Laughing Skull Amber Ale - Red Brick Brewing Company

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.63/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Radiant kumquat orange with honey colored edges. One smooth pour produced nearly two fingers of yellowed ivory foam that looks both creamy and reasonably sticky. Nice lace too.

The nose has a fair amount of toasted-earthy malt, which is a valid variation on the style. This amber ale also smells pretty hoppy, although the hops themselves aren't especially distinctive. Bravo and Cascade if you're keeping score. The former is a super high alpha variety that is supposed to be similar to Columbus.

Laughing Skull is hoppier than most, which is almost always a good thing. This bottle is going on four months of age and it still has a nice buzzsaw effect on the tongue and a pleasantly tight and focused finish.

The malts are in the amber range, with accenting contributions from both caramel and toasted bread. A small percentage of chocolate malt isn't appreciated. Top notes are slightly citrus peel-like, though the effect is more English hop fruity-herbal-earthy than anything else. Odd that. This isn't great beer by any means, but it works.

The mouthfeel seemed very good right out of the chute. With time, however, that initial medium-full creaminess fades and the stinging quality of the carbonation is beginning to annoy.

Laughing Skull Amber Ale is a good all-rounder that is flavorful enough (and hoppy enough) to stand out from the crowd. A memorable name and a cool label don't hurt either. Thanks to Mavajo for the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2010 12:21:43 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.68/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another new one for me. I had seen this one floating around on the shelves locally for a while now and decided it was about time to give it a try. Decent pour here, again nothing spectacular but it worked for the style and offered up some nice looking lacing when it was all said and done. Medium amber with a mostly clear body, there was a big puff of white that reached up as high as three fingers before settling back down to a more modest looking level. Aroma is light hops, grassy, herbal notes mixed in with a nice and clean buttery sweet note that peeks through toward the end of the session. Clean flavor, light with the carbonation prickling at the tongue. First flavor is a wave of light citrus hops that takes over the profile and offers a nice dry and bitter touch. As this starts to fade mid palate a malty sweetness kicks in with notes of light cereal grains and a hint of grassy notes. Smooth, even finish leaves you quickly looking for another sip.

Overall a very solid little ale. I was not expecting terribly much but I have to admit it was more then decent. I might pick up a sixer for the in laws if it was on sale.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2010 01:18:28 | More by mikesgroove

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

16 ounce pint - $4.50 at Taco Mac in Kennesaw, Georgia.

The first official pint of Atlanta Brewing's revived and reformulated Laughing Skull poured at this location from a handle-less ta. It's been more than a few years since we've last seen Laughing Skull. The last encounter I recall, was when I lived within walking distance of their previous location on William Street. Heck, I may even have a well-worn LS shirt around here somewhere.

Appearance: Served up a crystal clear, appropriately amber-hued body with a thinnish, near white head. Though thin, it is lasting and provides for some nice lacing.

Smell: Offers a modest nose smelling lightly of toasty amber malts, a vague hint of fruit, and some spicy, herbaceous hop notes.

Taste: Toasty, sweetish flavor of amber malts with a background hint of light brown sugar. A little blip of fruitiness passes by now and again. A touch of crisp graininess arrives late in the taste. Earthy, spicy, lightly zesty hop character but with only a subdued bitterness. Beyond a small, final hint of toast, Laughing Skull finishes quite clean and dry.

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

Drinkability: I recall the old Laughing Skull performing well in terms of ease of drinkability, and this new rendition definitely follows in its footsteps.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2010 19:25:54 | More by ChainGangGuy

oberon

North Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the Mellow in Greensboro.Poured into a standard pint glass a clear lighter amber color with a decent sized white head that never really completely settled.Lightly toasted aromas with some caramel tones but they are faint,pretty ho hum.Same can be said for the flavors of this beer,somewhat toasted with a little caramel and fruit,not much hop going on in my mind wich differ from some other reviewers.Pretty basic,easy to throw down but not alot of substance.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2010 18:09:35 | More by oberon

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a stemless globe.

Thanks to hannydawg for sharing this bottle!

