St. Peter's Ruby Red Ale - St. Peter's Brewery Co Ltd

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.78/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Classic flat green 500ml St Peters bottle purchased for me by the in-laws for Christmas.

Pours a pleasant (indeed) ruby red colour, with a fine white head of tiny bubbles that settles to a pleasant film. Fine carbonation is visible when the glass is tilted. Some patchy streaks of lacing form as well. Overall, a pretty good-looking beer.

Nose is quite hoppy, with a crisp herbal bite and almost the hint of American strength to it. The suggestion of citrus, along with a poignant rosemary bite. This is underscored by a solid, slightly caramelly malt sweetness, perhaps a bit richer than the hops should really allow. Overall, though it's a pleasant aroma.

Taste is smooth but a bit timid. Light malt characters come through pleasantly, but there's no richness; hops give more of that herbal flavour, but there's no bite and little to no bitterness. Still, we get a light dance of dark citrus and a balanced low-calorie caramel to balance it somewhat. It's decent enough.

Feel is smooth and light and pleasant enough.

Overall, this is very decent stuff. Solidly, if unimaginatively made and providing a pleasant drinking experience. I think it's one of the stronger entries in the St Peters range.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 05:51:39 | More by lacqueredmouse

doktorhops

Australia

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Here's another on the 'to do' list of beer reviews: St. Peter's Ruby Red Ale. Spying the unique bottle at an expensive but well appointed craft beer shoppe [sic], I made a mental note to one day quench my mighty thirst with this fine beverage, when I found it a cheaper price (of course!). Said day is upon us thanks to Daniel S. Murphy Esq. the bottle-shoppe [sic] that is well known to slash prices and aggressively undercut, to our collective benefits, in the quest to destroy the opposition... ahh Dan Murphy's you magnificent bastards.

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a nonic pint.

A: It's in the name but I'll say it anyway; deep ruby red body with a nice sticky tan head.

S: Fantastic aroma! A mixture of sloe berry, dark cherry, chicory, hint of vanilla with a heavy roast malt (almost rye-like) base. This is one brew that smells medieval in its earthiness (and I should know as I travelled back in time to the middle ages last week).

T: That chicory flavour is upfront, with a smattering of ripened fresh coffee beans, sloe berries and that chewy malt base that carries through to a mildly bitter base. Slight sourness that carries throughout and lets one know that a decent yeast was used.

M: Mid to light body, slightly chewy, with a light carbonation.

D: Impressed with this one. Doubtless to say it's a bit on the expensive side for what you get (Hook-Norton's Old Hooky is a half-decent cheaper replacement), but it pleases nonetheless, and if you want to try a dirty/earthy flavoured ale then this is a good pick. Treat it as a half-way between an English Bitter and a Stout and you get the idea of what sort of flavours to expect.

Food match: Roasted game meats like partridge, grouse, woodcock and venison. Also roasted wild pig on a spit would lend its medieval feel to the brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 09:50:11 | More by doktorhops

jrfehon33

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: nice dark brown red with a lot of carbonation collecting on the side of the glass. 

Smell: I love the mell of this beer. Nice hop and malt scents with a bit of cherry. 

Taste: Very carbonated and crisp. The malt and hop flavors are nicely balanced without much sweetness. Just a hint of cherry. 

Mouthfeel: Very bubbly in the mouth.

Overall: Not my favorite red ale but at 4.3% this beer packs in a lot of flavor. I like the hint of cherry tart but could use just a bit more. Overall I really enjoyed this red ale and would buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 15:54:21 | More by jrfehon33

dansmcd

Australia

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - One finger of white head which fades to nothing within about a minute, dark ruby red body, streaky lacing.

S - Roasted malt, earthy Golding hops, chocolate, raisins.

T - Burnt caramel and toffee, slight wet hop bitterness, sweet plum.

M - Smooth medium body, low carbonation.

