The Dirt
Part of Sam Adam's new experimental line, the Tasman Red is meant to be a red IPA, which likely was influenced by the recent emergence of the black IPA style. The Tasman starts out strong with a good initial hop flavor with a red ale kind of maltiness. The hoppiness reminded more of a hoppy pale ale, but still a good amount. But all of the show is up-front, as I found the back-end kind of lacking. The whole profile just kind of *poof* and disappears. If only some of that red ale-ness lingered, and some biscuit notes were added at the end. In its defense, the Tasman gets a little better as it warms up. The hop flavor lasts a little longer and there are some more hints of caramel at the back-end. But don't let it warm too long, as it gets a bit too bitter, and not the good kind. An interesting idea that could use a few tweaks.
Worth it?
It was certainly worth the try, and wasn't half bad. But if a few tweaks were made to shore up the back-end, it would then be a nice buy. Unless you're a big Sam Adams fan like me or want to see what a first attempt at a red IPA results in, I'd say hold off for now. Then again, this was the most economically priced beer in the series, and was a pretty good deal at less than $5.
The Final Word
No comments:
Post a Comment