American Red Ale - Rock Art Brewery

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

orange tinted amber color being presented before me. Little in the way of head, maybe an inch at the top at first, but settling down quickly thereafter. No noticeable side glass presentation, and only marginal carbonation visible.

The aroma was rather weak to be honest, no where near the robust smell I was looking for. Light malt notes, somewhat bready with a healthy dose of grain thrown in. The flavor was more of the same, just too light to really make an impression on me either way. Some light off fruit notes were notices, but again unremarkable. Decent carbonation kept it feeling lively, but to be honest it was just too thin to really pull it all together for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2011 20:23:22 | More by mikesgroove

WesWes

New York

3.18/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The beer pours a dark amber/brown color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a nice pale and crystal malt scent along with a slightly aggressive hop aroma. The taste is average. It has a thin malty flavor that boasts of roasted and crystal malts. It's quite hoppy with little balance. The mouthfeel is decent. It is a low/medium bodied beer with good carbonation. This is an average red ale. It's a little one sided with more hops than malt.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2008 15:37:29 | More by WesWes

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.85/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap 6/17/2011 at Yard House in Dedham, MA, served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep coppery brown color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is faint but contains caramelized malts, a good amount of hops some fruit.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of caramel and fruit. Then a decent hops presence comes in. The malt character is heart but not too heavy and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, this is a decent beer to drink for a while.

Serving type: on-tap

06-18-2011 16:39:41 | More by TheManiacalOne

Gavage

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: pours a clear burgandy color with a healthy 2" head. Nice lacing developed through the drink.

Smell: the aroma was weak, as only a hint of caramel was detectable.

Taste: this brew had a decent malt backbone, featuring bread and caramel. Bitterness was very light, and there was a hint of a peppercorn or two lingering around.

Mouthfeel: smooth at the start and finish. Caramel lingers on the tongue after swallowing. Medium bodied beer.

Drinkability: A very drinkable red ale due to the nice maltiness.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2005 12:53:59 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

2.9/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours deep crimson/mahogony with a one-finger head that descends to a thin creamy heat. Some lacing sticks to the glass.

The smell is of toffee with a citric hop background. Would be decent, but for a doughy yeast aroma mixed in that throws it off.

Sour upfront. Toffeeish. Malty with little of the hop presence that was in the aroma, except that something is balancing it out. Toasty notes. The yeast strain, which doesn't seem to go so well here, tends to peek through a bit too much.

It falls apart too much in the feel, which is overly watery and thin. Flavor vanishes money in my pocket in a beer store. Decent carbonation and even texture, but nothing is left after swallowing.

Overall, it was easy enough to finish the one, but nothing would make me want more of it. Thin with just a bit too much yeast coming through. A fleeting memory of a brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2007 03:26:37 | More by jwc215

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The best red I've had so far. Pours a nice amber-red with a 1" head and leaves nice lacing. Smells of tasted and caramel malts. Taste is well-rounded and nicely balanced. Slight bitterness to it, but not hops flavor or aroma. A simple beer, but satisfying and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2006 03:42:11 | More by tempest

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clear but dark brown. No head really. Strong caramel and malt on the nose with a minor leaf tone barely hitting you.. Flavor is unbalanced. Way too much of a tang to it. Almost like some kind of citrus juice mixed in there. A bit of an odd liquid feel. Low carbonation. This is one to pass on. Lacks balance. Too tangy. Not really worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2008 06:58:23 | More by RblWthACoz

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.23/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Decent start to the head but it settles to a single layer of bubbles. Leaves good, spotty lace. Brown color; quite dark for an amber. Clear.

Malty aroma. Low level hop smell. Interestingly, there is whiff of alcohol. I've never experienced this in a beer with this level of ABV.

Very astringent--dry and bitter. The swallow is quite harsh and the aftertaste dies quickly. No notable hop. Thin bodied with a high level of carbonation.

Overall, it has the wrong combination to win me over.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 17:42:18 | More by smcolw

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.4/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours with a light tan, one-finger head that goes quickly to a ring and leaves a little lace. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied. Deep mahogany color. Nose is almost roasted malts. Flavor is hoppy/roasted coffee with hints of caramel. $1.75 for a 12oz bottle from Colonial Spirits, Acton, MA.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2007 23:49:02 | More by jdhilt

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap at tavelino in westborough, MA.

