Mesabi Red - Lake Superior Brewing Company

manitouman84

Wisconsin

3.48/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a translucent distinctive red with a 2 finger head, nice retention, and good lacing throughout. Toffee, caramel base, plum, raisin and fig like fruitiness, dank earthy hops. Aromas have belgian beer like character to them. Body is malt forward, caramel and toffee, strong earthy flavors give this beer a very unique taste, the beer is not too sweet, a light bitterness lingers. Good overall mouth feel and body, slight creaminess, a bit wet in the finish however. Very different and unique, totally worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 04:39:11 | More by manitouman84

ChopsMeister

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

03-26-2013 06:02:08 | More by ChopsMeister

MAbeerNE1

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

03-14-2013 23:47:37 | More by MAbeerNE1

pizza

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

02-27-2013 01:05:58 | More by pizza

ortie

Kentucky

3.25/5  rDev -11.7%

02-22-2013 05:22:50 | More by ortie

elcrawl

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +8.7%

12-30-2012 02:23:25 | More by elcrawl

MN_Beerticker

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

12-28-2012 04:22:42 | More by MN_Beerticker

Trexter103

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

04-22-2012 04:47:39 | More by Trexter103

jewellrunner

Missouri

4.75/5  rDev +29.1%

04-12-2012 03:19:14 | More by jewellrunner

nmann08

Maryland

4/5  rDev +8.7%

12-04-2011 22:22:04 | More by nmann08

PokerGod

Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a stemmed tulip.

Appearance- red. Almost too red. Looks like a beer that's been spiked with grenadine.

Smell- has a very nice earthy, hoppy quality, yet I think there's something sweet and rich too. Like molases maybe.

Taste- hoppy and earthy like the smell, but there's a bite of alcohol there I wasn't expecting. At only 6.5% ABV didn't expect it and found it a bit offputing.

Overall- an enjoyable enough beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2011 06:30:21 | More by PokerGod

nrmiller

Minnesota

3.8/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

appearance: poured in a mug, deep amber color, almost light red

smell: an earthy hops aroma with some malt there

taste: sweetness going into rich malts and caramel, then finishing with slight hop bitterness along with earthy flavors. Very well balanced.

mouthfeel: medium bodied, carbonation just right

drinkability: pretty good, the rich malts go down very well, well balanced

Normally i don't care much for this style, but this one surprised me. I didn't expect it to be this good, to be honest. Not a world class Red Ale, but a solid one to choose.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2010 01:20:14 | More by nrmiller

blackie

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a: shaker pint, deep reddish brown in color, served with a thin head that soon disappears

s: full caramel malt aromas, toasty and sweet, just a little butter, light earthy hop aroma

m: the big malt profile gives a full, almost slick mouthfeel, carbonation light-moderate

t: rich with sweet malts, toasty toffee and caramel, lightly buttery, very mild earthy hop flavors

d: a little sweet, but it's a nice enough red that drinks well, and a satisfying find in the North Woods

consumed with dinner at Gunflint, Grand Marais, MN

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2010 02:23:45 | More by blackie

dirtylou

Washington

3.6/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

on-tap, The Gun Flint in Grand Marais, MN

cellphone notes

appearance: served in a surly shaker pint - amber-mahogany body, light beige ring

smell: caramel, grain, toffee and malt, rustic

taste: This was a rustic/earthy red with notes of tobacco, leather, caramel and grain. Toasted bread and sweet caramel - a serviceable amber

mouthfeel: light, adequate carbonation

drinkability: good enough

Serving type: on-tap

08-25-2010 01:33:23 | More by dirtylou

KeefD

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Dark amber, small head, no lacing. Aroma is lightly spicy with some notes of breadiness, caramel, and some light fruit. Taste is bready, good amount of caramel, average hops bitterness, lightly sweet, dry finish. Medium bodied. This beer is pretty well balanced, but nothing special. It was nice to try one bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2009 00:41:07 | More by KeefD

AdmiralDiaz

Minnesota

3.23/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle to pint glass.

A: Pours a semi opaque amber brown with a very small off-white head with poor retention .

S: toffee and malt notes with small amount of hops and earth.

T: Taste is about the same as the smell, very weak but not a bad taste.

Overall: Mouthfeel is good, well carbonated and light. Pretty drinkable but it's boring and I wouldn't want many.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2009 00:55:38 | More by AdmiralDiaz

Ragingbull

California

4.03/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Red to light brown in color. Faint and wispy head. Mild nose of malt with some nutty tones. Malty attack and flavor. The characteristics are similar to that of a porter or stout but with a lager body. Smooth mouthfeel and creamy character. Almost a caramel like flavor in the finish. A very unique red compared to those that I have tried. I would grade it an A-

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2008 02:57:01 | More by Ragingbull

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Texas Longhorns orange with Sunkist colored trim and a wealth of uprushing bubbles. All that carbonation has created a softly creamy crown that is currently filling the upper two-thirds of the glass. Arcing streamers of bubble bath-like lace are beginning to appear. Not a bad looking red.

