Warm Welcome - Ridgeway Brewing

Uncle_Jimmy

California

4.16/5  rDev +23.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

appearance- sparkling orangish brown color a finger of coarse white foam .

Aroma- citrus banana toast buttered brown sugar

Taste- roasted toasted bread dried fruit raisin toffee. kind of like a bread pudding malty not as sweet as a finish as a newcastle. some cola

Mouthfeel- lighter to medium bodied, malty sweet but not cloying. has a definite "holiday" sweetness.

Overall- yeah this and a warm bread pudding !

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 03:32:38 | More by Uncle_Jimmy

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.31/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

LOOK: Pours a perfectly clear copper. Soapy off white head forms and leaves plenty of lace.

SMELL: English ale yeast, bready malts, green apple.

TASTE: Caramel, tea like hop profile, very English. Soft toffee and buttery notes. Mild bitterness. Some brown sugar, nut and lightly toasted malt elements. For being 6% abv it's not even close to tasting strong. Quite mellow.

FEEL: Medium bodied, rich and smooth. Ample carbonation.

OVERALL: imported by the Shelton Bros, this is a very English tasting ale, mellow nutty flavors and overall easy to drink. Nothing earth shattering, this is just a solid little ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 23:10:42 | More by Stinkypuss

TCMike

Minnesota

3.18/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Produced a 1 finger cream color head. Nice lacing. Beer color is a translucent honey color. Lighter than most brown ales.
The smell is of lager yeast, bread, and a hint of nuts.
The taste is bolder than the appearance, and smell. It's similar to smell, but with more nuttiness, and a slight hop bite. Medium mouth-feel.
Mediocre beer... not bad, and easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 00:31:53 | More by TCMike

TimmyL

2.4/5  rDev -28.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

On draft into a pint
A- light in color for its style. Small head but good retention. Minimal lacing
S- little to note here, Disappoonting
T- straw, hay, mild malts but not what I'd expect from the style. Mild and average.
M- good carbonation, decent mouthfeel, pretty full
O- weak and lacking the normal characteristics of the style. Tastes more like an American adjunct lager. Pass

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2012 01:37:35 | More by TimmyL

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

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

Reviewed from tasting notes.

Pours out a somewhat dark amber with a bit of light hazing and a relatively stable singe finger of cream colored foam for a lid, light amounts of lacing are present on the inside of the glass. Once again, the body seems slightly too thin and the carbonation seems to be on the lighter side of medium strength.

Smells of light caramel and hazelnuts, medium levels of earthy / herbal hopping and just a bit of nondescript fruity ester. The flavor presents more of a medium-high pecan sort of nuttiness that is raw... not toasted in character, so it seems sort of legume-like at times. Finishes up with plenty of herbal and steeped-tea bittering providing a stamp of dry punctuation at the end of each sip that seems somewhat jarring at the end of the caramel and legume-like nuttiness of the malt profile. It's...a bit janky and odd overall, as if the parts of the beer weren't quite glued together properly. Still, by no means does it ever taste or smell terrible. I just... prefer some more toasted and bready character on my browns.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 23:57:20 | More by WastingFreetime

Gambrinus1184

Connecticut

3.3/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 16.9 oz. bottle into a Brooklyn Brewery stemmed glass.

A: Pours a rather hazy, orange-amber color beneath a two-finger head of creamy, off-white foam. Strong carbonation is evident amidst the cloudy proteins.

S: Sweet and cookie-like aroma with hints of almond and candied ginger. A little citrus hop rolling around in the nose as well.

T: Sweet, fruity malts connect up front throwing some nutty, caramel-like flavors into the mix. A floral, herbacious hop resin strikes quickly and exits with a slightly smoky, residual boozy sweetness. The finish is a little cloying, showing alcohol warmth and brash, malty tannins.

M: Medium-full bodied, a little heavy and cloying in the finish, with some alcohol weight to it also.

O: I'll be damned if it's an English nut brown or any brown ale for that matter. More like a nutty, malty English pale or winter warmer at 6% ABV. Look, feel and flavor don't match the style IMO, but it's not a terrible beer. Just not what I was expecting, sort of in a bad way.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 00:03:27 | More by Gambrinus1184

beergoot

Colorado

3.08/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a very clear, orange-copper color with a thick, off-white head. Great lacing on the glass, rings marking every sip I take.

