Jan 29, 2013

O’Fallon Brewery Rager Red

This is my first opportunity to try out St. Louis’s O’Fallon Brewery, but from what I gather they make a pretty solid beer (at least that’s what the big review sites tell me). Red Rager, a 5.5% ABV (20 IBU) Irish Red Ale, is the newest product in the company’s line-up of seasonal releases. The brew is made with a combination of malts (2-Row, Munich 10L, Caramel 40L, Extra Special Malt, Caramel 20L, and Peated Smoked Malt), as well as both Magnum and Tradition hop varieties. You can read more in the official press release.

As far as the beer itself goes… it’s a solid take on the style. The brew has a wonderfully peaty, whiskey-ish character that is tempered well with a bit of hop character. My only complaint would be that there’s a twinge of band-aid that comes out late in the finish, especially as the beer has had a chance to warm in the glass. Other than that, I could see myself sitting down with a pint of this while the wife wraps up her corned beef and cabbage. Now, on to the gory details:

Appearance

Rager Red pours a light copper in color with a large, rocky cap of off-white foam.

Aroma

Earthy malt, a light peaty character, caramel, toasted bread, grains and a hint of grassy hops all come together for a solid aroma. I like the hint of smokiness within the malty depths.

Taste

True to style, the peaty malts dominate nicely with an earthy quality and smooth hint of smokiness. Caramel and toasted bread are also present as the beer flows softly to a balancing amount of miil hop bitterness. As stated in the intro, there’s bit of a band-aid presence in the lingering finish as the beer warms. It’s not completely off-putting and probably won’t be picked up by most drinkers of this medium-bodied brew.

Overall

I really enjoyed the peaty, smokey character to this Irish Ale. It was also nicely balanced with just enough of a hope character in the lingering finish. Easy drinking and quite smooth on the tongue the beer isn’t really sessionable, but a couple of glasses on a cool Spring afternoon won’t hurt.

Rating: 3.25/5

This is a review of a promotional sample from the brewery.

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