O - Good example of the style. Love the 18th century oval bottle too.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 05:26:12 | More by dansmcd

heygeebee

Australia

3.95/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

An aggressive pour yields a half-finger cream head over a deep red / mahogany body.

Aromas of toffee and English malts.

Palate is quite bitter from the start but in a rounded way. Quite English with the usual carmels, toffees. Earthy hops follow.

Mouthfeel is good for style, low carbonation, but not watery.

A good example of style - and more importantly has travelled well. Would be very sessionable, but not at the price. Really good example of a moderately flavoured beer well made.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 09:33:16 | More by heygeebee

Ruds

United Kingdom (England)

3.8/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 500ml bottle into UK pint glass

Pours a rich dark amber colour, with reddish brown hues

Smells of chocolate and toffee, slightly malty, no real overbearing aroma's, a nice subtle mix

Tastes of caramel, toffee, malt, faint hints of chocolate, bitter but not too so

Mouthfeel, slightly dry finish but this makes you want more!

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 11:21:26 | More by Ruds

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: It has a nice dark amber color to it. It has a nice dark tan head that dies down moderately and leaves some lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitly give out hints of sweet malts, dark fruit, chocolate, piney hops and some caramel.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has a sweet malty and fruity character with some hints of chocolate, hops bringing a bitterness and some light caramel.

Mouthfeel: It has a low carbonation with a nice overall balance and flavor.

Drinkability: It's smooth drinkable beer accompanied with decent flavors and aromas.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 21:07:08 | More by SebD

EmperorBevis

United Kingdom (England)

4.22/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a dimpled handled pint pot
producing a dark chestnut red body with a lazy off white head that dissipated to a scattered cloud froth.

The aroma is wondrous mix of dark fruits,malt,hops and even red wine.

The taste is no less complex a real sense of dark bonfire toffee and molasses whilst not becoming overly sweet with a hop kicking aftertaste.

Put together with ideal carbonation and a real warming mouth feel that is not at all heavy it produces a splendid dark bitter for the darker days

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 20:46:59 | More by EmperorBevis

Kartoffeln

Ontario (Canada)

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

A: Pours a deep ruby-mahogany with a modest, fizzy head of dense, light tan foam. Retention is alright, dissipating to a foamy ring and patches of bubbles and leaving spotty lacing.

S: Robust toffee, biscuit, and chocolate malts bursting with dark fruit - black cherries, raisins, plums, and candied figs - and notes of molasses, butterscotch, and dark chocolate. Fruity and earthy, slightly woody hop aromas throughout. Hints of licorice and ethanol. Not unlike an oloroso, altogether.

T: Toffee, biscuit, and chocolate malts with cocoa, molasses, black cherry, and plum undertones. Fruity notes from the malt and floral hops last into the woody, citric, resiny, almost lactic hop bitterness in the finish. A definite 'hard' minerality and mild yeastiness throughout.

M: Medium-bodied with mild, smooth carbonation that pricks just a bit on the sip; slightly chewy, quite hearty for a bitter. The long-lasting finish is dominated by earthy, tangy bitterness that isn't refreshing but rather cleansing, perhaps beyond the point of balancing the flavour profile. Either way, the astringency keeps it drinkable despite the surprisingly robust body.

D: I'd definitely agree with most critics that this ale is enduringly bitter even for a bitter, but I personally find that the complex flavour profile stands up to it. Besides, it's anything but a traditional bitter; it's distinctly unorthodox, rather sophisticated, and definitely worth a try. Especially in autumn or winter.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2011 04:15:09 | More by Kartoffeln

StJamesGate

New York

4.33/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On cask at the Jerusalem Tavern, London.

Rich, er, ruby body with steady cask-looking head of white bubbles.
Bright red grapefruit and faint cookie dough nose.
Caramel orange malts with a big citrus and wood oil hop hit plus plenty of aspirin. Bready finish and lingering bitterness.
Medium, chewy and sticky.