The aroma is a soft, doughy malt. There's a cookie-like sweetness in there.

The taste comes across slightly bright and sweet with some bitterness. Alcohol warmth is there, too.

An okay beer, but nothing distinguishes it from the nut brown ale crowd.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 22:35:33 | More by beergoot

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

3.45/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Slight chilled haze, looks like brewed tea. An off-white head settles into a milky cap. Tight lacing around the top.

S - Grain husk, honey, mellow roast, crushed walnuts, caramel malt, doughy yeast.

T - Honey coated roasted grain start things off. A sweet creamy caramel malt comes in with soft brown bread with The middle is fruity with some starfruit, honeydew melon, and apple skins. Pecan shells and herbal hops add some dryness on the finish.

M - Light bodied, smooth and chewy feel, low carbonation, tea tannins coat the tongue, finishes dry.

Nice creamy English flavors that drink very easy. This was better than expected.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 00:45:38 | More by StaveHooks

tvv375ia

Iowa

2.75/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

poured from 500ml bottle into pint glass

A-bronze colored with about a finger of head that faded to a partial cap with a little lacing

S-a little carmel and some earthy hints like wet leaves

T-some milk chocolate along with carmel with a mild hop on the finish

M-light bodied and carbonation

O-this is and ok beer and really no better than average it falls just a little short

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 22:44:36 | More by tvv375ia

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

First had: on tap at Teresa's, Wayne, PA

Poured into a pint glass, a slightly hazy amber color, with a creamy off-white head that dissipated quickly but left some streaky lacing behind. Not too aromatic, but still, I picked up hints of caramel, nuts, and apple skins. Basically the same on the tongue: caramel malts, nutty, with distant notes of apple and light spice. Not bad, but not great. Light-medium mouthfeel, and moderately drinkable, but one serving was plenty.

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2011 00:37:56 | More by Rifugium

CwrwAmByth

United Kingdom (Wales)

3.9/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a half-pint glass due to that being the only glass to hand.

Poured a golden syrup-y brown colour with a pretty good head coupled with decent lacing as you drink down.

Taste is mostly like caramel but less sweet, quite pleasant if not a bit harsh on the tongue when you start drinking.

Overall a decent brown ale, not sure whats so festive about it but i like the joke 'nut browned' though.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 01:32:20 | More by CwrwAmByth

Brenden

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I tried this beer on tap last night at The Attic.

It's sort of a light-medium brown and some lighter highlights filter through; somewhat pale for a brown, but still brown. There's nothing that stands out in the appearance. There's a bit of head that fades to foam with some rings and legs of khaki lacing left behind.
As a brown, this is pretty representative of the style, with some nut and toast. A somewhat stronger earthy hops than many browns showcase is evident, but it's not exceptionally malty. In my mind, a well-hopped brown is great, but malts should still be the foundation. This goes the other way.
Per style, it shouldn't be a bruiser, and it's not. It does have a good, nutty flavor to it with a toasty edge, but grains tend to detract as they come out front.
The body is about medium but just a touch thin in the feel. Otherwise it's just a nip crisp with low carbonation and a bit of smoothness coming out toward the middle.
There are better examples, but this is still pretty good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2011 23:32:41 | More by Brenden

fullsweep

United Kingdom (England)

3.53/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

50 cL brown bottle poured into a pint glass tumbler.

A: brown with amber highlights--not particularly dark like some brown ales.

S: Mellow yet sharp, tiny hints of spice in the nose, a little sweet maltiness as well, but not too much.

T: sweet and sharp on the first taste, but mellows significantly further down the glass--not as rich as most browns I am familiar with.

M: much more carbonated/fizzy than expected. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I was hoping for a bit more smooth/rich/malty feel on the mouth and tongue.

O: definitely a nice winter brew!

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2011 20:48:34 | More by fullsweep

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A-cloudy dull amber. no head

S-whiskey, caramel, strong scent.

T-comes in with holiday spices, nuts, some caramel, and a splash of whiskey. the taste lasts along with spicy dark belgianesque malts. interesting.

