Rainmaker - Steel Toe Brewing

deebo

Minnesota

2.5/5  rDev -38%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A-Fairly clear with a reddish amber color and a sticky light tan head.

S-Wow, I know this had 60+ IBU but damn this baby is NW US hoppy. There is some nice toasted/caramel malts in there but it takes a big time back seat to the hops.

T-This is definitely a hop forward red. Lots of the typical NW hops (citrus-grapefruit and resiny aftertaste). Malt is here too but way out of balance for my taste.

M-Moderate to high carbonation, rather thin bodied with a long bitter finish.

D-Poor, not an easy to drink red.

O-If you like an unbalanced hoppy red, this is a good choice. Feels out of balance, I know the trend of the day is to hop the crap out of everything but dang I don't need to have this one again.

Serving type: on-tap

04-13-2012 06:03:17 | More by deebo

ChadQuest

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Nice thick,dense,frothy robust head. great actually. Body is a translucent deep ruby color.
Aroma is sweet malts mixed with citrus.
Flavor is more sweet then bitter, the toasted malt and caramel notes are forefront with the citrus notes in second.
The mouthfeel is full and creamy, really nice and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 05:27:37 | More by ChadQuest

maximum12

Minnesota

3.4/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Picked up at Liquor Barrel in St. Louis Park, I think. The combo of having both Steel Toe & Leech Lake lured me all the way across the Cities. This is the result of the plunder. 22 oz. bomber cloven in two.

Pours a very dark, almost blood red. Smell is on the good side: caramel malts, earthy hops. Less specific than an overarching niceness.

Rainmaker is a straight-up red. Caramel & malts are all over me stuff. Hops are earthy, grounded, bitter without much flavor. Mouthyness is nice.

Pretty good beer, solid red. Nothing out of the ordinary, not bad, not great, just solid. Solid. Solid. I'll keep at that. Solid.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 04:41:25 | More by maximum12

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Just recently came out in bottles, making it a little bit easier to try this. I know the bottle's pretty fresh, cause it's only been in bottles for a month or so.

Pours a very dark reddish amber/brown. Little light passes through, except at the edges. Quite dark for an amber ale. One finger of cream-colored head, good retention and fantastic lacing.

Smell is lots of grassy, earthy, slightly bitter hops. There's a bit of pine, and a hint of citrus, but mostly it's grass. The malt base is weaker than I would like, predominantly caramel, but just not as robust as I think it needs to be.

Taste is pretty much what I expected based on the smell. Tastes a lot like an average IPA. Despite the color, the malt backbone feels soft. And the hops playing on top of it provide a fair amount of bitter but not much else. I find it decently tasty, but very middle-of-the-road.

Mouthfeel is solid. Medium-bodied, high carbonation. Persistent finish. I like it. Probably the highlight of the beer.

My first beer from a brand-new local brewery. And it gets good reviews. Wanted to like it, but it just ain't there for me. It needs more malts, or more hops, or more something. Just kinda blah. Which isn't terrible. But it is blah. Found myself nursing it, and wanting more from it (not more of it).

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 04:54:51 | More by zeledonia

Mdog

Minnesota

3.56/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a beautiful reddish purple with a big head.

Smell: Moderate citrus aroma.

Taste: Mostly dark fruits with an earthy hop presence.

Overall: I think my bottle may have been a little old. When I've had this on tap it had more of a citrus hop presence to go along with the dark fruit flavors. Maybe when I get a newer bottle or have it on tap again I will re-review. Even like this it is still better than your usual red ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 01:15:51 | More by Mdog

MasterSki

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Chris (spycow) for sharing this one. Served in a tulip glass. Unknown bottling date, but has been stored in the fridge for a while.

A - White foam settles to a thick collar, wisps, and minimal lacework. Transparent dark orange-red body.

S - Smells like a hoppy red ale alright, although the hops are showing a cheesy, decaying beta acid, sort of flavor at this point in time. Backbone is treacle, caramel, and red fruits.

T - The taste reveals more of the original hop character, with some onion and chive-esque zest with light citrus and pine notes. Malt character is more neutral here, with a bready flavor and less of the typical sweet red ale flavors.

M - Medium body, medium-high carbonation, and a dry and resinous finish. No alcohol presence, nor was one expected at 6.5%.

D - Not a bad hoppy red, but probably much better when it was fresh - hopefully I'll get to revisit this one and amend my score, as there's potential for a very good beer. Anyone want to send me fresh bottles of this and Size 11?