Wow! Big hoppy chewy red, yet very English. Not surprised to read it’s Cascade in there. Red Rocket’s little sister?

Serving type: cask

06-20-2011 11:57:42 | More by StJamesGate

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 500ml green glass bottle with a BB of Feb 2012. The bottle has a characteristic oval shape.

Poured into a Sam Smith's pint glass; initially quite vigorous upon opening. A deep ruby hue with strong carbonation. Yields a large head of creamy off-white foam that lasts for several minutes before collapsing. Aroma of sweet, biscuity malt with hints of grain and notes of leafy hop and citrus.

Flavour of robust sweet malt with a distinctive dry bitterness. Notes of grain, biscuits, stewed hops, pine and citrus. Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and rather astringent. Aftertaste of sweet yet bitter malt. All in all, a nice blend.

Tasty - I was surprised by how much was going on with this ale. A strong malt flavour with more bitterness than expected, but nicely balanced by subtle aromatic hops. Good stuff - seek it out....

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 01:35:23 | More by jazzyjeff13

mfgeorge

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 2 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours to what looks like a chestnut brown until you see it in the light and it's quite 'ruby' red. Very thin white head that laced the glass on the way down. Smell is beautiful, the best part really; Rich and malty with a slight hopped spice. Taste is the absolute opposite: Tart and spicy hops with a slight malt at the back. But it's the spicy hops that keeps you coming back for another sip as it's quite unique. It's quite a nice wintery beer, however I can't see myself drinking more than one of these in a sitting.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2011 20:44:39 | More by mfgeorge

NATOuk

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

3.35/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance
A transparent deep ruby red colour. Forms a thin head which leaves a white ring around the glass

Smell
Rich chocolate malt smell.

Taste
Sweet malts, slight chocolate taste, slight bitterness at the back of the mouth on the finish

Mouthfeel
Low carbonation, medium-heavy body. Very smooth.

Drinkability
Very smooth, easy to drink. Perhaps not a session beer as its very rich but ideally savoured in low quantity.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2011 23:09:33 | More by NATOuk

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From my LCBO winter gift pack, along with the Golden Ale.

Poured into the branded St. Peter's glass. To truly get the "ruby red" as described in the name, one really has to hold this beer aloft in the sunlight, where the colour truly shows. Out of the light, the brew takes on a murky chestnut hue, with only a few streaks of red when the light hits it. The name is a bit inapt, I have to say. Left behind a thin layer of off-white foam, which receded into a thin ring. Some flecks of lacing near the top of the glass.

The nose is quite pleasant and full: malt, caramel, chocolate, earthy notes and cream. Not bad at all.

A bitter, almost astringent mineral taste pervades the beer, which is fine I suppose, but tends to hurt the soft, but tasty malt and hop profile lurking underneath. Still, this isn't a bad-tasting ale at any stretch, its just a bit tart, and not because of the hop content.

Thick, a bit bready, mild carbonation.

Not a bad beer, went down pretty well, but the tartness is becoming a bit over-powering. Tone that down a touch (perhaps on cask or fresher it would do better?) and this would be a great English bitter. As it stands, this is merely a good English bitter.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2011 20:42:59 | More by JohnnyBarman

bryehn

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a St. Peter's Brewery glass. Bright ruby with a cola-like brownness to it. Not much head. What is there is soapy, tan coloured and sticks around as a collar. Not a traditional ruby colour, but I like the way it looks.

There is a lot going on in the aroma and taste. The aroma is bright and hoppy, with sweet malt undertones, as well as hints of spice, dark fruit like dates and a Winter-Ale-like pine.

The taste has a thickness and flavour almost like chocolate syrup, with the dark fruit and a taste of what I can best describe as damp wood coming through, along with a nicely-balanced bitterness. There is a slight trace of green tea in the aftertaste, like other beers from this brewery.

I find the Ruby Red Ale feels thick on the tongue, almost bready. I'm surprised at the richness of this beer despite its ABV percentage.

