Ruby Lager - Olde Hickory Brewery

brewdude1982

North Carolina

3.34/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This was a bomber poured intro a snifter.

This beer pours a dark red with a good frothy head and high retention. It smells a little metallic. It has a light malt taste with a bitter finish. It has a medium body for a lager and high carbonation.

This beer is ok.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 18:03:31 | More by brewdude1982

cosmicevan

New York

3.3/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

picked this up when visiting family in NC about a month ago...notched as best by december 2012...bottoms up! enjoyed from a duck rabbit snifter.

a - brew opened with a big fizzy pop, but did not geyser. it poured a deep amber but was translucent. the head was bigger than 2 fingers on a careful pour but was down to about an 1/8 of an inch of bubbles and hung there for a while after things settled down. spotty lacing.

s - big malts and nuttiness. has some nice nutmeg amber qualities to the odor. lots of grape and resembles a marzen with some crystalized malts. smells rather nice and has some festive qualities to it as well.

t - somewhat mundane. very brown ale with nuts. fairly boring and over carbonated which seems to take away from the flavor, kind of like when you get a soda from one of those machines that mixes the syrup on the spot and over carbonates. actually kind of tastes like an amber beer flavored seltzer...and i'm not a big fan of seltzer so while this one is not bad and definitely drinkable, just not my bag.

m - definitely on the fizzy side and a bit over carbonated.

o - overall at $3.99 for 22oz, it was worth a shot. the mouthfeel really distracts me from the flavor qualities that i am digging here. decent session beer, but not something i will seek out again. good fora pour, but 22oz of this is a bit much for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 01:37:11 | More by cosmicevan

kneeland

North Carolina

3.28/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I really wish the taste matched the appearance, but that's a negative. I'm not saying this beer tastes bad, but it's not a great. Average is a perfect word to describe it.

There's a little bit of malt, but not very hoppy. Overall, I like it as a lager, but that's all.

I mentioned the appearance... it pours a dark amber/copper color, with a thin head that sticks around and doesn't lace the glass too much.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 02:16:06 | More by kneeland

tdm168

North Carolina

3.6/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - pours a dark translucent amber with a soft, quarter inch cap of white head that has decent retention

S - lager yeast, caramel, musty

T - faint caramel, lager yeast

M - medium bodied, smooth, well carbonated

This is a rather lightly flavored, simplistic, sessionable beer. There's nothing special here, but nothing offensive either. If you want a lighter, refreshing beer this would be a good call.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 23:36:42 | More by tdm168

chinchill

South Carolina

3.38/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bomber.

Appearance: Pours with a clear reddish-amber body; aggressive carbonation produces a very large, frothy, bone head. The head settles down, but doesn't die altogether, in short time. Not much lace left behind.

Smell: Light malt with a distinct earthy/herbal tone. Not bad, but not very appealing either. 2.75

Taste: Toasty, modesty nutty maltiness with nice sweet component of lightly caramelized sugars. Light backdrop of soft fruitiness. Additional dash or two of brown sugar. Minimal hop presence yielding from slight leafy, herbal taste and a mild bitterness. A little bit of the bitterness follows you through to the clean, lightly effervescent finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body but without wateriness; Medium-high carbonation. Fairly smooth with a slightly dry finish.

O: Highly drinkable -- both because it goes down easy and due to the low ABV. Adequate and unflawed flavor, a good malt/hop balance and a fine mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 22:43:33 | More by chinchill

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.05/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Strong, malty aroma has a yeasty overtone but is otherwise about average. It pours a clear dark coppery brown with a fairly thick, slightly yellowish light tan head. Malty flavor has yeasty and grassy notes with just a hint of apple, nothing special but still enjoyable. Texture is quite fizzy but just a bit on the thin side. Overall, a decent if not outstanding brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 03:30:08 | More by Cyberkedi

smellandsip37

North Carolina

3.48/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle with a BBD of Jan/12, poured into a OHB pint glass

A- pours a reddish color that when backlit, looks copper. One finger of head, and dissipates to a thin (and I mean thin) haze ring

S- Toasted caramel, maltiness, almost sweet floral hops, hope it tastes like it smells

T- Good malt backbone, just right crispness, and the smell did not lie. Good session beer. Stylistically correct except for a slightly lower ABV.

O- Glad I bought this, now I have another session option if I feel a little more spendy to get a local brew that's fresh

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 03:25:43 | More by smellandsip37

jsanford

Georgia

3.65/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle poured into a Pint Glass.

A - Pours a dark reddish-copper with a thin white head that dissipates quickly, leaving a slight haze and ring.
S - Aromas of sweet, crisp malt, toasted bread, and some grassy, earthy hops. Smells refreshingly delicious!
T - Follows the nose nicely with more crisp, bready caramel malt and grassy hops. Very smooth, reminds me a bit of Yuengling, and I'm ok with that.
M - Very smooth and drinkable, with a medium-light body and moderately sharp carbonation.
O - A very nice, sessionable Lager, glad I picked up a bottle!