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 05:08:27 | More by MasterSki

bsp77

Minnesota

3.7/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Nonic Imperial Pint.

Appearance: Wood-stain red with moderate light tan head and some lacing rings.

Smell: Um, I love the smell of a big, hoppy red - citrus, pine, caramel, dark fruits and light roast.

Taste: Sweet caramel and dark fruit core that is quickly overtaken by the seemingly huge level of hops. Unfortunately, the hops have less character than the aroma (just some light citrus and lingering pine), and are primarily just very bitter. There is some light roast that may be adding to the bitterness as well.

Feel: Medium body with modate carbonation. Very dry finish.

Overall: Well, this was fantastic until I took a sip. And to be fair, it was still pretty good even after taking a sip, but did not quite meet my expectations from the look and aroma.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 20:05:30 | More by bsp77

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a beige head. Color is a dark amber.

Aroma: Smells like furious. Caramel and bready but very hoppy. Grapefruit and hop resin juiciness.

Taste: Much like the nose, but more malty. More bready and caramel malts show. Other than that, the hop profile reminds me so much like furious.

Mouthfeel: Bitter and sticky. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends sticky.

Overall, a pretty solid beer. I just wish the taste wasn't as malty. Other than that it is very enjoyable.

Serving type: growler

11-15-2011 00:41:32 | More by mothman

rawfish

California

3.73/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark and rusty with a billowing tan head. The foam flows up to three fingers, leaves a dense cap and has great rings of lacing and retention. Perfect.

Hop forward red with steady roasted malts and a touch of fig and dark berry as the beer warms. Hops are primarily pine with some dank citrus and herbaceous tones. Inviting and bold.

Malt has some roasted and cocoa notes that get stronger as the beer warms it's enough to balance the hops but also bland and 'amber'. Spicy and earthy, the hops get a boost from a strong pine flavor that backs the nose with a bit of bittering grapefruit pith. Earthiness of the hops really comes through in the finish. Dank, mildly spicy and a bitterness that is steady. Alcohol does come through, surprising as this is only a 6.5%

Smooth carbonation, appropriate to make this very drinkable. Dries well with a bitter lasting finish. Alcohol prevalent until the beer warms.

Attractive beer and it drinks much like a well hopped amber. The earthy/spicy combo does make it different but more variety in the malts and hiding the alcohol better would make this really something to write home about. Glad to have the chance to have one of these.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 08:00:00 | More by rawfish

mdfb79

New York

3.78/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 02/05/12 notes. Received as an extra from nwu008 in the Math BIF #5; thanks Erin!

a - Pours a dark reddish amber color with one finger of off white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells pretty hoppy. Smells of citrus hops, pine hops, fruity malts, lemons and citrus, light tropical fruits, toasted malts, and bready malts. Very nice nose.

t - Tastes of fruity malts, toasted malts, citrus hops, light pine hops, light bitterness, and bready malts. Nice, but not quite as hoppy as the nose.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Light bitterness and creamy body.

o - Overall a nice hoppy red ale. Nose is very fully of pine and fruits. The taste is not quite as hoppy, but still nice. Worth trying and would certainly have it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 21:16:07 | More by mdfb79

Duff27

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Half inch off white head on a deep dark red. Very nice head retention and lacing.

Smell is of piney hops.

Sharp biting hops overpower the caramel malts. Drinks right at 6.5%

Mouthfeel is a little thin, decent carbonation.

Overall very drinkable but I'd classify this as a hop bomb. Would have it again. Thanks mnbearsfan!

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 01:40:19 | More by Duff27

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle poured into tulip - thanks to therobot

Pours a hazed copper caramel color with a froth of beige head. Fades into bubbled retention with some patchy lacing on the glass.

Some piny hops in the nose with bready caramel. Some toasted notes with sweetness and light warmth.

Nice punch of pine bitterness up front. Resiny and sticky with a nice helping of hops. Thicker, bready malt backbone with toasted notes. Caramel sweetness with some lingering hop bitterness in the finish.

