California

2.25/5  rDev -44%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Served on-draught at the Bruery provisions store in Orange, California as part of a taster. Serving volume was 2 oz. At the time, I thought the serving temperature was entirely too warm, but they're The Bruery, so this can't be attributed to barstaff error. Reviewed from notes.

A: Pours a one finger head of fair cream, good thickness, and decent retention. Clear ruby colour.

Sm: Amber hops, yeast, light cherry esters, and a hint of ammonia. Moderate in strength.

T: Very oak-ridden, with light wine notes. It's got a strange tone to be sure. No yeast comes through. It's built simply, but balanced. Strange in an unwelcome way.

Mf: Smooth and wet, complementing the style and taste fairly.

Dr: Drinkable for the relatively high ABV. Low quality.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2011 23:05:23 | More by kojevergas

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours 1 finger of beige head. Good retention and lace. Color is a caramel copper amber.

Aroma: Floral hops and some malts. Very amber like. Light oak and vanilla with some caramel and bread.

Taste: Very malty. Biscuity. Oak, floral hops, and vanilla show. Very malty, however.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and bitter. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends dry and malty.

Overall, this wasn't really for me. I dig the hops, but too much malt here. Very dry. I won't have too much.

Serving type: on-tap

01-16-2011 22:26:14 | More by mothman

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by drabmuh. Thanks Matt!

A: The beer appears brown / amber in color with a huge head that leaves tons of lace, even after a moderately slow pour. Over-carbonation perhaps?

S: The aroma is of hops, pine, and a slightly sweet malt.

T: A good tasting beer, with a few different interesting flavors taking place. The taste profile consists of hops and pine, with notes of oak and fruits. Overall, a nice, enjoyable red ale.

M: Highly carbonated, with a medium-thin body.

D: Tasty beer. I'd drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2010 18:07:31 | More by Huhzubendah

largadeer

California

4.15/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Bruery Provisions.

Burnished amber, beautifully bright and clear with a frothy white head.

The aroma is intense. Sharp resiny hops, grapefruit, caramelized malt, brash oak and cat piss (in a good way).

The palate is pretty complex, pine and grapefruit hop flavors are supported by a caramelized yet largely dry malt backbone. The use of fresh American oak barrels is evident; the beer has a spicy, tannic kick to it that contributes an interesting layer. The finish is fairly bitter and dry, oaky and spicy.

I had to try this beer a few times before I really got it. Although it's intended to be an easy drinking beer, it's pretty complex and unique. Recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2010 03:27:10 | More by largadeer

jrallen34

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another bottle provided by Mike; I think...I'm really confused here, what is going on. Is the Bruery finally making good beers? Last few, including this have been beyond solid...Medium copper, really clear. Tons of carbonation, good retention and lacing...The aroma is a hoppy rye beer, not complex but very solid...The taste is really good, great combination of so much going on, rye, oak, hops. The finish is oak vanilla that is outstanding, makes me want to keep coming back for more.

A really great rye beer, get this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2011 21:15:51 | More by jrallen34

FosterJM

California

4.05/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

393rd review on BA
Draft to tall pint

App- It's a very red looking beer but can be seen through. Looked very good in the glass with some cling and a nice one finger head.

Smell- This was one of those beers I took a whiff and let warm a little to release some more flavors. I got nothing on the first whiffs. Hops came first and then some nice malt flavors followed. The OAK part of the name was last to arrive and added another level of smells as well.

Taste - This is a good Amber/Red. The idea to have a medium ABV with the Oak flavors has always intriqued me. I had this again on tap and was impressed by the striking balance of hops and malts but also the level of flavors imparted by the oak with vanilla and softness.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied and medium carbonated and leaves a great vanilla malt taste at the end.

Drink- One of those beers again I forgot about how good it was because it has been so long. I will have this again for sure. Good amber with strong flavors and well balanced.

Serving type: on-tap

04-10-2011 04:42:17 | More by FosterJM

dgilks

Australia

4.03/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear red colour with a smooth creamy light tan head. Good head retention.

Really interesting interplay of oak, caramel and toasted malts with citrussy hops. A touch fruity.

Smooth, toasty, nutty malts with a lick of wood and some moderate bitterness. Moderate citrus and piney hops. Good.

Medium body with moderate carbonation. Really nice.

Simply a very good ale with lots of flavour and an interesting interplay of malt, hops and oak.

Serving type: on-tap

08-08-2011 10:33:12 | More by dgilks

AgentZero

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Brown colored beer with some red highlights. Pretty big, tan-colored head with a lot of stick and lace on the side.

S - Nice and unexpected hops presense in this red. Decent oak, nice malt backbone, great smelling beer.

T - Really like this beer. Nice caramel malt presence with a bit of wood and vanilla. Hops are presence, but slightly muted. Great flavors if you like a hoppy take on a red.

M - Medium bodied, good carbonation.

O - Great beer, wish they would throw this into 4 or 6 packs so I could drink it regularly. I guess it's a bit of a process to make it unfortunately, as I'd love to drink a lot of this.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 04:13:16 | More by AgentZero

ngeunit1

California

4.43/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours an almost clear reddish-brown with a finger of frothy tannish head. The head fades down fairly slowly leaving behind some thick lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of sweet lightly toasted caramel malts, toffee, oak, vanilla, and citrus hops.

T - Starts off with a mix of rich caramel malts with some oak and some citrus hops and light bitterness. Through the middle, some strong vanilla notes come through with a bit more citrus hop flavor and some toasted caramel malt. The finish is a mix of oak, vanilla, sweet caramel, and some citrus hops.

M - Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a sweet and vanilla finish.

D - Very drinkable. The barrel aging really adds a great dimension of complexity to the beer that starys very balanced with the rest of the flavors.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 05:17:40 | More by ngeunit1

oline73

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this at a tasting hosted by finewinemike. Poured from a bottle into a Chimay goblet.

Appearance: Pours a dark amber color that is a bit cloudy. There are three fingers of thick off white head and a decent amount of lacing.

Smell: Some malt sweetness, but the start is bitter citrus peel hops. Really nice.

Taste: This one is very hoppy. The citrus peel bitterness hits you right away, but there is a good amount of malt to balance things out well. The finish is bitter and mildly sweet.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with smooth carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: This is a really good hoppy red ale. The hop profile along with the malt backbone worked together well. I would have this one again.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 01:19:27 | More by oline73