A: Fluffy 1/2 finger head fades at a medium pace with semi hazy dark molasses brown color.

N: Nice malts, toasty, a little roast, touch of caramel too. Some might earthy bitter hops as well. Also a slight creamy aroma. Nice toast and malt, but lackin more hops and too creamy, but some hints of smoked malt add to it.

T: Starts with more malts, some toasty malts, creamy with more roast, smoked malts, little chocolate too. Slight buttery with more light earthy bitter hops. A little fruit with touch of tangy that probably shouldn't be there.

M: Mouth is semi creamy medium body with decent carbonation.

F: Finishes with some grassy and earthy mild bitterness. Some lingering smoke and toasty malts, as well as some of the slightly tangy fruit. A little sticky sweetness and medium dry.

Serving type: on-tap

07-28-2010 22:26:52 | More by jlindros

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Newer review:
12ozer bought as a single from Winooski Beverage, Winooski, VT. Bottled 4/04.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1" light tan head, which lasts well. Laces excellently, over this deeply reddish amber brew. Aroma is of husky caramel malts, with what seems to be a tad of slight fruitiness lurking beneath. Taste is dominated by the malts husks, as the nose portended, and ends with a little hoppy bite. Mouthfeel is smooth and drinkability is superb as well. Check this one, seemingly fresher is much better.

Original Review, 3.2, 5/25/04:
12ozer from a mixed 6-pack from Waterbury Beverage, Waterbury, VT.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/2" light tan head, which hung around for a bit. Laces well, over this deeply reddish amber brew. Aroma is slightly of caramel malt and a bit of hops. Taste is of malts and some sour/bitterness, which seems to not be hop-sourced. Don't know what's particularly going on there, but it's not the most pleasant mouthfeel, which kind of puts the kibosh on the drinkability as well. Does seem to improve as it warms, which is why it got the 3s even though I didn't sound very impressed. Have to give this another chance sometime, just in case.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2005 22:12:46 | More by ppoitras

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appears a dark red amber with a creamy 1 finger ivory head that lasts. Heavy streaks of lace are painted on the inside of the glass.
Smell is grainy malts with caramel and crystal malt, along with a light amount of hops.
Taste about the same as the aroma descriptions with a mildly sweet taste.
Mouthfeel is gritty and full bodied with a semi sweetness balancing out a mild bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2005 16:07:53 | More by weeare138

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.25/5  rDev -34.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Pours a clear amber color with a very thin white head that quickly dissapears. Weak aroma with faint hints of malt and hops and not much character. Very watered down with subtle maltiness and a slight dry hoppy finish. Weak interpretation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2008 17:39:48 | More by corby112

beerthulhu

New Jersey

2.73/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Had high hopes for this bottle. Heard a lot about them and label artwork was pretty cool. Huge great citrus aroma hits the nose, wow, only problem is it had no taste or flavor. Very thin with some floral bitterness in the end but overall was just average and boring. Was like French fries without the salt, good aroma but it ends there.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2008 23:49:41 | More by beerthulhu

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This poured with a thick, light-tan head with decent retention. Nose was really malty and sweet and the color was a deep red with very good clarity. Mouthfeel was full, approaching thick and there was a heavy malt presence on the tongue. Finish was likewise sweet and malty. I am not a huge fan of sweet beers, but this was pretty good and not something that I would turn down, given an opportunity to drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2006 00:18:51 | More by woodychandler

Brad007

Vermont

4/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very nice dark red color with a thin head and a little lacing. Aroma is smooth and malty, chewy and even a tad bit smoky. Somewhat sweet as well. Taste is nice and smooth upfront with that chewiness and nice malty aftertaste. Mmm, mmm,mmm. A second sip confirms more of the smokiness that I detected that adds more of a dimension to this beer. There's some bitterness in the aftertaste as well that's just perfect.

And at 4.8%, you can't possibly go wrong with this beer. I could drink a few of these. It's definitely a great beer, especially if the only Rock Art beers you've tried are the ones in their Extreme series. This one is a surprise.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2007 01:08:36 | More by Brad007

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12oz. bottle into goblet on 2/21/08.

A - Deep garnet or burgundy-colored body with 1/2-finger beige head that quickly gave way to a very thin, whispy veil and sparse lacing. Fair amount of carbonation present.

S - Sweet milk chocolate mixed with an odd herbal or medicinal hop aroma and some coffee bean notes. Some hay and barnyard funk way in the back. Just a touch of alcohol as the liquid warmed up.

