Gypsy Tears Ruby Ale - Parallel 49 Brewing Company

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

4.23/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Part of my CanBIF 2013 haul. Thanks Boozecamel!

Poured from a 341ml. bottle, no freshness info.

Appearance: Nice vibrant ruby-brown color, 2-3 fingers worth of head that forms a nice seal around the glass. Lazily tales its time receding.

Smell: Grainy, minerals, chunks of grapefruit, salty seeds, caramel malt intertwined.

Taste: Generous helping of malt, mixed nuts with skin, tinges of grapefruit, light dried fruits (plums), distinct mineral finish.

Mouthfeel: Very cream, moderate bitterness restrained by strong malt.

Overall: A balanced, flavorful amber ale. Enough punch to make it stand out.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 02:20:23 | More by papat444

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

4.04/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Another gem courtesy of joemcgrath27.

A - Pours a nice ruby red colour, finger of head with some retention and sporadic lacing.

S - Loads of earthy hops and buttery caramel, bready notes and a hint of black licorice.

T - The bready caramel comes through alongside the earthy hop notes, nice citrus bitterness lingers with a touch of grassy notes and burnt sugar.

M - Medium bodied, smooth and a touch of dryness.

O - A fantastic example of the style with a perfect balance between hops and caramel malts. Super easy drinking yet full of flavour. Well worth seeking out and I'm super pumped I had the privilege of trying it.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 20:31:01 | More by andrenaline

BigBry

Alberta (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

I was pretty excited to see Parallel 49 on tap at Cardero's on my latest trip to Vancouver.
Good looking pint, yes it is ruby red (especially when held to the light), eggshell colored foam, head lasted nicely and left strings of thin lace.
The beer had a great hoppiness in the first smell, with some malt present.
The taste was very well balanced, good solid malt base flavor, and a nice kick of hops. A well hopped red ale, but without being over done with the bitterness.
The body was solid, mouthfeel was thin but overly watery, and therefore easy to drink. Not overly carbonated and smooth.
Overall, I really enjoyed this beer from Parallel 49, and I am looking forward to more of their beers.

Serving type: on-tap

01-27-2013 00:01:56 | More by BigBry

CookstLiquor

British Columbia (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 355ml bottle. Pours a hazy orangish brown. The smell of this beer is really its finest attribute (though it also tastes great!). It has a big hop nose of marmalade and citrus--tart, spicy and a little sweet. There's a nice roundness on the palate--a good punch of sweet malt notes --that balances the hoppy spice and bitterness on the finish. Drinks and smells like an India Red Ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 19:11:08 | More by CookstLiquor

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

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

341ml single bottle.

This beer pours a slightly hazy, dark bronzed amber colour, with two fingers of bubbly, foamy pale beige head, which leaves some nice hoodoo profile lace around the glass as it evenly seeps away.

It smells of mild citrus pith, a stronger perfumed floral note, a bit of bready caramel, further fleshy tropical fruit, and some earthy, leafy hops. The taste is a nice, big ol' bowlful of biscuity, crackery, crisp grainy malt, with just a teaspoon of caramel sweetness, some citrus and drupe fruitiness, and softer floral, fruity hops. A soft warming of the booze and my proverbial cockles (my first semi-successful sylleptic attempt - yay me!) accompanies elapsed time spent with this offering.

The bubbles are average, in a pleasant enough manner, the body just on the lee side of medium weight, to no ill effect, and workaday smooth. It finishes off-dry, the soft sweetness and various drying elements doing well to play nicely together.

As the aroma initially kind of threw me, I was quite delighted by the almost ESB-esque malt character here. The cascade hops lend a decently restrained citrus/floral bitterness, and all that is left for me to muse about, is why didn't I get more than the one bottle. Still time to rectify that, I think.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 05:43:08 | More by biboergosum

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

4.23/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours a dark copper red with a finger width of off-white head.

Smell - Piney earthy hops, caramel, malts, slight tropical fruit.

Taste - Caramalt flavour followed by deep piney/earthy hops, followed by a bit of light tropical fruit. Nicely balanced bitter to sweet ratio. Slight bitter finish.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Nice tingly bubbles.

Overall - A well-crafted red ale by Parallel 49. Well balanced flavours make this brew one of the better ones out of the mix pack thus far.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 03:17:36 | More by leaddog

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

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

Let me look through your treasures gypsy ... give me your tears or I will take them
A - clear brown with light ruby notes, solid head retained nicely with mostly consistent lacing around the glass
S - floral and perfume as if the temptress on the label was calling you, orange citrus and candied fruit, all very rich aromas
T - fresh grass and sweet fruity malt, cola, perfume and tropical fruit hoppiness
M - medium to light body with crisp floral and hop notes and a sweet stickiness
O - this is so good, just so good, part of a 12-mixer that was so worth the purchase

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 05:23:19 | More by joemcgrath27

