Newcastle Werewolf - The Caledonian Brewery Company Limited

socon67

New York

3.55/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a rusty brown with a reddish tint. White foam is highly carbonated and settles fast.

S - Scent of english malt is present. Very strong wood smell; like varnish. A subtle smell of plums is in the background.

T - A considerably malt-foward flavor. Has some flavor of caramel. Finish has a dry-hop flavor. Slight bitterness is balanced by the malt.

M - I didn't find this all that sessionable. The malty notes gave this a chalky feel that I felt was stuck in my mouth before I finished the bottle.

O - Interesting though not noteworthy beer. I'm more of a fan of a good ole' Newcastle Brown than this.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 01:52:07 | More by socon67

oldirtycaffrey

Virginia

3.35/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

This is a decent beer. Maybe best in small quantities. The appearance is very good -- sharp red color with a foamy inch and a half thick head that dissipates to a thin head over a normal amount of time. I can't tell if I like the smell or hate it honestly -- there's almost a nail polish aroma to it -- it's hard to smell the malt through the alcohol. The taste is solid -- a little bitter, malty, a bit of a bite to it, but nothing truly memorable in my opinion. I once tried a 2 oz. sample of it at a Total Wine & Beer and was impressed; 12 oz. though, a little less so.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 18:27:28 | More by oldirtycaffrey

zeff80

Missouri

3.55/5  rDev +10.6%
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

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.08/5  rDev -4%
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

tronester

Oklahoma

3.68/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear burnt orange with a thin creamy tan head. Hardly the "blood red" described on the package. Aroma of lightly toasted bread. The flavor starts with a spicy rye bread flavor, followed by some plums, then a hint of citrus fruit. An earthy, nutty finish. Clean bitterness to round things out. Mouthfeel is good, low carbonation. Overall quite a bit better than I expected, though the description on the bottle of the appearance was quite a bit off ;-)

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 23:01:38 | More by tronester

harpdog7

Illinois

3/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The bottle says "serve cool".

Follow this advice. When COLD, it is not outstanding. Seems a little harsh when cold.

Pour and let it warm up a bit. The beer comes into it's own when it gasses off a bit and comes to a slightly less than room temperature. It has a smoother balance and loses it's harshness.

I'd have to agree that it's more of a marketing gimmick than an unforgettable beer.

I don't love it, but it's a nice diversion.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 13:07:54 | More by harpdog7

LXIXME

New Mexico

3.05/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Big off white head eventually settles into a nice lacing above a clear reddish amber colored beer.

Sweet light caramel malts and some sort of Wylers fruit drink aroma.

Sweet, sweet caramel malts dominate with some light fruit juice taste coming through, not really sure if its grape or what but its there.

A dry almost puckering dry fruitish aftertaste on this medium light to medium bodied werewolf.

Seems to be a light washed out Chimay tasting drink, I really don't think I could drink a lot of these, well unless your buying.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 22:34:15 | More by LXIXME

flagmantho

Washington

3.4/5  rDev +5.9%
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

shand

Florida

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

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a nonic.

Newcastle Werewolf pours a brown-red color with a finger of head. Wet grain and earthy malts come through on the nose, with a touch of fruitiness. The taste is pretty good, it's got some fruitiness until the rye starts to cut through. The finish brings back the fruity flavor with a touch of the rye and some grain. The mouthfeel is lightly carbonated and drying, and the drinkability is good. Overall, this is pretty much the definition of good. There's nothing wrong with this beer, it tastes good, but there's absolutely no wow aspect here.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 00:14:46 | More by shand

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Deep amber/light brown body with a fizzy off-white head. I hate when a beer has a soda pop fizz. Too much carbonation. The nose holds loads of crusty malt (kind of reminds of the crusty bread malt from Ta Henket). Definitely a more roasty Newcastle Brown. Roasted and toasted malt dominate, almost making it dry. Theres even more dry crusty bread through the finish. I like how its different from the malt, but they just dont pull it off.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 01:09:30 | More by VncentLIFE