This is a rather nice Fall / Winter beer, but I wouldn't have more than two in a sitting.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2011 20:22:47 | More by bryehn

soulgrowl

United Kingdom (England)

4.2/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

More of a garnet red, methinks. Head is creamy, sandy, fleeting. Aroma is big on sherry, fresh pine, maple leaves, darkish honey, and herbs. A bit of pear in there as well. Tangy bitterness dominates the flavor, with citrus and wildflower notes, backed up by a roasty base of wood, coffee, oversteeped tea, and berries. Like drinking the English countryside, if you'll pardon the pretense.

Really a nice beer, nothing particularly exceptional, just good, well-articulated flavors in a balanced, deliciously drinkable ale. One for all seasons.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2010 19:51:50 | More by soulgrowl

Tonygleeson

Australia

3.78/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Drunk on the couch while watching 'Mad Max 2'

Serving; Pint Glass

A/ A rich ruby red, true to it's name, oddly white head that quickly dissipates however it leaves just one last layer for quite some time.

S/ Large golding hop aroma with a subtle malt undertone, pine with a burnt timber backing.

T/ Mild bitterness with a sweet back palate. Some subtle chocolate biscuits with that pine needle taste coming back.

M/ Moderately carbonated however the bitterness holds for quite some time.

D/ Drinks well for a single (500mL) serving. Food wise; Cheese platter, I recommend fetta, with subtle dried fruits, figs, quince paste.

Overall this beer does well I almost falls into the hopped amber category.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2010 14:19:29 | More by Tonygleeson

thierrynantes

France

3.35/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Beer bottle (50 cl.), tasted in 2010.

Appearance : ruby colour, with white foam minor head.
Smell : malt and caramel aromas.
Taste and mouthfeel : spicy flavours, with a long bitter finish.
Drinkability : an average beer in the style English bitter.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2010 17:15:01 | More by thierrynantes

pootz

Ontario (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

1/2 liter oval bottle. Fairly fresh.

Pours a hazed copper-red ale in the glass with a decent 2 finger tight cap that laces up the glass well. Soft carbonation.

Aroma is very pleasant..fruity ( cherry or grape skins) with some hay and slight whisp of sweet grains.

Moderate body, silken mouth feel, pronounced malt spine with a fruity-resinous character.

Up front the malt is there in spades...it's a rich toasty amber malt with a slight caramel character, then the the tart fruitiness (berry and citrus) rush the palate joined shortly by a piercing resinous hopping that builds to the lightly bitter finish.

What a great ale..well made, quenching, flavorful, approachable and satisfying world class red bitter. I wish I could get this all the time.

Serving type: on-tap

04-30-2010 01:12:50 | More by pootz

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Ruby Red is misleading; Sunkist amber, or grapefruit juice, is more like it. It doesn't sparkle much like a ruby either, the beer has little shine; its colour is monotone and appears washed out. Its surface is almost without even a trim, the few veins of carbonation arrange in such a way as to appear like dried-out flesh at the center of a halved orange.

Grapefruit, orange... those come up in the aroma as well, albeit quite subtly. Styrian Goldings, as it were, impart a lightly herbaceous kind of leafiness, one with earthy, tea-leave like overtones. The malts, for their part, seem a doughie pillow of biscuits, fresh out the oven. Taken in together, they make a more than adequate distraction for the nose.

My perceptions may be dangerously off the mark, but St. Peter's ales always seem to me to be overly abrupt, coarse, jarring and well, frankly, almost crude. It's something in the water, high mineral content, likely. There seems a dissonance between the beer's chewy, biscuity malts, its suggestively fruity hops and its brisk, rasping water profile.

It's too bad this discordance; the flavour is rather pleasant. Along with unsweetened iced tea, it showcases grapefruit juice - heavily watered down - with a spritz of chamomile, wild honey, watermelon and maybe a dash of Hungarian paprika. Sure, it leaves something to be desired but I don't feel too hard done by, especially being handed a full pint of it.

