Newcastle Werewolf - The Caledonian Brewery Company Limited

womencantsail

California

2.3/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A: The pour is a clear light brown color with a finger of off-white head.

S: A surprisingly roasty aroma. Lots of toasted malts with a definite nuttiness (though the nuts seem somewhat burnt). Light grass aromas with some hints of toffee. There is a bit of a butter note, however.

T: Caramel, toffee, and lots of roasted malt. It's quite bitter and quite buttery. Lightly fruity (raisins, perhaps) with a definite grass flavor. Really not a good combination on the palate.

M: Very light in body, in fact, watery, with medium carbonation.

O: The nose started off okay, but once the butter crept in, it was all over.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2011 05:05:15 | More by womencantsail

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.5/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Appearance: Pours a deep, ruby-brown body with excellent clarity and a tall, foaming, sand dollar-colored head.

Smell: Nutty, toasty malts with a soured rye accent, followed by berry skins, moistened cardboard, clothes one forgot to remove from the washer and place in the drier. I'm rather stymied here, folks.

Taste: Regular Newcastle with a bit more nutty, toasty, scantly roasty with an oddly harsh astringent quality hitting fairly fast. Curious dried berry taste lurking in there, as are some metallic offerings, some corrugated paper board. Slight bitterness, but then there's that questionable fruitiness, a bit of table sugar on the tongue, then the crackly carbonation comes and rescrambles the mish-mash of dumpy tastes all over the tongue. Ick.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium-plus carbonation.

Overall: Well, I wasn't expecting much at all, merely hoping for something drinkable, like the bland standard-issue Newcastle, but this is actually quite unpleasant. I didn't even finish it!

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 21:25:12 | More by ChainGangGuy

UCLABrewN84

California

3.55/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear reddish brown with a 2 inch puffy light tan head that settles to a small cap. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of a dark bread that is baked with berries in the dough. Taste is of malt, slight berries, and a bitter hop flavor on the finish. The bitterness is fleeting on the tongue. A lower level of carbonation with a smooth mouthfeel and a slight crispness. Overall, this is a pretty good brown ale from the Newcastle brand. I had never seen this one before so I picked up a single to try but I wouldn't get this one again.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 00:05:27 | More by UCLABrewN84

oberon

North Carolina

3.78/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A new fall offering from Newcastle that I hadnt heard of or saw before.Poured a brilliant deep ruby infused brown with a thick creamy off white head atop,the head settles slowly leaving multiple rings of lace as it did.Big fruity esters along with caramel biscuit malt,the rye doesnt seem to come thru but the aromas are deeply malty and somewhat complex.Full on English malt flavors with fruit and biscuit flavors,the rye adds a little acidic zing in the finish.I admit Iam surprised at how good this beer was,the malt complexity really stands out.

The fall seasonals are coming out way to early in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 01:08:22 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Following a disappointing experience with Newcastle's Founder's Ale, I wasn't sure of what to expect from their "Werewolf Blood Red Ale", other than a gimmicky beer for Halloween. I'd bought an entire case of the Founder's Ale hoping for the best, but this time opted for a single serving to test the waters. Fortunately, I found the Werewolf to be a much better beer all around.

It was similar in a way to the Founder's, although darker in color, with a nice bit of caramel and toast, and some underlying roasted notes. Actually, now that I think about it, it was more like a variation of their Newcastle Brown! The hops were grassy and gently floral, with just enough to give it some character, and there was a pleasant berry-like fruitiness threaded through the bready maltiness that kept coming and going, but always lingering in the finish. Unlike their Founder's Ale, it wasn't an unbalanced assault of bitterness atop sweet maltiness, but rather a focused combination. That's not to say that it didn't have a bitter side, because it was quite firm, but it never stepped beyond the limitations that the malt could offer to balance it.

Overall it was a pleasant ale with enough character to keep it interesting beyond a single serving, but also accessible enough for most anyone accustomed to a fuller flavored ale with a bit of bite. Worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 14:46:30 | More by NeroFiddled

zeff80

Missouri

3.55/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured out a clear, dark burgundy color with a one-finger, off-white head of foam. It left thin rings of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled malty and slightly earthy/grassy.