Fatehunter

Oregon

2.7/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a wide flute glass. Dark red color with a solid finger of head.
Rich smell of wet grain and ripe dark fruit.
Watery taste overall; bitterness tries to come out but fails. Meh.
Crisp texture, medium body with moderate carbonation.
It wants to be bold and flavorful, but it just doesn't happen. But it doesn't taste bad, just not great.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 19:48:49 | More by Fatehunter

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev +3.7%
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

brewskifan55

Mississippi

2.53/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a tulip glass

A: Light brown. Not much head that quickly dissipates to big bubbles. Very light lacing.

S: Soapy. Malt, bananas.

T: Eh. Chocolate. Nutty. Biscuity, caramel malts. A really strange finish, like root beer and tree bark.

M: Light. Low carbonation. A flat finish.

O: Not impressed. Really boring. This creature bit me, in a bad way. A drain pour.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2012 15:13:33 | More by brewskifan55

atr2605

New York

2.58/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A-pours a dark reddish brown with an off white head with average retention
S-pretty faint, some caramel, some fig, low hop aroma
T-Caramel is about the only thing that follows through, with some bitterness but the hops dont contribute much to the flavor. Definitely a little under powered
M-light-medium bodied
O-Very drinkable beer but not what I would call a red ale. I feel pretty similar about this as I do normal newcastle, if its there I will drink it but its not what I would seek out

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 22:42:15 | More by atr2605

diamondc

Texas

2.65/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Slighty reddish mahogany tint, some decent head and lacing.

S: Odd scent ... a mixture of ripe berries, gooey hot caramel, grape kool-aid.

T: Watery almost brown ale characteristics, slightly nutty, charred coffee, a bit minty on the aftertaste.

M: Meh... as I mentioned, watered-down. No where close to an Irish Red Ale as its listed here.

O: A mediocre beer. Avoid.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 04:20:32 | More by diamondc

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

3.2/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Newcastle Werewolf has a medium, cream-colored head and a clear, bubbly, copper appearance with a decent amount of lacing left behind. The aroma is odd: slightly-turned brown bread and berries. The flavor is of brown bread, a little bit of sweetness, some bitterness, and pecan shell. Mouthfeel is light and watery, and Newcastle Werewolf finishes easy-going, drinkable, and dull. There is not much too this beer, sadly. I rate it just average. Try it, and see what you think.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 14:46:38 | More by RonaldTheriot

kangarooAdam59

Wyoming

3.99/5  rDev +24.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Jimmy the Greek's, Old Orchard Beach, ME:

In a pint glass:

A: dark brown colored body yet had some clear maroon edges. A one finger off white head that died immediately into the body. No carbonation was seen rising and no lacing was left around the pint glass.

S: bready with a fruity sort of malt

T: fruity malt coming back fairly strong yet still had a decent roasty flavor.

M: light to medium and was mostly smooth. It was mostly drinkable.

O: this is a pretty good beer, good for me, good for the style. I would have this again.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 00:55:29 | More by kangarooAdam59

JamesMN

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Translucent dark brown/maroon. Bubbly eggshell white head.

Aroma: A clean bready smell. Pretty sweet in the nose with caramal/crystal malts, assuming this will be a very malty palate. Smells very similar to a Scotch or 90 Schilling Ale.

Taste: Lots of that sweet malt and breadyness from the nose here. Nothing mind-blowing but a decent example of the style. There's a moment in the finish where you almost get a roasted quality, but that feeling disappears too quickly. No hop presence or bitterness here(unless you count the dryness in the finish), however there is a peppery spice that lingers on your tongue that I think is evidence of the rye malt used in this one.

Mouthfeel: Effervescent but pretty smooth. Average drinkability. The peppery spice starts to get a little cloying after a while. Between light and medium in body.