M-dry medium carbonation with a dry finish

O-well its actually a unique beer that for some reason does give me flashes of christmas. its not extremely well balanced, but it for sure is a treat on a holiday night.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 01:30:38 | More by AdamBear

orbitalr0x

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours into my glass a dark copper color with a fizzy white head that lingers for a bit and then fades. Good clarity as well. Aromas start out with a nice light roast and some toasted malt accents. Nutty notes throughout along with a mellow fruit tone. Slight sweetness.

First sip brings smooth crisp malts upfront, lightly toasted and semi-sweet as well. Nutty flavors roll across the palate with a fruity undertone as well. Lingering nutty roast on the back end. A well balanced, easy drinking ale.

Mouthfeel is light, crisp and smooth. Good carbonation and easy drinking. Makes for a good session beer. Overall, a tasty English brown ale with well balanced flavor profile. Would have this one again sometime.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2011 02:18:49 | More by orbitalr0x

beerprovedwright

Georgia

3.6/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A finger of head sitting on a dark honey brown beer. Color is a 9 on the SRM beer color chart. Very little lace and that is non cling. Smell has aromas of pumpkin, chocolate, caramel, roasted barley, and honey. Taste is a mixture of flavors. There is honey, chocolate, caramel, coffee, pumpkin, and roasted malt. Mouthfeel has zing but very little smoothness. This is good with cheese and chips. A good cooler weather beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 21:08:45 | More by beerprovedwright

metter98

New York

3.38/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is crystal clear amber in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high creamy off white head that quickly died down but never completely faded away.
S: The smell primarily consists of nutty aromas.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste is quite nutty and has a light amount of malty sweetness along with notes of caramel and toffee flavors. No bitterness from the hops is perceptible.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
D: Drinking this beer is a breeze, but I'm not sure if I would have more than one of these in a session because the taste isn't that interesting.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2011 00:52:24 | More by metter98

Haybeerman

Colorado

3.4/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Hazy reddish-brown color. Poured a 2 finger tan head that dissipated to an even skim. Decanted lightly. Laced in patches.

S: Sweet, wet grain. Faint herball hop aroma. Roasted nuts, burnt caramel, cinnamon and dark fruit. Peat and earth.

T: Roasted nutty malt. Mild herbal hops for a pleasant balance. Some fruitiness and spiciness. All-and-all, fairly muted flavors with less depth than the smell. Biscuity malts linger in the finish.

M: Medium bodied. Moderate carbonation. Smooth and dry; a little warm in the finish.

D: Easily drinkable; moderate ABV. Flavorful and slightly sweet so not too many would be filling.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2011 21:41:13 | More by Haybeerman

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.05/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Spicy aroma has tones of cinnamon, malt and caramel. It pours a fizzy coppery amber with a very thick, fluffy, just-off-white head. Flavor is malty with an undertone of spice, mainly cloves and cinnamon, and just a touch of caramel. Texture is smooth, a bit on the watery side, and barely fizzy. Still, this is an enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2011 02:14:42 | More by Cyberkedi

SkeeterHawk

Texas

3.55/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I have had this beer for quite some time, so I hope that it has held up. In all fairness to this beer, my review should be taken with a grain of salt as I believe that this beer is at least three years old.

Appearance: The bottle neck is shaped such that it is a little difficult to pour for the first few ounces. Once you get a big enough bubble in there that you can tilt it, you can pour it pretty quickly and it ends up with a small 1/8" head of tan bubbles after a somewhat aggressive pour. After a minute the head was pretty much gone, but there was still a solid ring around the edge where the beer meets the glass. The beer itself is a quite cloudy dark orange color to mud-brown. There is a decent amount of lace already accumulating on the edge of the glass just from swirling.

Aroma: The aroma is pretty reserved, but doesn't show any oxidation or any real signs of age like I feared. The beer is quite cold now, so I am really only getting some sweet malts like caramel in particular. Lots of secondary malts dominate the aroma giving you honey in particular. There is a mild floral contribution that I assume must be from the hops, but it is really reserved.