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2011 03:55:37 | More by jsanford

wcudwight

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Amber to Ruby in color. Duh? With a thin but lasting cream colored head. Sweet aromas with a fair amount of nuttiness. Caramel flavored with said nuttiness. Minimal hop flavors. Maybe some earthy hops for balance. Silky smooth mourhtfeel. Good session beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2011 01:48:18 | More by wcudwight

TheKingofWichita

North Carolina

2.17/5  rDev -33.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a nice looking dark reddish orange almost ruby color with a thick off white head and a good amount of lacing. Smells of nuts, malts, and a little hop aroma. Tastes of a little slight hops, tons of nuts, and a total ton of malts. Mouthfeel is medium with a ton of carbonation. Drinkability is not the best.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2011 23:25:00 | More by TheKingofWichita

BieresDesMoines

Iowa

3.75/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a deep red, maybe a tad lighter than something I would call "ruby" but it's getting there. The beer has a medium head that retains it's self nicely. Some fruity and bready malt shows up in the aroma along with mild vegetal notes. Generally it smells nice enough but the aroma is pretty reserved all together. The flavor is really very nice, and consequently a mildly roasty fruity lager with some mild snappy hops is pretty much exactly what I'm in the mood for at the moment. I'm glad I decided to open this up. There's not a whole lot to dig into here, it's a very clean cery malt forward beer that is really well balanced with a bit of zesty hop bitterness. Very full flavored for a >4% beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2010 17:31:31 | More by BieresDesMoines

Jason

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

220z brown bomber with a freshness date on the label.

Rudy color, not much of a surprise there. Perfect clarity and a half decent head too boot. Clean dry malt aroma with toasted bread being the primary aroma. Crisp and smooth with a light slickness on the moderate sized body. Tight malt foundation opens up a little bit with each sip. Toasty but not too forward, a little bready, faint caramel and some dried grass in the finish. Hops are mild here with a clean sting of bitterness that soon fades away. Ends dry with some more of the grassiness.

Clean and well balanced ... not much else you can ask for right? Easily marked as a session beer and a good one at that.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2010 02:43:36 | More by Jason

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.18/5  rDev +27.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours out a translucent, amber-red body with a frothy, ivory-hued head. Slight smatterings of lace on the way down.

Smell: Lightly toasty, bready, sweetish caramel notes, along with some spicy, herbaceous hop hints and an oh-so subtle baked apple fruitiness.

Taste: Toasty, modesty nutty maltiness with nice sweet component of lightly caramelized sugars. Light backdrop of soft fruitiness. Additional dash or two of brown sugar. Minimal hop presence yielding from slight leafy, herbal taste and a mild bitterness. A little bit of the bitterness follows you through to the clean, lightly effervescent finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium-plus carbonation. Fairly smooth mouthfeel.

Drinkability: I enjoyed this one. Keenly drinkable -- it's got just enough flavor, the right amount of hops to balance, a slender body, and a graciously low ABV. I cleared through the entire bomber in record time, by the time the Pinback song "Grey Machine" had finished, I was done.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2010 23:34:42 | More by ChainGangGuy

oberon

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Another OH iffering that has popped up here in GSO.Poured a clear amber/bronze with a very minimal head that was gone quickly.A nice mix of caramel malt and toast in the nose,it really stuck out nicely.Big caramel and toasted flavors with a a light smack of herbal hop in the finish.Its not a world beater,but its not bad for the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2009 22:28:19 | More by oberon

blackie

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

draft at Tasty Beverage, Raleigh

a: served in a short pint glass, the beer is a reddish caramel color, sporting a thin white head with low retention

s: a simple lager malt foundation holds aromas of toasted bread and caramel, some typical red malt aromas akin to red apple, hops clean and light

m: carbonation around moderate with a touch of abrasiveness, body nudging towards the higher side of the light range

t: toasted lager malts carry flavors of caramel, red apple, and some breadiness, a mild sweetness midway, hops are clean and slightly citric, imparting a mild bitterness

o: a simple, well structured beer, if maybe a little rough around a couple edges, enough here to keep things interesting, but likely not a repeat for me

4 35 4 35 4

Serving type: on-tap

04-11-2013 03:08:55 | More by blackie

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Spent a day in the mountains with my family, and stopped in to MM in Blowing Rock for dinner and got this on-tap. This beer came out in a mason jar which was a nice little "mountain" touch. Was a dark ruby color with a small beige head on top. The nose was sweet with candied malts, floral tones, syrup.

Smooth and creamy mouth on this one. Really a mellow gulper. Nice sweet malty backbone with plenty of nutty flavor that I really liked. Caramel and toffee notes noted. This really was a refreshing beer to sip while waiting for my food. I definitely much preferred this on-tap to the bottle form. But this makes me want to revisit it for sure. Another solid offering from OHB.

Serving type: on-tap

05-09-2011 15:16:45 | More by Onenote81

thagr81us

South Carolina

1.75/5  rDev -46.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Served from tap into a sampler tumbler. Poured red-orange with a half finger off-white head that subsided to a very minimal amount slowly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. This is where it went downhill.... The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, nutmeg, and burnt hair (WTF!?!?!?). The flavor was of burnt malt, nutmeg, and the taste of how burnt hair smells (OMG!). It had a light feel on the palate with low carbonation. Overall holy Christ this was bad... It was just not appealing in any aspect. Burnt hair... REALLY!?!? If I'm honest I wouldn't drink this again if it gave me a ruby everytime I took a sip. Just not worth it. However I might keep this in mind for when I want to play a cruel joke on a not-so-good friend.

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2011 12:46:48 | More by thagr81us