The Bruery - Loakal Red

How's it going everybody? It's been a while since I've checked in and reviewed a beer. Don't get me wrong, I've still been drinking some good beers but really haven't had the time to sit down and properly do a review justice. But alas, I've got some time now and I'm looking forward to tonight's beer. Why you ask? Because it's my May Beer of the Month!

So for May, the beer of the month selected by my wife is The Bruery's Loakal Red. Well, I sort of told her to pick this one out, but that's still OK. According to the label, Loakal Red is a brash american red ale dripping with citrusy Centennial hops, mellowed by oak. So this is 75% American Red Ale and 25% ale aged in American Oak Barrels.

I'm sorry. Oak + Red ale? Shit yes! Let's get this one poured and do some drinking!

Loakal Red pours out a beautiful mahogany that definitely resembles a deep amber/ruby red when held up to a light source. There was about a 2 1/2 to 3 fingers of a rocky white head that sticks around for a very long time. This is bottle conditioned so the big head and the retention time isn't a surprise. There's quite a bit of carbonation streaming up from the bottle of the glass. The lacing left behind is pretty think and foamy. This is a really excellent looking beer. Let's get the nose.

Wow. Lots of things going on here. Big citrus right away. A nice vanilla and oak coming through right behind the hops. I'm picking up a little bit of a spice character, maybe a coriander or maybe even an allspice. There's a bit of a leather note I'm picking up too. I'm getting more earthy wood like notes from the barrel as I go back for another opinion. To compare this to something specific at Christmas time we take oranges and stick clove into them. The fragrance they give off is citrusy and a little spicy. This beer reminds me a lot of that. It's an incredible smelling beer. Let's see how Loakal Red tastes!

Right away I'm getting some hop bitterness. It's not overpowering. Very mellow. A bit of citrus with the bitterness is a perfect segue into a lot of oak and vanilla. But it doesn't overpower the hops. There's some nice caramel sweetness in the middle of the mouth. More vanilla. Sides of the pallet you get that oak and honestly, a bit of that leather I got in the nose. Back of the mouth there's more vanilla, more oak, more caramel, a little bit more of that hop bitterness. There's a little bit of char from the barrel on the back end as well. This is really nice stuff, very well balanced. Medium bodied, very smooth, almost creamy at times.

So overall, Loakal Red by The Bruery is just incredible. I haven't had too many of their beers (3 or 4 to be exact), but this might be my favorite. Everything about this beer works in perfect harmony with itself. I wouldn't have thought a hoppy red would work so well with oak aging but this stops all doubts or questions I had. If you can get this, I suggest trying it out. I know it was originally just for Orange County only (hence the Loakal part of the name) but they decided to distribute elsewhere. Worth the $10 for sure.

Rating: A+