River Ale - Berkshire Brewing Company Inc.

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.53/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Cheers to ppotrias for this one!

Pours a semi-hazed orange/caramel with 3 fingers of cream colored head. Above average head retention & lacing

S: Caramel & biscutty malt

T: Caramel, herbal & lemon hops, plus biscuitty malt up front. Nice fruittyness (plums, figs, cherries & other dark fruit) & intense cakeyness with Christmas pudding notes, plus toffee once warm. Finishes with some vanilla, some dryness, & loads more dark fruit & a touch of leafy hops

MF: Chewy with low, but useful carbonation. Superior balance. with a great malt backbone

Despite the heft, this dangerously drinkable. Don't cross the river if you cant swim the tide! Luckily I'm an alright swimmer, stellar strong ale!

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2008 05:05:47 | More by russpowell

dbalsock

Vermont

4.55/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

App: Pours a great dark amber hue with an off white head. There's good head retention, minimal lacing.

Smell: Cramel with bready notes. It's a very malty beer, but everything balances well with no harsh dark malts. There's a low hop aroma.

Taste: Molasses comes out on the tounge with a a subtle hop aftertaste that mixes with the essence of alcohol well. Other flavors are biscuit and caramel.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, sweet and medium bodied. The most important part is the crisp for me. Because it's a very malty beer, the crispness gives an incredible balance to it.

Drinkability: This is the best strong ale I've had yet, largely due to the lack of over powering bittering hops and dark malts.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2008 15:29:31 | More by dbalsock

currysage1

Maine

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a great chestnut brown with red tints from a 22 oz. bomber. Head had small tight bubbles, rising to a nice inch thickness. A little darker than cream, it quickly fell to a good coating that is to heavy to be called lacing. Head remained through most of the tasting. Good coating of sediment left in the bottom of the bottle. No brewed on or enjoy by date present.

Smell consisted of a slighly alcoholic, fully ripened banana, with some malt drizzled on top. (You know the ones that are really banged up and tasty)

Taste I have to say is overwhelmingly that of a banana mixed with cream and malt. Great malting, slight hop body. For me this is better because I prefer more malt and less hop. But for the sake of reviewing this impartially I would say just a bit more hop just for balance would be nice.

Mouthfeel is outstanding, nice and silky, one of the best beers I've had in this category. Hit me right in the middle of my tongue to start, then moved to the back and sides for the hops.

Drinkability wise I liked it very much, I'm not sure if I would want any more than this one, but I will definately be revisiting this one again.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2008 03:32:13 | More by currysage1

jbsteiny

Hawaii

4.13/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured a cloudy reddish-brown with 1 cm of off-white thick head. Fair retention. Attractive.

Smelled of rich malts (caramel, chocolate), dried dark fruit (raisins, currants), and grain. I wrote that it was reminiscent of an Aventinus (which I'd had the night before). Tasted on the sweet side, but it's a strong ale -- it's allowed. Some herbal hops, but mostly fruit, malt, and grain flavors. Certainly warming alcohol presence. Somewhat dry finish keeps it from being cloying.

A very tasty beer from BBC for any malthead -- probably my new fav from one of my favorite New England breweries. I was actually surprised to read on the site that it's only 7% (they don't list the ABV on the bottle) -- from the taste, I thought it would be more. A delicious warmer to have on hand, especially in this season, but I prefer to split this bomber with a friend!

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2007 05:05:22 | More by jbsteiny

Brad007

Vermont

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark brown color with a very, very thin head if any. Aroma is nice and malty upfront. Taste is much of the same except there's a nice raisin/currant taste upfront. A second sip confirms a bold maltiness that dances on the tongue (fancy words but it's true). Aftertaste has a lot of raisin and malt and not a lot of bitterness to be found.

It's definitely strong but not in the sense that I expected. It reminds me of Arrogant Bastard but with the exception that there's a different character to it. The alcohol is never too overwhelming and allows the other flavors to come through.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2007 03:12:04 | More by Brad007

plaid75

New York

3.98/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a deep copper hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was decent retention and good lacing.

The smell featured a solid cereal grain aroma with elements of sweet caramel.

The taste was also robust and sweet with cereal grains and caramel malt. Hints of dark fruits detected. Some earthy hops kept the sweetness in check.

The mouthfeel was of average fullness for the style, which is, of course, on the fuller side.

