Rutting Elk Red - The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company

zachloveshisbeer

3.91/5  rDev +16%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Let me start off by saying, this is one of those beers you let someone try who is just getting into craft beers and who likes something a little sweeter. In fact, I believe it was this beer that turned me onto craft beer and had me wanting to explore the wide world of craft beer. It pours a lovely reddish pale brown with a nice amount of head. It smells really nice with a caramelly pleasant aroma. It's nice and tasty and definitely something to consume apre-ski or even avant-ski, as it is an easy drinker. Give this one to your buddies who talk smack about "craft beer being too expensive", as you can get a 6 pack for about the same price as crap Molson products.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 21:52:28 | More by zachloveshisbeer

Tolosa

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%

02-19-2013 04:40:22 | More by Tolosa

LagerHOGGER

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev +18.7%

12-17-2012 23:00:04 | More by LagerHOGGER

schnarr84

Alberta (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%

12-16-2012 18:57:30 | More by schnarr84

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a dark mahogany colour with a finger width of creamy frothy head.

Smell - Roasted nuts and malts, hint of plum, slight floral hops.

Taste - Roasted nuts and malts (as picked up in the aroma) with a sweet finish. Little bit of floral hops.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth finish.

Overall - An enjoyable Scottish Ale by Grizzly Paw. Excellent roasted malt notes come through in the smell and taste, definitely the star of the show.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 02:18:40 | More by leaddog

bumchilly25

British Columbia (Canada)

3/5  rDev -11%

07-03-2012 21:38:40 | More by bumchilly25

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

341ml bottle poured into tulip 24/5/12

A clear reddish amber with a few bubbles but not much for head or lace

S a little nutty chocolate, tea bag and leafy herbal hops

T mimics the smell quite well, decent stuff but far from mind blowing

M medium bodied, mild carbonation and quite slick

O reminds me more of a nut brown then a red but decent nonetheless

OK beer but I'm hoping its not the best offering at the brewpub, I'd get board before finishing a 6er

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 07:16:31 | More by wordemupg

EskimoDave

British Columbia (Canada)

3/5  rDev -11%

11-28-2011 06:50:05 | More by EskimoDave

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours a darker amber color with a nice size head. The smell is a bit earthy and sweet. The taste is rather malty, and thereofore a bit sweet, but not overpowering. An about average strength in the overall flavor as well. Overall a good beer, easy to drink, and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2011 03:03:56 | More by vette2006c5r

spree92

New Brunswick (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a heavy amber/red that lightens at the edge. Zero head and zero lacing. Has a dirty malt aroma to it. The taste is malt, a weak caramel and a sweet hop. A touch heavy on the carbonation. This would make a decent, cheap daily red drinker. Right in the middle for ok beers.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2011 00:57:03 | More by spree92

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.03/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Single bottle - it's been a number of years since my last late evening jaunt through downtown Canmore, inevitably ending up at the brewpub...

This beer pours a medium golden amber colour, with one finger of soapy white head, which leaves nothing in the way of lace. It smells of toasted biscuit/bready malt, and soft floral, earthy hops. The taste is bready malt, kind of sour and astringent, with a bit of lemon, and earthy, leafy hops. The carbonation is moderate, the body on the lighter side of things, with some fruit pithiness. It finishes off-dry, with a muddled non-descript malt and dry earthy hoppiness.

A pretty standard, underwhelming Canadian amber ale. Probably still good for the end of the night, "just one more pitcher, guys!" kind of situations...

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2010 05:36:30 | More by biboergosum

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Grizzly Paw Brewpub, in Canmore.

The beer has a rich, mahogany tinted red tone that, ironically enough, would look quite befitting in an elk lodge motif. If I knew of any stronger word than 'perfect' I'd use it to describe this clarity. Despite a prominent white outline the beer has not a shred of head, it's as if the surface intentionally segregates the two colours.

I never get too carried away with the aroma but I do like it. It has a fair dose of both bitter and sweet smells that springs thoughts of melted toffee and biscuity, lightly roasted malts. It throws a bit of a wrench in the works, however, with a faint corny smell if left to sit too long without being swirled. My sense of smell is telling me this should be just OK.

There's a certain proportion of hops to malt for amber ales that many Americans breweries have perfected to a tee. I'm not exactly sure if it's an exact number like Pie or what, but I know it when I taste it and this ratio is pretty far off. I like the sweeter, caramelly amber malts but they'd be better off with a little more of that tropical hoppiness.

And that's as true for flavour as it is for mouthfeel; a little more bitterness never hurt anybody. Don't get me wrong: I'm all for malty red ales and love the toffee-like sweetness - this one has a flattering smidgen of roast too - but in this particular case I think a few more IBUs would add a welcome few extra pounds to an otherwise underweight beer.

You'd probably never want to run into a rutting elk - the horny animal I mean, not the beer. I was actually very happy to have encountered this Grizzly Paw offering, it was one of my favourites of the ten or so of their beers I was able to try during my stay in Canmore. While it's bound to appeal more to the masses I'm sure it's something no one could dislike.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2010 20:57:55 | More by biegaman

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Cheers to my fellow BA for the bottle swap!

A - Pours a bark brown with a red tint, thin layer of head with little retention, leaving no lacing.

S - This one is quite bready with sweet caramel and toffee. Some mild roasted coffee on the finish.

T - This one is very tangy and bitter, with rather complex flavours. I'd almost go as far to say as this one has a caramel apple flavour which lingers. The bready malts tend to dominate, but there is some mildly noticeable roasted coffee as well.