T - It tasted fairly malty with caramel and toffee flavors. Some slightly grassy bitterness.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A light to medium bodied ale with a dry finish.

O - This is an okay Irish red ale. Fairly typical for a Newcastle brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 02:23:04 | More by zeff80

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This poured out as a brownish red color with a cream colored head on top. The head settles and doesn't leave a lacing or much retention behind. The smell of the beer is malty with some grainy aromas. Not much in the way of hops in here. Earthy is one way to describe the smell. The taste had a light roasted note with some caramel sweetness. The mouthfeel of this beer is smooth, moderately carbonated and drinkable. Overall it's not a terrible beer but not te best either.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 02:11:09 | More by Knapp85

Billolick

New York

3.18/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 ounce bottle, lacks bottling/freshness info

Pours clear, reddish amber. Larger and lasting medium tan head, film, collar and decent low sheeting and strands of higher lace.

Nose shouts SWEET, with vanilla, perfumed fruits and caramel malts.

Thin and watery, waves of caramel, honey and some vanilla. Ehh really not anything much going on here. I'd marinate chicken or pork in this stuff, of course cuz of the sweetness, but as far as drinking more then this one bottle? Not likely....

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 01:25:27 | More by Billolick

Zorro

California

3.45/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

From the bottle: "What better way to toast the fall than to have a bottle of this formidable, dual character brew. At first, smooth with mellow overtones of sweet berry fruit, a bite of bitterness suddenly cuts through, long, deep and lingering. Brewed with rye malt, it is naturally ‘blood red’ in color. Unlike the mythical wolf-like creature said to roam the bleak moorland surrounding Newcastle, this is real, so consider yourself warned!"

Despite what the bottle says we have clear light brown colored ale with a healthy white colored head. It isn't "Blood Red" by any measure of the color red and or bloody. You might be able to call this color red but there is no such thing as "English Red Ale."

Smell is strongly malty with a hefty aroma of yeast and bread. Lesser scents of butter and grass with a fairly strong Rye aroma. Very mild herbal hop aroma but this is a malt beer not a hop beer.

Starts out malty with a strong berries and yeast flavor. Quite a bit fruitier than Newcastle Brown Ale, strong flavor of BPA yeast. Mildly sweet with medium bitterness level, this might fit the classification of a Bitter a little bit. Taste fairly buttery near the end of the glass.

Mouthfeel is Medium with a high level of carbonation.

Overall this is a nicely drinkable ale. One thing I would change is back the carbonation level down a notch.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2011 01:18:03 | More by Zorro

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

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

A dark copper and red appearance, plenty of brown in it, sturdy brown too, not the flimsy brown of their flagship brew. Aroma imparted some of that usual malt aroma from something described as an Irish red ale, it has that soggy wood and red ale thing going for it.

Taste, mild, smooth and red. Requisite mentions of toffee and caramel, a hop presence almost entirely devoid in the entire experience of consumption. English yeast is all over it. Its still got that trademark thinness of a Newcastle beer, although I tend to notice all their seasonals tend to be a little more robust that their brown ale, although still a little thin compared to other beers in the same style.

Overall, I found this to be rather bland and boring, but never bad. Pretty much fits the 'average' definition all around.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 18:14:44 | More by Beerandraiderfan

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear coppery colour with a thin whitish cap, good head retention with a lot of streak lacing. The aroma was your basic English character, malty, caramel, earthy hops. Bitterness was balanced, fruity and malty flavour, slightly nutty and a bit buttery. Medium to light bodied with lowish carbonation, decent texture. Pretty easy drinking and worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

10-23-2011 02:37:59 | More by DrJay

Brad007

Vermont

3.73/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Corny name. Not what I expected from Newcastle. Still, gotta try it!

Pours a color that's more brown than read. There's only a touch of red anywhere. The head is nice though.