Taste: The flavor is also pretty malty, but the hops are making an appearance here for sure. There is a defined bitter edge to this beer that you pick up in the very beginning of the sip and it stays with you throughout the sip. There is no alcohol noticeable in here at all. I get more specialty malts along with some toasty notes that I didn't pick up in the nose. The overall mouthfeel is medium with light carbonation which makes the beer a bit watery feeling on the palate.

Opinion: This is a pretty decent beer, and one of the best from this brewery that I have tried so far. If it weren't for the assertive bitterness, this would be a quick drinker. As it is, I need some time to let the last sip settle before I take another one. I wouldn't put this up against New Castle or anything, but I will finish my glass no problem. I would give it a shot if it was convenient, and as far as I know, you can't get this in six-packs, so a single would be a good try.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 06:55:35 | More by SkeeterHawk

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is the palest brown ale I've seen--the color is no darker than amber. It has a mild chill haze. Good start to the head which leaves ample spottiness on the glass.

Nutty and sweet aroma. Lots of caramel. Mild alcohol in the background.

The flavor matches the smell profile. Good caramel malt sweetness at the front of the taste. There is a moderate hop that provides some balance. Very rich liquid but it is counterbalanced by the high fine bubble content. The aftertaste is mildly sugary with a bit of pepper from the hop. This is an easy-to-drink beer, but I'm hardpressed to call it a brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2010 19:18:39 | More by smcolw

BeerNinja007

New Hampshire

3.7/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I got this 500mL bottle on clearance for 99 cents at Amity Wine & Spirits in New Haven CT. Code F11 219, could be expired, who knows. Served cold in a chilled pint glass.

Clear solid amber brew gives a fizzy-looking beige head that settles quickly to half height, where it seems to finds second life as a fairly stable creamy cake. Smell has a clean dry starchy malt feel with notes of walnut and banana. Taste is similar but has a lingering dry caramel sweetness, stronger nut flavor (more like almond or benzaldehyde), and the banana isn't too pronounced. Alright so I guess maybe it isn't all that similar. But anyway, the body is of medium thickness, with a heavier than average viscosity that attenuates the carbo to a faint tingle.

Not a bad brew, and at this price point it's about what I personally would be willing to pay for a brown ale (given my usual lack of enthusiasm for the style).

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2010 00:50:53 | More by BeerNinja007

largadeer

California

2.75/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

More amber than brown, and murky looking. Moderately carbonated, but head retention isn't great.

The nose has a strong green apple note, along with caramelized malt and faint buttered toast.

It tastes a little better than it smells, with a strong caramel malt backbone that covers up the acetaldehyde. It's not toasty enough for a brown ale, it's more like an amber with an overly fruity and buttery yeast profile. The finish is malty and slick, void of bitterness. This isn't awful, but it's not particularly enjoyable either.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2010 05:00:33 | More by largadeer

erosier

Connecticut

3.43/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

L: Pours a hazy copper orange color with a medium sized off white colored head that laces the glass pretty nicely on the way down.
S: Smells of sweet roasted malts, some caramelized malts, then a nice sweet nutty aroma with some hops at the end.
T: Tastes of sweet roasted malts, caramelized malts, then a nice sweeter nutty taste. A slight bit of hops at the end of the taste as well.
M: Very smooth, medium bodied, perfect amount of carbonation.
D: Pretty drinkable, all the flavors were there and mixed well.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2010 11:06:37 | More by erosier

BeanBone

Texas

3.35/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: A hazy copper-brown body capped by two fingers of creamy off-white head that recede slowly and leave good lacing.

Aroma: Sweet nutty malt, dark fruit, herbal hops, cinnamon, and a dash of apple towards the edges.

Flavor: Roasty and nutty malt balanced nicely by mild herbal hops. There's a little spice and dark fruit added in (especially as it warms), but it's ultimately rather straightforward with less depth than was promised in the nose. Leafy hops and biscuity malt in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and smooth with medium carbonation. Dries a little in the finish.

Drinkability: Easily drinkable, this is something you could easily session on a winter's eve with the family. That is, if there was more than one in a pack.

Verdict: Generally unexciting, Warm Welcome would probably benefit greatly from a little more intensity and character. That being said, this is better than I had expected and I'm looking forward to seeing how the other beers in this pack fare.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2010 00:48:04 | More by BeanBone