M - This one has bite. It bubbles up sharply, and when combined with the bitter tangy flavours, it finishes with bite. I found it a little strong for my liking, but some may enjoy such a feel.

D - This beer is quite unique. Flavours are strong, yet mild enough not to offend anyone. The mouthfeel was a little much for my liking, however, I wouldn't go as far as to say it completely detracts from the beer. I would definitely recommend this one to any red ale fan. Tasty offering from a great brewpub!

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2010 23:21:42 | More by andrenaline

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - poured a deep amber, clear, with very little head that retained okay for what was there
S - a mix of nutty and bready malts, nice citrus hops, and hints of apple and smoke
T - sweet and nutty malts up front, the citrus hop taste is very subtle but there, a combination slightly bitter a smoky finish that is very pleasing
M - well carbonated, a little heavy and tart at first, but finishing with a slightly dry feel
D - a solid red ale, decent mix of flavours, not sure if I'd want to have more than a couple in a sitting given it's a little heavy

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2010 01:58:49 | More by joemcgrath27

ChrisCage

Alberta (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A- A nice rich clear deep red color....almost leaning towards a chestnut tone. Didn't provide much of a head with a fairly hard pour but was does remain is a frothy, fine bubbled layer of foam over top the liquid. Much like their other brews, this one doesn't leave much lacing....very fine and thin. I also appears to have a creamy quality to it....doesn't seem to be overly carbonated.

S- I really notice a good hopped bitterness in the aroma. There's also some typical roasted malt qualities as well as some mild fruity and yeasty notes....like a light Christmas fruitcake!

T- This is a really nice tasting red! Good hop bitterness, and the roasted malts provide some dark chocolate notes, along with a molasses taste. Sweet but with a really good balance to finish off. The only thing I might notice that other reviewers have noted is a bit of a metallic flavor but it's not enough for me to think this is bad.

M- This is average for a red, which is good. Medium body and the carbonation is fine and I don't feel overdone. The bubbles are also fine which helps to break up the very forward flavors of this beer. This reminds me very much of what molasses is like...of course without the bubbles and not nearly as thick, but you get the idea.

D- While I really like this beer, it's not one that I'd have a bunch of in a row, but rather 1-2 then move on. I feel that this is a decent beer and is very enjoyable....would go well with a meal I think! Good job!

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2009 23:11:21 | More by ChrisCage

Voonder

Alberta (Canada)

2.83/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours very deep dark red almoust brown with very thin white head. Head dissapeared almoust immediately.
Very nice bitter smell with a touch of hops and dark chocolate.
A bit watery taste, roasted malt, hops. Not the best of this kind. Feels too much carbonated.
Not very drinkable beer, I wouldn't have more than couple pints of this.

Overall, it's a decent beer, I would have it on occasion, but again, there are much better brews of this style.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2008 00:29:45 | More by Voonder

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

1.5/5  rDev -55.5%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Bottle: Poured a dirty brown color ale with a small foamy head with minimal retention. Aroma of yeast and sourness is pretty strong with some roasted malt. Taste is dominated by some acidity and sourness with some roasted malt that is still discernable behind this mess. Definitely this one is infected and I usually don’t post review of infected beer leaving the benefit of the doubt to the brewers but since I don’t seem to be the only one with a bad bottle I will be posting this review.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2006 17:58:00 | More by Phyl21ca

vanrassel

Alberta (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I'm not a huge fan of this style, but the Grizzly Paw has done a decent job with this beer and I'd have another if offered.

This is a good-looking beer, pouring a nice copper colour with some amber hues and a creamy head capping it off. The head quickly dwindled to a thin ring that left almost no lacing on the sides of my glass.

I smelled mainly grassy hops and that's what I tasted as well: a nice bitterness up front. The malt is there, ever so slightly, with a just a hint of bread in the aroma. There's a nice dry finish, but the mouthfeel is a little watery for my liking.

I bought a six-pack of bottles at the pub in Canmore, but it's nice to see some of the Grizzly Paw labels making it to stores in Calgary. I'll definitely keep my eyes open for others to try.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2006 15:25:13 | More by vanrassel

BigBry

Alberta (Canada)

3.43/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The Grizzly Paw Brewpub is bottling more and seems to be gaining a larger distribution around Alberta, have seen them at the last couple Beer Fests.
This is a pretty typical Red - clear, deep reddish brown, especially when held up to the light. Small white head that forms a thin cap, good stability with thin lace. Aroma is quite strong of bitter hops, with some grassy/grainyness. Flavour is what you expect - all bitter hops, strong flavor with full aftertaste. Mouthfeel is a bit creamy but pretty average. I would have again, even if just to help out a local brewer.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2005 18:03:59 | More by BigBry

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another label to be found available in cans from Canmore's Grizzly Paw Brewpub here in Calgary.

This is a great looking red, nearly a clear chestnut colour, but a deep rich amber when held up to the light. Small yet thickish head that caps the ale almost all the way down the glass. Nose contains a balance of floral and bittering hops, a grassy, almost herbal character to it. Flavour is all hops, bold up front with a flowery finish. Mouthfeel is creamy with an oily finish on the palate. Very refreshing for a red, it doesn't completely blow my skirt up, but I do like it a lot. I bought the last 6 pack available at the time, but will definitely keep an eye out for more.

Serving type: can

11-25-2003 00:07:11 | More by IronDjinn