The nose could use more personality. The spotlight is occupied by English toffee, accented by an earthiness that gives it a much needed second dimension. More hops would be great, but then I always say that.

Mesabi Red is a pretty good version of the style because the brewers didn't skimp when it came time to add ingredients. It tastes like they've added proportionally more of the mid-range malts, which gives the beer a 'toasted bread dipped in melted caramel' kind of vibe. Unfortunately, a finishing fruity tartness isn't entirely welcome.

The mouthfeel keeps thing consistent by being above average, yet less than what I would consider good. A bit more heft and a few fewer bubbles would be good places to start.

The Mesabi Range of Northern Minnesota is the largest deposit of iron ore in the U.S. I'm not sure what that fact has to do with anything, but I always like to know the background on the beers that I drink, including their names. Bottom line: Lake Superior Mesabi Red is a pretty good effort that doesn't rise to the level of a repeat purchase.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2008 13:18:24 | More by BuckeyeNation

DukeofAle

Iowa

3.6/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a deep, garnet red - as "red" of a beer as I've seen - with a somewhat thin head that dissapates quickly but leaves decent lacing. The scent is of malt. Tastes good - malty - with a mild hop finnish. Not a "big" beer, or a "hoppy" brew - well balanced comes to mind. A beer that will work well if you're planning to have more than one. I did not have any trouble with inconsistent carbonation, off flavors, etc., that others reported. Over all, I like this better than most but wouldn't consider it truely exceptional.

I would buy this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2008 01:31:07 | More by DukeofAle

morimech

Minnesota

3.23/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a cloudy red with a small head that builds after the pour then quickly goes away. Just a little lacing is left behind.

The aroma is sweet malt with some floral hops.

An interesting taste to this one. A malty backbone with a sour finish that is completely unexpected. I didn't get much of hops in the taste but I don't expect that is what the brewer was going for in this beer. It seemed a little flat and the sour slows the consumption down. A different take on the American Red Ale but not something I can drink a lot of.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2007 01:42:15 | More by morimech

Metalmonk

North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Good name for this one, as it's definitely a deep burnt red, but the head was very small. No lace at all.

Aroma leans heavily toward the malt, but it's not a big-ass malt beer...something along the lines of watery chocolate milk, caramel, graham cracker,, watered-down sherry, and cooked apples in the nose. Good, but somehow elusive, it felt kind of timid.

There seems to be a little heat here, despite a fairly low ABV (6.5%). Some apple cider, cocoa, cinnamon, fruit, sherry and lactic sweetness in the flavor. I dig the sour finish; it's not brutal or unattractive, just adds a nice bit of pucker to the sip. Really interesting stuff.

I have no idea what the brewer is going for with this beer. On one hand it's cool because it seems to sit in its own flavor profile, not really content to be pigeonholed. On the other hand, it's a little messy, hard to get a grasp on. I'll usually take the side of the unknown and progressive, and whether or not they were trying to consciously color outside the lines here, it remains an intruiging beer. Glad I have another waiting, maybe it'll reveal something further...

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2007 22:21:02 | More by Metalmonk

objectivemonkey

Minnesota

3.13/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a coppery brown with minimal head but pretty decent lacing. Aroma is pretty bland, some good sweet malts, fruits, just isn't getting me hyped up. The taste is decent, but nothing to die for, a sweet helping of malts, fruits, but also sour, which was doing nothing good for me. The body was pretty good, fairly full and good texture, carbonation is a little low perhaps. In all, a funky beer, but not too bad.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2007 19:21:36 | More by objectivemonkey

shadow1961

Minnesota

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

Lake Superior's Mesabi Red pours out a thin tan head over, yes, a somewhat cloudy
red brew. There's no apparent carbonation, and the nose is molasses. Up front the flavor
is sweetish malt, bitter chocolate in the middle, and a grassy, herbal hop finish. The aftertaste
is of the hops. Mouthfeel is round yet dry and a bit astringent. Their website says it's a red ale,
but it seems a lot like a porter to me. An interesting brew. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2007 06:15:39 | More by shadow1961

umustdrink

Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Light cloudy rust color. Head is offwhite that sits at a thick film. Avg Lacing.

S - Dark honey, wheat, creamy light milk chocolate, cream. Very interesting.

T - Light molasses malt, honey, brown sugar, bitter hop finish.

M - A little thinner than I would like to see it, but it is what it is.

D - One complaint I am having with most lake superior brews is that the taste just doesn't match up with the greatness of the smell. This one isn't AS bad as the others but seriously what good is a beer that only smells good?

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2007 04:46:45 | More by umustdrink

dfried

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Deeper brown, redish toffee color, thin off white head. The aroma is sweet and malty, some fruity notes, almost a perfume like smell form the mix of hops and malt. The taste is much the same sweet, malty, a little grainy, some fruity hints but not all that strong. Hops are noticeable but far from strong, they bring mainly floral, but some citrus character. Average sweet/dry mouthfeel, pretty easy to drink.

Verdict: it's pretty good, nothing special. Not much to turn you off about it, but not much that impressed me. An average-slightly above average beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2007 23:27:58 | More by dfried