Troegs Splinter Red

I want to give a huge shout out to Brass Rail Deli in Campbelltown, PA. The sent several of their employees to Troegs to pick up Splinter bottles on relase day, and by luck I happened to be shopping there and pick up their last bottle of Red (Although you could say they were the reason I did not get a bottle, but I am only happy that I got a bottle of Red). The Red is Mad Elf that was aged for six weeks in bourbon barrels and then bottle aged for eight months.

The beer pours much darker and thicker than Mad Elf. The color is changed from vibrant red to a brown color with light red hues. As with Mad Elf, there is minimal head. The aroma consists of the cherries from Mad Elf but with bourbon accents. I thought that the taste is rounded out a little more than Mad Elf and lacks the front end alcohol bite. The wood and bourbon lead the charge in the mouth. The chocolate and cherries are still there, but I cannot find the honey anymore. The finish is where the alcohol bite is located, and it kicks a little harder with bourbon flavoring. The alcohol content is 11.0% ABV, just like mad elf. I thought that this a very excellent alteration to an already good Mad Elf. I can pick up new flavors as well, with coconut being one of them and the wood barrels really coming to front end of the experience. The finish is very dry and the bourbon latches on to your tongue. Just like the Gold, I really wish that the Red was more readily available, as I would like to buy a few more bottles.

Rickard's Red

While out in Niagara Falls, we grabbed dinner at Boston Pizza and they had Rickard's Red on draft. The Rickard's brand comes courtesy of Molson Coors. The beer is a reddish brown color with a thick and foamy head. It has a hoppy and fresh aroma. The taste is very clean and smooth consisting of sweet malts. On the end, the Red has a crisp hop and refreshing finish. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. I thought that this was a good offering for the red ales, especially one coming from a larger brewer. It should be noted that this is the number one selling red beer in Canada, so that says something about the beer. I had several of these throughout the evening.