Final Thoughts: For the style, Werewolf beats Killian's in my book. Newcastle has definitely put some work into this brew. Having said that, I don't think this is a beer worth seeking out or getting overly excited about. It's just an interesting seasonal release that pairs well with a cool autumn night.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 00:10:35 | More by JamesMN

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

3.08/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from 12 oz bottle into pint glass. Served chilled...

A) Nice red color, maybe a little brownish tone too. Good clarity... There was maybe a finger of soapy looking head to this, which settled quickly to a collar. No lacing...

S) Wine grapes and grape stems, light roast and grains. A pretty mild aroma overall.

T) Roasted malt, grains, light caramel sweetness. A bit of earthy/grassy hops on the close.

M) Lighter body with more carbonation than I would have liked. Pretty good drinkability from a mouthfeel standpoint.

O) Not bad, but not a Fall seasonal that I would seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 18:19:10 | More by RoamingGnome

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

3.93/5  rDev +22.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a standard pint glass.

The beer is a deep ruby/mahogany color. A dark cream colored head dissipates rapidly to a layer of bubbles. Very light lacing is present.

The beer smells roasted, toasty, and malty with a faint spiciness.

The taste is clouded by a metallic, sharp note at first that gives way to some roasted malts. There's a nice rich spicy body in this that I enjoy. In the end, a muted hop presence occurs.

Mouthfeel is bright, carbonated.

Overall, I like this one, because I do love Irish Reds. It's got some metallic carbonation in here that reminds me that it's not from a tiny craft brewer, but that's fine. Enjoyable red ale for me.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 16:22:37 | More by JuicesFlowing

kylehay2004

Florida

3.53/5  rDev +10%
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

acevenom

Louisiana

3.35/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass. Pours clear dark copper with a finger length light beige head that dissipates at a moderate pace. There are some tiny bubbles visible in the beer. The beer smells slightly bready and sweet from the malt with some grain husk type aroma I would expect from a cheaper beer. The beer does taste grainy with some sweetness from the malt. There are some hops on the back end, but not much. It's also a little watery. The body is light with moderate carbonation. The beer is smooth, but is not quite clean on the finish. The drinkability is solid. This is a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 23:59:57 | More by acevenom

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.58/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance –Pours a light brown color with a billowy two finger off white head. The head has very nice retention but fades over time to give a good level of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is sweet and roasted. It has a nice dark fruit aroma of cherry and some caramel as well as a roasted malt smell.

Taste – The taste starts roasty. There is a lighter sweetness associated with the front of the taste. The sweetness is mainly of a caramel nature. As the taste advances some roasty and bitter hop flavors come to the tongue and diminish some of the sweetness. While the sweetness is overall lessened, some light dark fruit flavors come to the tongue. In the end a rather smooth and moderately roasty flavor is left on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the thinner side with a carbonation level that is rather average. A bit of a heavier body may have suited the flavor profile a bit better, but for the abv at 4.5% and the moderate carbonation it did make it more refreshing.

Overall – A very nice affordable and good session brown ale. It had a good flavor as well being rather refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 00:48:41 | More by Darkmagus82

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

2.73/5  rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Clear brown with one-finger, off-white head that lasted a minute or two. Very little lacing.

S: Mild caramel malt.

T: Light sweetness and light bitterness. Not much taste.

M: Medium bodied with fizzy carbonation. Watery.

O: Not much to look at, nothing interesting in the smell or taste, and watered down. Not a fan.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 04:22:08 | More by SolipsismalCat

ikantspel

California

3.05/5  rDev -5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle into a pint glass

pours a clear reddish-amber color with a robust creamy head

smokey malts, caramel, and some slight dark fruits

pretty much mostly malts in the taste. some sweet caramel

mouthfeel is really light. taste like a light beer but in a good way

not bad. not good. but not bad

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 04:51:44 | More by ikantspel