River Horse Special Ale

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

IT APPEARS THIS IS NOT THE SAME BEER (just the same name and brewer) that has been previously reviewed here, it is now called an American Amber Ale. (I think its more an Irish Red than anything.) Nice nose, toasted malt predominates, some chocolate and coffee notes, light citrus brings up the rear. Medium copper body is foggy and topped with a tan moderate head with good retention and decent lace. Mouth is medium to light and slightly chewy, carbonation a well done tickle. This beer is sweet and tart. Not complex but nicely balanced. Some chocolate, some coffee from the malts, sweet but not cloying, hops just detectable but contribute to a surprisingly dry and clean finish. This sucker is pretty well made and it is what it is. Extremely sessionable!

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

This beer pours a clear orangeish-amber colour with a medium size off white head. Aroma is hard to pick up on because it is such a strong unusual scent. I notice mangoe, pear slices, carrots and aspirin. Mouthfeel is very bubbly- in fact the whole beer is crazy bubbly. Most of the RH products I've had recently have been like that. Initial taste is like a roass between a brut sparkling wine and a sparkling cider. MINERAL WATER! Flavor trails off into an astringent, juicy, ginger like taste. One thing is for certain, it is unlike any ESB I have ever had.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

This beer is a translucent red brown with dark clouds. The scent is caramel honey sweet with a hint of bitter, and the flavor follows suit: a refreshingly balanced hint of hops in a light honey caramel sweetness-- atypical for an ESB. Clean and pleasant.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

I like this beer and I also don't really care for it at the same time. Aroma is very sweet with a good presence. Pours a nice pale amber color but even while dumping the beer straight into my glass I couldn't get a decent head to form and there is very little lacing. Mouthfeel is somewhat full but watery in the end. Solid malt here rather sweet for an ESB. Caramel and a honey flavor are dominant, it's tasty but just a bit too sweet for my liking. Decent but lacking.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

~12oz bottle, picked up while on a business trip to the McLean/Vienna/Tyson's Corner area of VA, and sampled on a warm Monday afternoon in San Diego CA.

I've only had limited exposure to the River Horse beers, but everything that I've had, I've been reasonably impressed with. This ESB doesn't break that trend, either.

I'm not sor sure I buy off this being labeled an ESB, since it clocks in at what would be considering in England as just a Bitter, @4.5%ABV. But considering that ESB's have some face-time in the marketplace -- ala Redhook ESB et al -- it just makes sense that the brewers would label it as such.

Either way, what's this beer like? Love the bready malt bill: lots of things for the palate to ponder with this one. And the bitterness? Nicely restrained. I would have liked to have seen some more complxity here, but either way, does the job.

Drinks pretty easy, and nice in the aftertaste. The low carbonation is dead-on-the-money with this sort of style. I wonder what it would be like cask-conditioned?

Perhaps not the most complex Bitter that I've run across, but this "Jersey boy done good", by me.

Movie: Shaun Of The Dead
Cheers!
//TB

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 4

orange with a small head on this. Light bodied and a mild sweet aroma. Not quite an esb, but a basic english bitter with tame flavors for a good, easy drinking beer. Flavors of candyish toffee, a little citrus and nut. Slightly sweet. A bit thin in the finish. Not bad when taking the time to sip, but good for swillin on too.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Orange amber color. Medium white foamy head. Aroma is nearly non-existent, but what aromas are there are malty and a touch earthy. A light and thin bodied ale, not sure I would call it an ESB, its more a mild bitter. Malts are mild, slightly nutty and fruity. Hops are also mild and slightly spicy. Its very mild and a little watery, but if you can get past that, it has some nice flavor qualities I kind of like. There is a nice roasty maltyness and it has a nice slightly sweet finish. There is also a nice lively carbonation at the finish. Mild flavored, but I kind of like it. Mouthfeel is thin. Finish is clean and sweet. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Bottle. Except for a few bubbles, I couldn’t get any head from this. Pours murky copper with a chocolate aroma and caramel. I have no idea what to expect from this. Too light to be a barley wine and too sweet to be an ale. How the &$@*^%# is this a Bitter? I’ve heard of ales turning bitter but a bitter turning to ale? Weird and somehow good. If the body wasn’t so thin, I’d really like it.

Aroma: 0 | Appearance: 0 | Mouthfeel: 0 | Flavor: 0 | Overall: 0

I have never had a good beer from River Horse. I visited the place once and although the people were friendly most of the beers just don't measure up.

Aroma: 0 | Appearance: 0 | Mouthfeel: 0 | Flavor: 0 | Overall: 0