North Coast Brewing - Red Seal Ale: 27

Taste: 9 Finish: 9 Visual: 4 Aroma: 5
Total: 27

Apparently, the Beverage Tasting Institute claims this is one of the top 10 breweries in the world. Red Seal Ale has won the Gold Medal seven times in the World Beer Championships. And looking at their other brews, they got a lot of heavyweights in there that are well respected. Got to try it!

The head is a bit too much if your don't pour it carefully. The color is a perfect amber. The aroma is fantastic with a balance of the sweet malt and the bitterness of the hops.

It has a very nice sweet flavor upfront with a bit of sizzle around the edge of the tongue. It washes over nicely. In the back the hops start to kick in. In the first few sips the hops really shine. Lots of bold hop flavor and bitterness. But as the bottle goes down, it mellows a bit. The malt sweetness smooths things over and really creates a nice balanced brew. Also there is a nice floral note to it from the hops.

At first I wanted to knock it a bit. The first few sips make me think big bold IPA. When it mellowed out I was disappointed. But, this isn't an IPA. It's an amber ale. It should be a bit sweet and have some bite. Given that, I think this is near perfection. It's a brew that has lots of flavor but never overpowers. A beer almost anyone can appreciate. North Coast, you've got a new fan.