Let's pack in another amber tonight, eh? It pours a mostly clear amber (damn, what a shock there) topped by a finger of dirty white foam. The nose comprises toffee, dark greens, bitter orange rind, and pine needles. The taste holds notes of orange zest, light caramel, light wheat, and very light lemon zest. The body is a rather light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a dry-ish finish. Overall, a nice little amber, nothing special, but something I could easily enjoy again.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 05:00:30 | More by TMoney2591

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a snifter)
A- This beer pours a clear iced tea brown body with a rocky off-white head supported by a big carbonation.
S- The aroma of brown malt has a butter note to it and smells lagered with a slight fruity hint coming through as it warms. There is a dry toasted caramel hints with some biscuit malt in the background.
T- This beer has a smooth soft toasted malt flavor with a brown malt note to it. There is a soft green pungent hop that turns bitter and lingers in the finish.
M- This beer has a medium-light mouthfeel with a soft fizz that grows a bit as it warms. There is no alcohol heat noted. D- The malt flavor is a bit muttled with hops being mostly bitterness and a bit to much of a kick in the teeth. There is no real description on the bottle so I don't know what they were trying to achieve in this brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2010 22:25:54 | More by rhoadsrage

Jason

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz brown bottle.

Big foam crown of head, yeah ... amber with a yeasty haze. Biscuity, yeasty and fruity nose. Slick medium body with a long smoothness. Malty with toasted biscuit, dried grass and shortbread on the taste buds. Kiss of orange peel from the hop bitterness. Ends with a drying yeast and grain flavor.

A pretty good amber, a bit less yeast in the bottle and this beer would be a champ.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2010 01:44:48 | More by Jason

corby112

Pennsylvania

1.83/5  rDev -46.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

12 oz. bottle received as an extra in a trade with GatorBeerNerd.

Pours a murky golden orange color with brown hues and dark golden orange hints when held to a light source. Two finger frothy, soapy white head that quickly fades into a lasting ring. Sporadic chunks of lacing left behind.

Slightly earthy aroma with hints of bready yeast, earthy hops, caramel malt, butter and toffee. Slightly toasty with a subtle funky presence. The earthy character is a bit much and it smells kind of like dirt/soil.

Fuller bodied than expected with some soft carbonation up front followed by a dry, bitter earthy hop flavor which is a bit stale. The malt backbone isn't as strong as I expected or hoped for. Slightly toasted caramel malt with subtle hint of rye, bready yeast, toffee and butter. Not very well balanced with an odd solvent alcohol astringency and an unpleasant metallic finish.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2010 08:24:12 | More by corby112

glid02

Georgia

3.43/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at the brewery.

Pours a clear amber color with a half-finger white head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of lightly toasted caramel malts with mild amounts of leafy hops.

Tastes very similar to how it smells. Lightly toasted malt flavors with good amounts of graininess kick things off. Midway through the sip the flavor profile turns mildly bitter with the addition of leafy hops. The ending follows suit and is mildly bitter.

Mouthfeel is OK. It's a bit on the thin side with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is also OK. I finished my glass without any problems however I'm not sure about another.

Overall I wasn't terribly impressed with this beer but it is what it is - a no-nonsense amber that is at its heart a contract brew. Not worth seeking out but not worth avoiding.

Serving type: on-tap

05-26-2010 03:27:44 | More by glid02

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +25%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a beautiful clear amber with a thick, yellowish, light tan head that sticks around - very appealing for any beer, and superior to nearly all amber ales. Aroma is crisp and malty with fruity and hoppy underpinnings. Pleasing flavor is mainly malty and has hints of fruit - mainly apple - and hops, with just a touch of bitterness. Texture is quite fizzy and lively. This is one of the best amber ales I’ve ever had. I have downed this before, but didn’t realize how good it is - maybe because previously I’ve had it only from a bottle.

Serving type: on-tap

05-29-2011 01:55:08 | More by Cyberkedi

kylehay2004

Florida

3.6/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: single finger head with little retention on a clear amber golden body.

S: mostly sweet caramel malts.

T: slightly earthy with caramel malt sweetness.

M:lighter side of medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: simple but drinkable. Few qualities to deprecate it from others in the genre.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2012 22:05:59 | More by kylehay2004

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.65/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle courtesy of fthomasl, thanks Frank! Pours a hazed copper color with a modest, fine-bubbled tan head.

Toffee and caramel malts with a bread-dough yeast aroma. Low on fruit and hops, I am enjoying the smell of this one.

Sweet caramel and flashes some burning toast and biscuit bottoms. Pretty fair amount of bitterness on the finish. Nutty as it warms. Mouthfeel has a nice creamy/sharp interplay. Id say this is an above average amber with some complexity to it...would take this over any of my local ambers, that is fo sho.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2011 16:23:19 | More by twiggamortis420

nickfl

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours with one finger of white foam, resting on top of a clear, copper colored body. Vigorous carbonation gives the beer excellent head retention.