Medium body, well carbonated, sticky and a little chewy. Nice, full flavored red ale with an added dosage of hops.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 22:09:51 | More by xnicknj

jimmah120

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

pint on-tap

dark amber-red, pillowy off-white head that sticks. smell is light grains and malt (amber style) and medicinal hops. taste has some dry leaves and dust, with lots of malt. caramel, grapes, leafy/piney hops.

solid beer, call it a red ipa

Serving type: on-tap

05-10-2013 08:12:01 | More by jimmah120

NuclearDolphin

Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Tulip Glass

Appearance - Very Dark Red/Crimson color when held up to the light, it's just a couple shades away from black. Head pours around 2 finger width, which vanishes fairly quickly.

Smell - Caramel, toffee, floral & piney hops and some sweet malts and yeasts. The smell itself has an overt sweetness to it. The smell reminds me partially of an American Pale Ale

Taste - Piney Hops followed by a sweet malty flavor. For an Amber Ale, it's pretty damned hoppy but in a good way. There's also a pretty subdued yet balanced yeasty flavor in the back to help give the beer some balanced flavor.

Mouthfeel - It's a little heavier than most Amber Ales I've tried and the carbonation is a bit more intense than what I expect out of this style. It feels more like an IPA and less like an Amber. With that being said, it doesn't really get in the way too much of the flavor, and that's okay with me.

Overall - For a brewery that just opened it's doors this past summer, they manage to make a great beer! It's both hoppy and malty and I applaud them for trying out something different with an Amber Ale style. If this first offering for me by Steel Toe is any indication of things to come, I expect more great beers from them!

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 04:33:18 | More by NuclearDolphin

trxxpaxxs

New York

3.95/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to LaCoursiere for this bottle.

A: Pours a super deep red, almost verging on brown. There is about one finger of khaki colored head that settles fairly quickly. There is also a bit of lacing as it drinks.

S: The main note here is pine. This brew has a nice malty backbone that comes through in the nose, but pine is the dominate smell. There is also a bit of a floral quality to this beer as well.

T: It starts off with a quick hit of roasted malt, but the pine notes come on almost immediately after. Those hoppy characteristics follow through into the finish, where this beer takes on a flavor of tea. Yup, the finish kinda tastes like black tea. It's really interesting, and pleasant.

M: Medium bodied beer. It starts out wet with the flavors enveloping the palate. This is nothing sticky or chewy about this beer, but the finish sits on the tongue for a while afterward.

O: This beer is pretty good. The pine notes seems a little unbalanced in this beer and the tea-like qualities are a bit wacky, but it's not bad. This is not my favorite offering from Steel Toe, but it's decent.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 23:08:08 | More by trxxpaxxs

match1112

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

thanks minnesotaryan!

a: dark reddish-brown body, finger and a half of light brown head. big loose bubbles that settle and leave some sticky lacing.

s: bread, caramel, pine and a touch of citrus.

t: sweet caramel malts with a nice side of bread and some hoppy pine.

m: medium-light body, carbonation is excellent, sweet dry finish.

o: liked this better than size 7, very drinkable. just a nice beer that everyone should get the pleasure of drinking.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 13:49:51 | More by match1112

minnesotaryan

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a deep dark amber with minimal cream head.

Smell: There are notes of pineapple and caramel, a good amount of hops nicely balanced with malt.

Taste: There is bitterness up front, the hops want you to know that they are there. Lots of grapefruit and citrus, but it slowly fades to sweetness, caramel and toffee with a little bit of sour/bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: This is an easy to drink beer for an imperial red. Enough carbonation to make it interesting, but not so much that it overpowers the beer. Nice medium body with lingering flavors of caramel and spicy citrus.

Overall: This is the first beer I have tried from Steel Toe Brewing, and I look forward to trying more, this is a great beer, lots of flavor and character in every sip.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 23:52:40 | More by minnesotaryan

kawilliams81

Illinois

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Stone pint.

A- pours a transparent dark ruby with a 2" off white head. Dripping waves of lacing remain on the glass.

S- sweet roasted malts and citrus.

T- roasted caramel and sweet amber malts. Citrus and pine bitterness come through in the middle and finish.

M- medium body and carbonation. With a slight oilyness.

O- good amber with nice hop bitterness. Would love to see an imperial version of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2012 02:59:39 | More by kawilliams81

Buebie

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hard pour in an over sized snifter Tsunami'ing the glass with a big ass tan head.
Dark burnt red color and a thin skimming of lace.
Sweet candied yams aroma, dark fruit, toasted grains and hop resin.
Taste is malt driven with a sweetness and hop profile that are well balanced. Little bit of maple brown sugar likeness. Although becoming more dry through the finish with pine and citrus and decreasing with sweet malts but still slightly present.
Mouthfeel is crisp with carbonation and medium bodied.