Living on this side of the Atlantic, St. Peter's will never be my favourite brewery. Granted, they make an impressive array of fairly decent, albeit pedestrian, offerings that would likely be real treats if available fresh, local and on cask. Ruby Red, however, like seemingly all this brewery's offerings, shows that conventional beer is rarely all that colourful.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2010 02:09:30 | More by biegaman

DerBayer

Germany

2.85/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This beer is actually ruby red against the light but chestnut otherwise. Thin lacing remains when the head goes down...

Smell is of rich malts first and some bitter and noble hops with some persistent bitterness.

Taste is some malt upfront followed by lots of hops - not bad but a bit unbalanced

Mouthfeel is good but the aftertaste is too dry to be really enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2010 21:04:06 | More by DerBayer

MeisterBurger

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a ruddy brown with a frothy, rocky peach-colored head, and lumpy lacing. Laces respectably.

The aroma is nice, consisting of caramel malt, sweet, mild brown sugar, earthy hops, very sweet and inviting. Smells more like a Scottish ale in its maltiness.

The taste is similar, only slightly tart, like orange zest. Caramel and toasty/bready malts, graininess, a crisp spicy bitterness, with sultanas and very clean and herbal hops and chalkiness lingering in the aftertaste.

The mouthfeel is medium with a decent amount of carbonation. It's almost creamy.

Overall a decent, well made beer and one worth repeating. Too bad this only comes in a gift pack in Ontario or I might buy more.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2009 03:23:38 | More by MeisterBurger

malmquna

France

4.18/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours almost flat from the bottle, some bubbles cling to the glass and form a slight lace of a head. Color is golden brown with a distinct red hue when held up to the light.

Smells initially of fresh hops, followed by a sweet roasted malt aroma reminiscent of molasses. Hops appear first in the mouth (Styrian Goldings according to the bottle), followed by mild roasted malt, then a solid back-of-the-mouth bitter hop finish. All flavors marry well and result in a well-balanced mouthfeel.

This is a very nice example of a well-hopped red ale. It would hold up to any standard pub fare and would be good for a couple of rounds alone, but the hop finish might beg a changeup after that.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2009 18:19:05 | More by malmquna

Macca

Australia

3.6/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This pours a, yes you guessed it, ruby red colour with a centimetre of beige head which drops away to leave some patchy covering. Clear.

A very pleasant maltiness dominates the aroma. A little hoppiness as well.

A great hoppy bitterness gives you a whack in the mouth. The maltiness takes a back seat.

Medium bodied with a lean drying sensation.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2009 08:55:47 | More by Macca

THEMGG

Australia

3.85/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into my Unibroue Tulip, i love the St Peters 'Granpa's ole medicine bottle' presentation.

A - Poured a reasonable head of about 1 finger, lace is quite thin and fast. Colour of copper to red, but against the light it has an orange hue shining through.

S - Malt's coming through at first, toasted, biscuit, maybe some amber, hint's of fruit in the backround, hops giving a subtle spicy, herby aroma.

T - Same as the aroma, the malt's I can taste are toasted, biscuit, amber, carared. The malts last for a second then the bitter comes through with a spicy, herb like taste, slight medicine taste's at the last stage of the bitter, but I might be talking myself into it due to the shape of the bottle. I like the water St Peter's uses, it seems to accentuate the hops in a way that seems different to a lot of other English Breweries. Mild fruit tastes come through, tart, berrylike flavours, very subtle.

M - Smooth, a little oily, doesn't hang around for ever in the mouth.

D - I could definitely have a few of these in a row, the finish of the hop bitterness might get a bit much after a while, but right now I wish i had about 2 more bottles to go with my dinner! This beer is quite well balanced and is certainly on my list of beers to drink more of.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2009 08:11:59 | More by THEMGG