S - A bready aroma of caramel malt with some musty hops.

T - Caramel malt and light toast up front. Some moderate hop bitterness in the middle with a little bit of herbal, musty hop flavor. Finishes with a blend of herbal hops and dry, toasted malt.

M - Medium body, high carbonation, and a dry finish.

D - A drinkable, dry amber ale with an emphasis on the hops. The dryness helps to make this beer drinkable, though a bit more residual sweetness might make it more enjoyable. The hops are accentuated by the dryness as well as by the high level of carbonation. A pretty nice beer overall, nothing exciting but a pretty reasonable American session brew.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2010 04:38:37 | More by nickfl

tpd975

Florida

3.43/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a lighter shade of amber with a tall white head. Nice retention and lace.

S: Hints of caramel, bread, and piney hops. A bit of something chemical or industrial as well.

T: Caramel malt, light roast with hints of pine and a bit of grassy hops.

M: Medium in body smooth.

D: Okay amber nothing great.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2010 00:36:38 | More by tpd975

Metalmonk

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Have to admit that the zany skull on the cover grabbed my attention. Who doesn't love zany skulls?

Pours a coppery rust color, so "amber" it is...the head is a firm, foamy, creamy thing that has great staying power.

Aroma, however, is not real promising. There's almost nothing there. Very neutral. I get very light soggy grains, and an even fainter sweet kind of smell, but it's so faint I can't report much more than that. Hmm.

Taste is also nothing special. Graininess is weak and only mildly sweet, caramel comes in a bit, otherwise kind of bready but just not all that interesting. The flavor of years-expired powdered cinnamon peeks into the mire as does a hoppiness that, while not strong at all, leans to the bad side of bitter. I hate to pick on Magic Hat, because they have some pretty damn good beers, but in several ways Laughing Skull reminds me of the sort of fair-to-middlin' offering Magic Hat sometimes throws out there: passable and decent but nothing more.

Texturally it's decent, not over-carbonated, medium-bodied, slick and nearly sticky but goes down with a pleasing enough smoothness.

Pretty lackluster stuff. It's drinkable and probably something one can throw back a few of on a muggy summer's day, but why take in the calories if it's not gonna deliver a reasonable amount of flavor?

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2011 22:32:19 | More by Metalmonk

billab914

Virginia

2.78/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Dogfish shaped pint glass. Poured amber in color with some gold coming through in the light. It had a thin frothy head to start with and had moderate retention and lacing as I drank it.

The aroma has a malty, bready, toasty sweetness with some caramel and maybe some chocolate malt coming through. A little earthy hop presence is there but not a lot.

The taste has a grainy, malty sweetness to it right up front. Surprisingly, it has a bit of a chocolate malt flavor coming through which I can't say I enjoy. Mixed with the hoppy finish it tastes a bit soapy. Some toasty and bready malt are present and pretty decent. Overall I can't say I enjoyed the flavors though.

The mouthfeel is on the lighter side and carbonation is moderate. Drinkability isn't that great, the flavors just didn't work together for me. The chocolate flavor I got just seemed out of place and didn't mesh well with the other flavors for me. Interesting but not something I'd have again.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2010 21:39:39 | More by billab914

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.48/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours a hazy copper-gold coloring with a sparse film of head over the top. Steady flow of A LOT of carbonation. Awesome caramel malty-sweet nose with some nutty and roasted highlights. Smooth, sweet malt with a muddled blend of nu, toffee, and caramel head the flavors, with a balance of hops on the back end. The beer shifts a little on the sweet side. Bitter hops and slightly sour towards the finish, with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Light, but leaves a good lacing. Decent beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2011 23:06:02 | More by GarthDanielson

cjgator3

Florida

3.15/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12oz bottle

A- Pours a very nice slightly hazy amber color with a nice off-white head with nice retention that leaves a lot of lacing around the glass. This one sure looks great!

S- The aroma is caramel malts that are slightly toasty. It is a little bit bready as well. Not bad.

T- The taste is a lot of toasted grains with some biscuity malt and medicinal hops in the dry finish. Okay, but I'm not a huge fan of this one. I don't really dig the hop profile in the finish. Not overly hoppy by any stretch but I found the hop flavor to be a little harsh.

M- The mouthfeel is light-medium bodied and has a good amount of carbonation.

