Rock River Red Ale

A simple tasting following practice and a huge bowl of Sauteed squash from Westley Acres, IL. while reading my Microbiology readings for the night.

Appearance: Bottle to Pint glass. A simple amber color with a orange tint followed by a neat pour and no head retention. Bubbles show themselves immediately on the side of the glass

Aroma: Smell is sweet and fruity with a little nuttiness in its final notes yet very hard to take out.

Taste: Starts immediately tart  with an interesting yeasty character. I taste strong Apple/Diacetyl tones that prematurely erupt into a strange tannin based aftertaste. The apple flavor dominates this beer too much and doesn't leave any room to reveal any other flavors. Tastes more of a carbonated soda/fruit juice than a red ale or even a beer.

Mouthfeel: High carbonation, yet fluid.

Overall impression: Not sure if I like this one, or where they wanted to go with this. Definitely not what I would expect from a red ale, let alone Berghoff's misguided batch of what they call "beer," Instead this would make for a better cider than anything.

65/100