Somewhat sweeter malt profile but otherwise, not much to go by aroma-wise.

Caramel is a prominent texture here. Chewy. Definitely not the brown ale.

Ditto on mouthfeel. Nothing special.

What was the point? It's not tasty enough.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 02:18:48 | More by Brad007

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +22%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Newcastle Werewolf

Look: Reddish copper colored ale. Excellent clarity and vibrant hue. White head forms and recedes to the edges.

Smell: Notes of barley, caramel, toffee and floral hops round out the nose.

Taste: Butterscotch, toffee, caramel, brown sugar, nuts and chocolate are all present on the palate; a testament of a finely malted brew. A touch of mildly acidic, grassy, lemony hop is also employed. Malt forward, with a fine balance.

Feel: Light to medium bodied, well carbonated, with malt and a kiss of hops lingering into the finish.

Overall: A fine malty session ale. Plenty of flavor and easily drinkable. This is the kind of brew you can drink for hours at a pub and not get into too much trouble. Would be a fine companion for a steak and potatoes type meal.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 00:37:17 | More by Stinkypuss

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this at Anthony's served chilled in a nonic.
The color is deep bronze/garnet with a translucent clarity and thin white cap.

The smell is very fruity with a plum aroma and currant vinous odor with slight spice and gentle dark grape acidity apparent in the nose

The feel is good w/ toasty texture and moderately carbonated with slight tinge of spice with mild earthy dry and moderate bitter finish. The taste is good with some roasted coffee nuttiness and light spice tinges with mild earthy notes and light woody aspect with yeasty flavor and mild tinge of pepper. The overall impression was a nice mix of flavors, but basic red ale with drinkable overall quality

Serving type: on-tap

11-21-2012 17:19:34 | More by Slatetank

Tone

Missouri

2.65/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a clear, amber color. 3/4 inch head of an off-tan color. Good retention and slight lacing. Smells of pale malt, slight sweet malt, hint of roasted malt, and hint of tartness. Barely fits the category of an Irish Red Ale. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of sweet malt, slight pale malt, hint of hops, hint of rice, hint of liquor, hint of tartness, and a hint of sugar. Overall, off-putting aroma and body, but decent feel and blend.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 13:12:26 | More by Tone

kylehay2004

Florida

3.53/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: single finger head with some lacing on a clear amber body.

S: strong cola presence, caramel and some mild dark fruit, mostly plum, raisin and fig.

T: definitly pick up on the caramel malt base familiar to standard newcastle brown. Some chcoolate, mostly late in the flavor

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: its different from the standard, mostly sweeter. wouldnt rush out to buy this one though.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 00:59:14 | More by kylehay2004

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.03/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

palatable, but it kinda sucks. the pour is nice enough, presenting itself as a dusty amber to copper bodied beer, with more than an inch of huge bubbled airy head. the nose is weak street, extracty malts that dont quite fit the red or the amber ticket, and have a not natural sort of sweetness. the flavor agrees, sweet throughout, with more of an irish malt flavor makign a short appearance in the middle, but with brown and residual weird sugar occupyaing the rest of the taste spectrum. i liked its relaxed feel, but i thought the carbonation wasnt quite forward enough, and the body felt heavy without it, where it might have otherwise been a rounded medium. the packaging was gimmicky, the beer tasted past its prime, and frankly it just didnt taste that good, or like what it purporter to be. not god awful, but you cand find something better on the shelf or in the cooler, trust me.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 05:28:13 | More by StonedTrippin

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.08/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On tap at Buffalo Wild Wings into a Newcastle glass.

A: Clear, brilliant russet body under a fine cap of tan foam. Great lacing. Quite nice.

S: Stone fruits and crystal malts. Sweet and a bit boring.

T: Sweet, nutty malt dominates, with some assertively herbal hop bitterness on the finish.

M: Light body, lots of creamy carbonation. All right.