D- Overall, this is a decent Amber but nothing I would pick up again in the future. Worth a try though.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2010 04:34:32 | More by cjgator3

ktrillionaire

Florida

4.05/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Big thanks to G311 for leaving me one of these after his recent trip to Tampa, if it wasn't gifted to me, I'm not sure I'd ever have bought it. I have seen this beer so many times, but always assumed it too plebian for my tastes. I was wrong; it is quite nice, and just about spot-on for what I call easy-drinking. It pours a surprisingly turbid copper-amber hue, and is capped with some dense ecru head and a good deal of lace. Both the flavor and aroma are prevalently malty, although I would say this is not a malt-bomb by any stretch. It is, however, quite malty, tending towards biscuity, earthy and toffeeish notes. The hop contribution is good in terms of balancing the maltiness, but does not seem to lend any specifically discernible character. The feel is lighter-than-medium, and the brew has serious tooth... Overall, I am very happy with this beer, and will revisit often.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 16:31:38 | More by ktrillionaire

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.05/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I had this on tap at the Yard House in Palm Beach.

A: First of all, I can tell already that this is not really an amber: Poured an apricot color, mildly hazy, and with a 1-2 finger solid white head.

S: Smelled of clean linen/fresh cotton, with a mild citrus component that wasn't very potent overall.

T: It had sort of a thin body and the quality of the citrus was somewhat stale and cardboard-like. This was definitely more of a pale ale as opposed to an amber.

M: Not too sweet, but still kinda sugary, with lots of lacing and a hint of bitterness on the end. One word: stale.

O: I've had worse, but I've definitely had better. Next!

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2012 21:00:29 | More by Chaney

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.93/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a pilsner glass.

A: A whole bunch (a full hand) of creamy head. Startlingly long retention. After minutes, it's as huge as ever. Cloudy-clear with tons of bubbles. Sticky lace.

S: Creamy and fruity. A bit biscuity dry?

T: Much better than I was expecting from the label and ratings. Yeasty-spicy fruit, clean and crisp with a touch of hops and a dry malt endtaste. Only the aftertaste has any drawback. It's light and somehow unpleasantly bitter. Fortunately this lasts only briefly and a mundane beeriness takes over. Maybe not huge on flavour, but what's here is good.

M: Sturdy, smooth, and quenching.

O: A pretty good amber ale. Not exceptional, but easy-drinking and pleasant. If I think it's boring, maybe that means it would appeal to lots of people. Not recommended, but I wouldn't every snub one.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2011 21:26:35 | More by AgentMunky

chinchill

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewery.

Crystal clear orange, amber, with a small near white head.

Nice medium toasted malt aroma.
Some citrus hops appear upon tasting.
Medium body with god carbonation.

A tasty beer that could serve as a god introduction to craft brews.

Serving type: on-tap

10-21-2011 23:08:29 | More by chinchill

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.63/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Medium orange colored pour, with a light white head. Laces quite well.

Some caramel malts aroma, but more citrus sweetness than maltiness.

Caramel malts, and those citrus notes and light bitterness.

Light, but creamy. Nice for an amber.

Not bad at all in the end.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 06:33:38 | More by EgadBananas

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A-Pours russet. Head is medium in stature. It dies off to a tan shadow. Body is murky. Hard to tell how murky in such lighting.

S-Pleasant balance. Hops are woven into the malts. Hops are a mixture of spicy and citrusy. Malts are rich and they complement the unique hoppiness.

T-The spicy and citrusy hops really take the cake. The maltiness reminds more of caramel glazed sweet buns. This is a pretty tasty brew. I really enjoyed the spiced citrus hops. They even turn a bit herbal in the finish. Yum.

M-Has a casky feel to it. Light bubbles. Creamy and moderately dry. Bitterness lingers on the tongue for quite a while.

O/D-Maybe the best of the weekend for me. Just a nice little Amber/Red that boasts its own individual flavor profile. Pretty good! One of the only beers I had on-tap that I would have happily had a second glass.

Serving type: on-tap

09-10-2012 02:09:53 | More by VelvetExtract

CampusCrew

Florida

3.68/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: amber-hued body with a thinnish, near white head. decent lacing.

Smell: toasty amber malts, sublte fruit, and some spicy, herbaceous hop notes.

Taste: sweetish flavor of amber malts with a background sublte brown sugar. Earthy and light hop character but with only a subdued bitterness. finshes pretty dry..

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body.

Drinkability: decent beer, of course I would have loved some more hop presence, but it;s a good beer

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2010 14:02:22 | More by CampusCrew