T - Has some sweet caramel malt up front, but finishes with an odd medicinal bitterness that tastes dirty, for lack of a better term. I don't particularly care for the hops in this brew.

M - Very thin, watery texture with a moderately prickly mouthfeel coupled with a distinct grittiness on the palate. Finishes with a bland, dry hop bitterness on the back of the tongue.

D - I find this only slightly better than their barleywine, which was not very good, in my opinion. Overall, not too impressed with this offering either.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2008 23:37:42 | More by ffejherb

tgbljb

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a deep copper color with sparse off-white head.
Smell is a bit malty with some nice hop textures also present.
Taste present switha a nice firm maltiness combined with the perfect balance of hops.
Finishes with a nice taste rentention.
Truly an enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2007 02:02:33 | More by tgbljb

Durge

Connecticut

3.83/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Not all that red in color, more like Coca Cola. Thin head that drops off quickly. The aroma is a definitively sweet malt with a touch of orange citrus, maybe a little chocolate. The flavor is tangy, a bit watery with a fine carbonation. This flattens out before too long and grows more bitter.Remains quite drinkable though. Not the flavor you would expect with a Red Ale. This is a little smokey. Carbonation could be improved a bit. Interesting.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2007 04:40:42 | More by Durge

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I had this brew at a friend's house, just before relocating to Europe. It's a deep, reddish-amber color with a nice white head. The lace is respectable, and the aroma is more malty than expected. Hop aroma is restrained, while a little roasted and toasted malts shine through. The intensity of the aroma, however, is a bit light. The flavor is similar. Mildly sweet and drinkable. The carbonation is relatively low, and the beer is nicely balanced between sweet and dry. It's a good, but somewhat unremarkable beer. I'd have it again, but wouldn't seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2007 21:15:00 | More by Suds

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Rock Art- American Red Ale

This is the 2nd of the 3 beers I bought from Rock Art.

Appearance- Dark ruby red with a decent foamy head. Heavy lacing on the inside of my glass.
Smell- Strong smokey malt with hints of caramel.
Taste- Smokey caramel malt with a hint of earthy hops.
Mouthfeel- Very smooth and dry up front with a big caramel finish.

Overall- I wasn't expecting much but this beer really grew on me as I downed my pint. The flavor started to come out after the 3rd to 4th sip. The beer finished strong. This can be drunnk quickly though. I'm gonna bring a 6er of this in my pack on my up coming hike in Northern PA.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2006 21:52:33 | More by NJpadreFan

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.55/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly hazy dark copper color with a smallish off white head that doesn't stick around very long. The aroma is quite malty with lots of caramel and toffee with hints of chocolate and a faint earthy hop deep underneath. The flavor follows the aroma quite well with toffee and caramel in the foreground and hints of chocolate and earthy hop bringing up the rear. Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation and a sweet light syrupy mouthfeel. Decent beer, feels like a brown ale at times, but it's a nice gateway style beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 01:46:37 | More by johnnnniee

tigg924

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: 1/4 inch head, clear, amber in color, small carbonation

Smell: toasted malt and a hint of coffee

Taste: toasted malt, toffee, and a touch of coffee

Mouthfeel: semi-sweet, medium bodied, morderate carbonation

Drinkability: I was pleasantly surprised with this very good brew. I like the strong malt presence in the body. With the low abv, I could have a six.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2009 14:59:36 | More by tigg924

flexabull

California

3.48/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a really dark amber color, almost brown, and with a nice big white head.

Aromas are of roasted malts, cereal grains, and a little bit tea like.

Flavor is similar to iced tea, a bit sweet, tart, and slightly hoppy and crisp on the finish.

Mouthfeel seems ok, nothing special though. Kind of lean.

Drinkability is pretty good. This is a very average beer, nothing special, but it's decent, and certainly non offensive in any way. Just not something I would seek out.

Thanks for the bottle jpagewatts. (B'day 07)

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2007 00:15:13 | More by flexabull

ClockworkOrange

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A 12 ounce bottle poured into my standard shaker glass. Thanks Tim! The ale appears a clear amber color with about an inch of lingering off white foam. Notes of sweet caramel malts, lightly toasted grain, cereal, slightly spicy, grassy hops. About medium bodied and amply carbonated. Decent balance though and worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2009 03:53:02 | More by ClockworkOrange