O: Tastes like extra-bitter Newcastle. I wasn't exactly clamoring for that.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

10-07-2012 20:08:11 | More by woosterbill

tdm168

North Carolina

3.33/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark copper brown with a half inch of foamy head. Smells of faint caramel and hops. Taste is smooth caramel malt and quite nutty. Mouthfeel is smooth, rich, and medium bodied.

This is soo much better than regular Newcastle. I'm glad I tried it, but I'm not sure I'd go back for more.

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2011 03:38:22 | More by tdm168

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I found this one for a dollar at my House of 1,000 beers. Poured into a pint glass.

A - A head that never seems to quick with pretty sweet lacing. Color is not of a "blood red" more of a dark amber brown.
S - Mild skunky lager yeast meets some sweet caramel malts and a touch of biscuit.
T - I get some sweeter malts pushing more toward the flavoring of vanilla or caramel and some mild skunked hops in a lager style finish with some toasted bread. Not bad for a "sessional"
M - Light to medium on par with the style.
Overall I have had better Irish Red ales but anything is worth trying for a buck.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 01:46:50 | More by DrDemento456

flagmantho

Washington

3.4/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from 12oz bottle into a dimpled mug. ABV is 4.5% according to the label.

Appearance: medium amber-brown hue with a haze-free body and a thin layer of frothy white foam atop. Not bad.

Smell: sweet malt aroma which is caramelly, nutty and a little bit toasty. Good, but unfortunately there's a bit of a plasticy aroma here which detracts a bit from the otherwise stylistically-accurate bouquet.

Taste: nutty, toasty and biscuity malt with a mild bitterness and no hop flavor. Not bad, but I don't love it.

Mouthfeel: light body with a decent carbonation. It's a bit more prickly than creamy, but that is OK.

Overall: not a bad beer, but the brewers went a direction that I don't love. That said, it's a very drinkable beer. It appears I rated this beer high above the average; I think that has to do with rating to style. For the style it is not bad; for my own palate, I don't love it.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 19:53:09 | More by flagmantho

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.51/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has an amber color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is strong with caramel and malts. Taste is mild compared to the smell. Some malts and caramel, a hint of hops are present, kind of light. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a decent beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 12:25:43 | More by tone77

KarlHungus

Minnesota

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

This beer pours a clear amber color. The head is one inch in height, and recedes slowly into thin lacing. The aroma is of caramel and toffee, but is quite faint. The taste is similar to the aroma, but a little less faint. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a smooth texture, and moderate carbonation. Overall, this is a decent beer. However, it is on the weaker side for the style, and lacks any sort of complexity.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2011 00:44:42 | More by KarlHungus

ehammond1

California

3.2/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 3

Bottle

Thanks for the gift, DarthKostrizer!

Clear amber and light brown with a very thin, nearly non-existent khaki colored head that eventually leaves lines of lacing down the glass.

The aroma consists of toast, perhaps slightly burned, table bread, and an earthy, grassy hop character.

The flavor follows the nose but is more bitter than I would have imagined. The hops are quite earthy, and there's just a bit of bready sweetness.

The biggest detractor to this beer its its mouthfeel--it's very thin with low carbonation and somewhat metallic. Watery.

Average, I suppose.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 01:32:17 | More by ehammond1

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.68/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a 12-pack of bottles at a local bottle shop, and poured into a tumbler pint. The beer pours a ruby highlighted, copper coloring that is bright and vibrant, with a slow bubbling of carbonation. The head starts out pretty massive, as the beer pours with a ton of foam. An early three inches of foaming, frothy, off-white colored head eventually settles out into a dense, thin film. Good cling along the glass as the beer goes down. Supersweet nose of malt, nut, and plum/raisin. The beer has a smooth, rich flavor profile that comes through initially with hazelnut sweetness and a slight roasted coffee bitter to blend. Dark fruit highlights throughout the brew's flavors, with a wine-like character, as well. The aftertaste is mostly the wine and dark fruit characteristics from the end of the taste spectrum, and the finish is slow to clear, but clears completely. Interesting brew, and not too shabby. I'm not crazy about it, but it's something I would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 03:26:43 | More by GarthDanielson