Tag Archives: imperial red

Imperial Loakal Red by the Bruery

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1069842_10101279480832120_86644223_n 999369_10101279483451870_1707428513_nRating: 5.5/5

Imperial Loakal Red by the Bruery is a 12%ABV Imperial Amber/Red Ale hybrid made with 75% Red Ale and 25% Red Ale aged in oak Barrels

Label: 
We took our hoppy American red ale, delightfully citrusy and full of flavor from new American Oak – and made it bigger, bolder and more exceptional. Imperial Loakal Red is best enjoyed fresh. Please store in a cool, dry place. The ideal serving temperature is 50 deg Fahrenheit (7 deg Celsius). Best served in a tulip or wine glass.
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When I first had the chance to try their Loakal Red, I was very impressed. The beer was along the lines of Troeggs Nugget Nectar and My Bloody Valentine. I was recommended to actually try the Imperial version of it. After opening the bottle the aromas were very rich. Hype aside, I would consider this to an even higher amber status than Nugget nectar and the Valentine which are harder to get.

Aromas are of very rich caramel, toffee, oak, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, citrus, grapefruit, grassy and herbal hops, honey, vanilla, coffee notes, french toast, brown sugar, cherries, mango, maple syrup, scotch, apricots, dragon fruit, coconut and pecan pie.

The flavors are close to a Barleywine, its crazy. You get lots of rich caramel flavors, vanilla, toffee, oak, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecan pie, french toast covered in maple syrup, brown sugar, citrus, grapefruit, grassy, herbal and floral hops, honey, cherries, mango, peaches, pineapple, scotch whiskey notes, slight coconut and tangerines.

The alcohol is present but the beer hides it well. You don’t feel it until alittle bit later. Quite the flavorful rich beer. The after taste keeps lingering with sweet caramel and hop bitterness. It is very pleasant. Will definitely need to get this again. This has become my new favorite amber ale. It is not often I get to try ambers but this one fits the bill perfectly as to what awesome ambers should be.

Galactic Imperial Red by Hopworks Urban Brewery

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999026_10101279478851090_1033965570_nRating: 3.8/5

Galactic Imperial Red by Hopworks Urban Brewery is a 9.5%ABV Imperial Amber/Red Ale coming in at 100+ IBU

Label: 
Hopworks Galactic Imperial Red; One small sip for man, one giant bottle for mankind. Robust caramel malt flavors battle NW Centennial, Cascade, Magnum and Nugget hops for interstellar supremacy. Throw down your quarters before it’s game over.
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Galaga fans will remember the similarities of this bottle’s beer label. This beer is an organic made beer using organic ingredients. 

Aromas of this beer are of piney and grassy hops, citrus, rich caramel, toffee and biscuits.

Flavors are of Caramel, citrus, slight grapefruit, grassy and piney hops, toffee, biscuit bread, maple, slight peppercorn, earthy and metallic hop notes, oranges and herbal bitterness

The alcohol is somewhat noticeable in this one. I think it gets better as you drink more of it but in the beginning it wasn’t overly impressive. I think the hop character over powers the rest of the beer but some may find this appealing. I like more tropical hop characters but these are more herbal to explain what I mean. The balance is somewhat impartial. You get more hop than malt but that is not too bad at at all. While overall this is still a very good beer, there are other ambers that do more wonders. Still worth the try for sure if you love ambers.

Whiskey Barrel Aged Amber by Indian Wells

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69231_10101022799733100_2056917037_nRating: 4/5

Whiskey Barrel Aged Amber by Indian Wells is a 12% ABV Imperial Red/Amber Ale Aged in Whiskey Barrels. First Barrel Aged Amber I have ever tried. 

Label:
As a young boy in the 1940’s, Cliff Fyffe used to Contemplate the old, broken whiskey barrels in the Evan Williams Distillery Yard. He noticed the barrels were sweating out the aged Kentucky whiskey in the summer heat. The whiskey would pool in the barrels in amazing quantity. Cliff shared this memory with the Indian Wells Brewing Co. founders, Rick and Greg, who suddenly had an inspiriation! They reached out and contacted Evan Williams Distillery directly and ordered a dozen, 55 gallon, used oak barrels that had held their flagship whiskey for two years. 

Indian Wells Brewing Co. then left these barrels in the direct Mojave Desert sun until the whiskey sweated out. When the barrels were ready, they brewed a special ’amber’ style lager by using their own natural artesian spring water, filling the whiskey barrels and allowing them to lager down to 34-degrees for months. Our own delicious whiskey barrel aged amber lager. It pairs well with BBQ and is just great for sipping. 

We hope you enjoy drinking it as much as we enjoyed making it. 

Cheers, Rick and Greg
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Got this one at Emilio’s Beverage warehouse in Lakewood CA. Never really tried a barrel aged amber before so I figure why not. The aromas are of Vanilla, coconut, bourbon, caramel, banana, cherries, maple, oak, walnuts and pecans. The taste of the beer are of Caramel, vanilla, bourbon, peanuts, pecans, cherries, whiskey, marshmallows, apples, apricots and cereal grains. Not the best Barrel Aged beer out there, but definitely a little better than some of the other ambers I have tried. The flavors are not super intense. The whiskey and alcohol are more noticeable in the aftertaste than other beers. Although the burning is not there. While the amber style is not my supreme favorite, I really think this one is definitely worth a try. Barrel Aged beers just add more to a regular beer. However, some may not agree. In this case, for me it was above average. I must have got the good bottle 😛