River Brew Review: Jamaica Brand Red Ale

As I’m sure you all know from reading Chris’ recent review of Sierra Nevada SummerFest we haven’t been out fishing much in the last couple of weeks, but we had been watching a ton of hockey and throwing some horse shoes so our beer consumption hasn’t really dropped much. A couple of nights ago I tried the Jamaica Brand Red Ale from Mad River Brewing in California. The brew was tasty and grew on me with each glass, but the spicy hopiness wasn’t really up my alley. For anyone who is a fan of Jamaican style ales I would definitely recommend this beer. Enjoy!

Appearance: A really nice caramel color with hints of red. The clear reddish brew has a very thick and creamy head with good retention.

Smell: Sweet and a little bit fruity. The scent has a pretty strong malt component that even seems a bit spicy

Taste/Mouthfeel: The taste is much like it smells, sweet with a bit of fruit, there is also a decent hop flavor to this beer. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite as hoppy as it is, but the balance is pretty good. The beer has a nice carbonation and isn’t overly bubbly.

Overall: Good. I like it, but I probably won’t go out of my way to have it again. The balance is good, and the beer certainly grew on me as I consumed. Definitely worth trying.