Solid brew. I could have this in the middle of winter as bit of a warmer, as alcohol seems higher then it actually is. Or, like I am now on a 92 degree day. Its taste bud pleaser and a thirst quencher.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2012 01:54:39 | More by Buebie

mjryan

Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hardy pour, big head. Clingy. Dang, this must be fresh. Smells like I just opened a bag of hop pellets. Well that's pretty rad. I'm a big fan of hoppy reds, Furious is another local beer along these lines, really a bench mark by which I judge other reds. Rainmaker doesn't disappoint. Along with the aforementioned amazing hop aroma, there is a ton of hop character in the flavour. Grapefruit, pine and toasty caramel malts. Damn bitter finish, not sweet at all. Great beer, big hops, nice "red" flavour. What more could I want?

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 02:14:21 | More by mjryan

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks goes out to MBrausen for sending me this one for the sole purpose of being able to tick it! Served from bottle into a Samuel Smith imperial pint. Poured a dark shade of ruby red with a one finger khaki colored head that remained throughout the glass. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, citrus, citrus hop, lemon zest, and caramel. The flavor was of sweet malt, citrus, caramel, lemon zest, citrus hop, caramel hop, and subtle pine. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a fairly good brew. The aroma on this one was really nice and one of the best I have smelled on a Red Ale. The flavor was also pretty nice too. While the flavor wasn’t QUITE as good as the aroma, it was still very solid. A definite must try and really glad my buddy MBrausen was looking out for me on this one!

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 16:57:11 | More by thagr81us

gford217

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle.

Pours a dark clear amber with a hefty beige head that leaves some nice lacing.

Aroma is really hoppy, lots of pine especially, though there are some citrus notes as well. Prickly almost on the nose. The malts are present but definitely take a backseat.

Taste is really heavy on the bitterness and prickly hops up front. Pine resin and pineapple come to mind. The caramel malts form a backbone, if you can call it that considering the hops are the real star here.

Mouthfeel is bitter and not nearly as sweet as most ambers. Pretty full in body for an amber.

I'm torn on this as it's a great amber,heavy on the hops, but is pretty unbalanced. But, as I really like a hopped up amber, I really enjoyed this.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 02:59:26 | More by gford217

morimech

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Nobody likes hoppy red ales more than me. This starts off with a reddish amber color with two fingers of off-white head that had excellant retention. The head settles to a thick cap. Large amounts of spotty lacing is left on the glass.

Aroma of grapefruit flesh and pith. There is some earthiness to go along with the caramel malt.

Hard to draw the line between IPA and Red Ale with this one. Same as another famous Minnesota beer. A lot of citrus from the hops dominates the flavor. Just a subtle caramel sweetness that hints that this is a red and not an IPA. Even with all the hop flavor, bitterness is at moderate levels.

Very impressed with this brewers ability to properly carbonate his beers. Excellant mouthfeel once again.

Not enough "red" for me. But it is one very good hop flavored beer. Another fine West Coast style beer from Steel Toe.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 19:18:55 | More by morimech

BMoney575

Michigan

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Sampled on 1-28-12

Pours a deep red color, with a thick white head that quickly fades, leaving behind craggy lacing.

Smell is huge piney hops, with a great maltiness to back it up. Strong but balanced, rather one dimensional but still promising.

Taste is very smooth, some sweetness comes from the malt, while the hops add a great fruity quality and a balancing bitterness. Not intense, just stunningly well made.

Mouthfeel is perfect, a nice thickness to help the malt, but there's still room for the tart hops.

Drinkability is very good, the flavors and balance create a very flavorful sessionable beer.

Overall, I'm impressed with the beers I've had from Steel Toe, and this is the best one yet. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 01:09:53 | More by BMoney575

garymuchow

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This seems to have very similar hopping as Size 7, but I like the malting much better here.
Spicy and citrus hoping with a firm malt background.
Very attractive amber with dark red. Very clear. Poured aggressively left a large off-white head that settled down to a thin layer, but it leaves some lacing.
I like the malt flavors - apparent, but not too much, ultimately blending well with the spicy hop flavors. Long finish with a moderate bitterness and a citrusy flavor.
Moderately thin and a bit prickly carbonation, but somehow smooth nonetheless.
This drinks really well. More interesting than Size 7 and one solid amber.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 02:19:19 | More by garymuchow