Overall a tasty and well balanced strong ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2007 03:03:34 | More by plaid75

Dopplebock

Rhode Island

4.18/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

I feel that this is a very under-rated beer from the BBC. Brownish-Amber in color with minimal lacing. Like most strong ales, the alcohol is very apparent in this beer. The sweet, toasted malt character of the beer is enhanced by hidden flavors of dark fruit. One can draw similarities between this style and the belgian strong ales. I believe that the American Strong Ale is a slightly subdued version. For beer drinkers that want a local favorite, give River Ale a try! Behind the coffee house porter, this is probably my favorite offering by the Berkshire Brewing Company.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2007 04:16:24 | More by Dopplebock

Wasatch

Utah

3.85/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks goes out to goodbyeohio for this brew.

Pours a brownish color, nice carbonation, nice little creamy off-white head, some nice sticky lacing follows. The nose is sweet, malty, with a lot of caramel. The taste is sweet/malty, and some caramel. Medium body. Drinkable, this is a nice tasty ASA, but it just does not have the kick of other ASAs. Recommended though.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2007 01:31:54 | More by Wasatch

tgbljb

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a hazy deep copper color with massive white foamy head. Good retention and perfect lacing.
Smell is a bit mild with some mild dark fruitiness present.
Taste is superb. There is a strong dark fruit malt presence. At the back end a mild bitterness does a perfect balancing act.
Finish is sweet and very refreshing.
What a surprise when I found out this beer was 7%. So easy to drink it is scary.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2007 22:13:22 | More by tgbljb

BattleRoadBrewer

Massachusetts

2.98/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served on tap at Bison County in Waltham in a pint tulip glass.

Appearance: aptly named River Ale. Slightly hazy, brown, indistinct foam on the top not really resembling a head of beer, negligible lacing.

Aroma: sweet and nutty, hint of toffee and spicy hops

Flavor: typical crystal malt, dull mouthfeel

Drinkability: didn't finish this one.

Serving type: on-tap

09-21-2007 17:50:16 | More by BattleRoadBrewer

eberkman

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep reddish brown with a thick white head that lasts a while before receding into a sheet. Leaves a decent amount of lacing. The nose is dominated by sweet, toasty, caramely malts and some alcohol. The taste is overwhelmingly sweet -- caramel, raisins, toffee, perhaps traces of chocolate and athe slightest hint of fruitiness before giving way to a hoppy twinge in the finish. This is a thick, syrupy, sticky brew with low carbonation. Drinkability is decent, but offset a little by the total richness and sweetness, which can become a little much after a while. No problem finishing a bomber, but definitely looking for something else next.

Overall a very good beer -- I'd be happy to have it again. I actually didn't know what style it was when I bought it and poured it -- actually until I came on here to punch in my comments. Seemed reminiscent of a Scottish Wee Heavy -- or possibly a pretty dark doppelbock -- to tell the truth.

Goes pretty badly with a spicy steak burrito (that was a mistake -- should have found out more about the beer ahead of time), but would certianly be nice to wind down with.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2007 22:33:14 | More by eberkman

brentk56

North Carolina

4.3/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Arrives at the bar with a cloudy ice tea brown color and a loong-lasting head that provides decent lacing

Smell: Modest caramel and chocolate with a fruity peach element

Taste: Caramel and milk chocolate up front with fruity flavors arriving mid-palate; a really interesting finish with herbal bitterness, banana and chocolate

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with soft carbonation

Drinkability: Rich with deep fruity flavors and a complex finish - excellent

Serving type: cask

08-02-2007 01:45:21 | More by brentk56

geexploitation

Indiana

3.33/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours relatively clear and dark brown, with a light head that leaves a ring of lace. The aroma is not terribly complex -- some nutty malts and spicy sweetness. It reminds me of a doppelbock, or maybe a weizenbock made with American yeast. On the palate, initial sweetness gives way to thick, molasses and savory spice flavors, with an increasingly nutty, very sweet finish. Mouthfeel is very thick and a bit viscous, with minimal carbonation. Overall, this beer is OK, but it doesn't have a hook -- there's no one thing that's special about this beer. Still, it's drinkable and tasty enough.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2007 03:48:27 | More by geexploitation

JasonA

Massachusetts

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

I gave this Strong Ale a solid 4 due to its impressive cloudy (almost unfiltered) appearance. Solid brown, little head, some lacing.