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

341ml bottle poured into pint glass 1/11/12

A reddish amber liquid with just a few bubbles and a finger of tan foam that hangs around long enough to leave a single partial ting of lace

S very well balanced nose, heavy hops with some floral citrus and faint pine with a little orange sherbert, it has a malt backbone with some hard toffee with some nuttiness and very faint coco. pretty sexy nose with a little of everything I'd hope for from the style

T not quite as intense as the nose but still quite nice, the hops are still there but not as strong as the nose, the malt has a little more to say in the mouth, very good but the nose was great

M medium-light with enough carbonation to give it some life, a nice rind, nut, caramel aftertaste has more complexity then intensity

O well rounded and balanced, I could swig a few of these without trying, I'm already deep into my second bottle at this point of the review and I haven't been typing for long. Great Red Ale that would make a nice session

great mix of the hops and malt, this breweries off top a great start in my books , keep em coming

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 05:51:15 | More by wordemupg

ericj551

British Columbia (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Gypsy Tears Ruby Ale pours a deep red amber with a nice dense offwhite head. The aroma is a great balance of nutty, slightly chocolatey malt and citrusy, herbal hops. Delicious sweet and bready toasted malt pop upfront in the flavor, with some caramel. Some nice fruity esters meld well with citrusy hops as well as some light tropical fruit flavors. Overall this is a great beer, tons of flavor while maintaining balance.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 06:39:35 | More by ericj551

Dolemike

Kentucky

4.38/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

The pour left a formidable lace, which was a feat as they were experiencing some equipment issues on their tap equipment keeping the correct pressure. The pour had a rich mahogony color, with a very light tan lace.

The brew had a solid hops essence. While boasting a Ruby name, the hops were clearly evident, the maltiness was a bit subtle, but still present.

The taste was very well balanced between a solid t rich malt flavour and and firm hopiness. As a red, it was very hoppy which I totaly enjoyed.

The mouthfeel was slightly thin, but not too watery.

Overall, I thought this was a solid effort for Parallel 49. I am not a red fan, but with the added hoppiness, I could repeatedly indulge with with a regret that would not be felt until the following afternoon on a flight back to the states.

I hope to see this available in the states soon. The Gypsy Tears Ruby Ale, along with the Parallel's India Pale Lager and Seedspitter Watermelon Wit clearly show that these are brews that should be sought out and robustly devoured. The Vancouver area is very fortunate to be able to consume these on a regular basis.

Serving type: on-tap

08-30-2012 06:24:09 | More by Dolemike

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

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

Part of the mixed 12 pack. This is a lovely looking red ale that shines in the light. The nose is quite hoppy and the head sits high on the glass. This is a great red ale with a nice interplay between hops and malt and quite a bit of complexity in the finish. I would say I like this even better than Tasman Red from Lighthouse. Great new brewery with this beer probably their best .

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 23:48:45 | More by canucklehead

lacqueredmouse

Australia

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

On-tap at Six Acres in Vancouver, BC.

Pours a very pleasant truly red, almost deep ruby hue with a fine, slightly bubbly white head. Decent lace. Body looks pretty fluid but supports some fine carbonation. Looks good.

Nose has a pleasant generic malt character to it, that cushions a big, slightly biting hop character that melds into the earthier base notes. There are hints of crushed vegetation, and some deep earthiness to the hops, making it a lovely match to the malty characters in the base beer. Nice stuff.

Taste is also great. Here, you realise the hops are really quite strong, providing a strong bitterness that just latches on and intermingles with the deep grainy, slightly nutty malt characters. There's a piquancy to the hops which makes me think American varieties, but the flavour profile is actually similar to an overdose of EKG. Whatever it is, it works well.

Feel is smooth and soft.

Another great beer from Parallel 49, who I believe were my favourite brewery I tried on my short visit to Vancouver. I tried three of their beers, all of which were worthy, and all of which were interesting.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2012 11:15:45 | More by lacqueredmouse

FondueVoodoo

British Columbia (Canada)

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

A: A crystal clear rudy brown with a tight 1 finger of white head. Minimal retention leaving only a thin ring around the glass & a small island of lacing.

S: Sweet malts with molasses and corn syrup with just a hint of pine sap hops.

T: The taste is a tug of war between hops and malt - when hops manage to get some ground, malts fight their way back. Tastes of hoppy pine sap mingling with sweet malts. Hints of toasted sweet bread and citrus rind. The tug of war winner is hops - leaving a smooth aftertaste of citrus rind - but not overly bitter.

M: Mild carbonation pricks at the first sip, seems like a light to medium brew, admission - I'm not the best judge in this department.

O: I'm enjoying this interplay between hops and sweet malts, neither being over whelming and complimenting as opposites tend to in food pairings. Not having had many red ales in the past, I can't say if this is a good example of the style. However overall it's a tasty complex drink with plenty to offer a patient sipper.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 04:00:33 | More by FondueVoodoo