Smells malts, some ABV. Im looking forward to this. Maybe some citrus, and bread.

Yummy. Malty, but not too malty. Smooth, yet some ABV to spice it up. Not a full bodied ale, but overall a solid choice.

Sits well. Nothing impressive. Down good. The ABV is not overpowering at all.

Overall a wonderfull, yet not overly impressive beer selection. Im happy to have this local fresh selection. I will definately have this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2007 21:56:14 | More by JasonA

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.4/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a mug glass.

A: The beer is a bright reddish brown color with a short off-white head that fades at a decent rate and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is a well-blended combination of creamy chocolate, dark fruit, roasted malt and a good amount of hops.

T: The malty taste starts out with the same creamy chocolate flavor that you get in the smell, but it’s not overdone. Following up are light but complimentary flavors of dark fruit, some spice and a mild hops presence. The after-taste is slightly sweet. Despite being an ale, this one tastes a lot like a Dopplebock.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, slightly sticky finish.

D: Very tasty, goes down quite easily, slightly filling but there’s no trace of the 7.00% ABV. I had wanted to try this beer for a while and then had it at a tasting about a month ago. Even after the tasting, I wasn’t quite sure how much I would like it, but I gave BBC the benefit of the doubt because they haven’t steered me wrong yet. It was a wise decision, because I liked this beer a lot.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2007 03:17:24 | More by TheManiacalOne

jmz62565

Connecticut

3.63/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear dark mahogony with a medium head with no lacing. Not bad color,but the head is smallish and there's no lacing hurting the rating. The smell is abit weak with sweet malt and some "bisquity" aromas. The taste is all sweet malt and some carmel. the alcohol is very well hidden. It's a very sweet beer,it's good,but it's really nothing special. The m/f is medium with all flavors mixing OK. Not a bad beer,but you better like malt.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2007 22:48:38 | More by jmz62565

mcarroll10177

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a BBC pint glass

A- dark carmel brown, but with very little head just a hint of carbination

S- malts and some alcohol

T- very very sweet malts almost like a candy sweetness, which I did not really like. The alcohol was very well disguised.

M- thinner than I would have liked with very little carbination

D- this is a smooth easy drinker considering its 7% ABV, but the candy like sweetness was too much for me and it lacked the refreshment that I expect.

Overall a disappointment from my favorite brewery

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2006 12:38:05 | More by mcarroll10177

NEhophead

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

1 pt 6 fl oz brown bottle.
No best before date notched.

Pours a murky maple in color. Half-inch, creamy off-white head that lasts as a whispy sheet with pools of bubbles. Thin and spotted lacing with a decent hold.

Sweet caramel and toffee malts; hints of fruity esters: apple, lemon, and plum. Caramelized brown sugar.

Semi-sweet toasted malt character; big wheat and grain presence that is rather clean. A background of fresh fruit: apple, grape, cherry, plum; all of which aren't tart at all. Hints of alcohol lead to the aftertaste of semi-sweet brown sugar, fruit, and wheat.

Almost full in body; smooth, near creamy on the palate. A nice balance of malt and hops.

A pleasasnt offering with nice qualities, but rather reserved in terms of flavor and abv %, when I think of a 'Strong Ale'.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2006 21:02:07 | More by NEhophead

bigone4

Rhode Island

3.68/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I love this brew around striper season on the Ct River. Mixes great for a Guiness Black and Tan. I landed a nice 33" Striper weighting in at 16lbs this season. It pours a dark cloudy red amberish hue, Thick and meaty brew. Strong malt flavor with a great sweetness. Brown sugar with some molasses smoky mapelish flavor. Has a nice hop mix in there with the malt trails. Mouth feel is very thick and full, big chewy full malty robust feel to it. Nice offering of a strong ale. I never try to let a brew so true to style get by my taste buds and this one says alot. This is a great beer! I enjoyed the other reviews and I have to say BBC makes great brews and the River Ale is one of them. Get some and keep it for a rainy day. True to style and great taste, Way to brew a winner in my book.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2006 04:19:48 | More by bigone4

edmundfitzoil

Florida

3.78/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Berkshire Brewing Company's River Ale, thanks to BA goodbyeohio, poured from a 22 oz. brown glass bottle with freshness or best by date anywhere on the label or body and poured into a standard pint glass.

The beer poured an amber with gold edges and a finger and a half of briliant white head of heavy bubbled white head that retained fairly well and left thin white bubbles. The nose was surprisingly vanilla and oaky with a hoppy spice in the background. River Ale tasted mellow and warming with a malt presence that reminded me of a decent barley wine and a slight, almost unpresent, hop presence. No alcohol taste anywhere in the drinking. This a drinkable, but undistinguished - I was expectin more hops, for I believe Arrogant or Double Bastard to be the standards of the style, but a still very, very drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2006 06:05:23 | More by edmundfitzoil

akahn

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Bought a quarter-barrel for a little end-of-school-year celebration.

Pours a murky red-orange color with a lasting off-white head.

Sweet malt aroma, a hint of wheat, a hint of alcohol. Flavor is rich, sweet, definite fermented wheat notes. When it's a bit colder, a hop edge shows up at the finish. Sweet, but an interesting sweetness, fairly balanced.

Medium to full body. Mild carbonation. Very drinkable. This beer was a crowd-pleaser despite the strength of alcohol and full, tasty flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

05-21-2006 04:22:44 | More by akahn

lpayette

Vermont

4.08/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 oz. Bomber

Appearance- pours a crystal clear dark copper on the first half of the pour. When I poured the rest into my 23oz pint class the yeast clouded it up big time. I was pleasantly surprised by the color- looked better without the yeast, but was interesting to see how much it changed.

Smell- Sweet, medium amber malt, some chocolate/dark malt, tart apples, fruity alcohol.

Taste and Mouthfeel- Tingly, slightly alcohol fruityness up front (banana), quickly followed by some smooth maltyness (that reminds me of an alt). A hint of apples is evident throughout.

I was taken by surprise by this beer. The label told me: "this is going to be boring." Just goes to show you to not judge a beer by its label. Had no clue that this was an american strong ale either as there is little information on the label. Adding the yeast into the beer mellowed it out quite a bit, as the banana flavors really come through and mask some of the fruity alcohol esters and reduce the corresponding tingling sensations.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2006 06:29:53 | More by lpayette

3Vandoo

Quebec (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep ruby robe, good foamy head, her smell is hoppy followed by malted flavours, very floral aromatized hops.

Her taste is hoppy at first, floral hops, followed by a malted finish and a spicy cherry whole.

Not a bad brew, but not typical of the style..

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2006 23:07:58 | More by 3Vandoo

Hagbard

Connecticut

3.78/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

BBC's River Ale is a strong robust beer that pours a hazy dark brown capped with a fairly thick white head. It is murky, like a river that's running low. It smells a bit like mollases with a distinct alcoholic twinge. There is a nice malty base supporting everything. The taste is interesting and complex. Loaded with brown sugar, molasses, alcohol, and finishing with a hoppy bitterness. Throughout, there is huge malty base that imparts a nice sweetness that never becomes cloying. It's a great tasting beer, the only fault is that the alcohol is too hot and harsh, especially for only 7%. The mouthfeel is nice and chewy and seems appropriately full. The drinkability is good. This is a nice beer to be sure, one that I'll definitely be revisiting.

I have 2 complaints about the packaging of this beer. First, the best buy before date was not notched. At 7% and bottle-conditioned, this probably isn't much of an issue. Still, it's frustrating to see the dates, but not a notch. Secondly, the label makes no mention of the strength or style of the beer. The picture of 2 guys rafting on a river made me buy it thinking it was a light, refreshing, maybe hoppy brew. I was a little disappointed when I opened it to find a 7% strong ale and not the refreshing brew I was expecting. This didn't affect my review of the beer itself, but I thought it was something I should mention.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2006 16:20:13 | More by Hagbard

Hibernator

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Berkshire Brewing Company River Ale
22 oz brown bottle
The freshness date is not notched on the side label
Served in a 20 oz tulip pint glass

Pours a hazy and murky brown with orange highlights on the bottom of the glass. Decent head on top, but the sticky, webbed lacings are worth noting.

Pleasant aroma of caramel malts and fruity pear notes. Mild hop whiffs with a touch of butter cream.

This is a very tasty brew and better than one might expect. Sweet brown sugar, caramel malts and toasted grain flavor. Slight orange fruitiness on the finish. The mouthfeel is incredibly soft and round. The drinkability level is exceptional. Nicely balanced and the carbonation level is modest. This beer goes down so easy and it's very deceiving at 7.0%. I have yet to be let down by a BBC product.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2005 22:54:08 | More by Hibernator