Sacramento Red Horse Ale

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

i've come across some inconsistencies in the bottle, which i think has contributed to a couple negative reviews...possibly due to improper storage at the retailer, and not the original quality of the beer. I've had this beer as good as an A+, and as low as a C, but I'd say low A-/high B+ overall. The great hop aroma, and balance of hops and crystal malt are my favorite attributes of the beer. Worth getting on tap if you can.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 2

Something's rotten in Denmark...ok, so it's Sacramento. Still, this is some foul beer that no one should be subject to drink. While on a recent outing in the area, I came across their beer at a BevMo (their distribution must really be limited) and figured since I haven't tried a few of their other beers that I could remedy that sitch real quick. I wish I hadn't. The beer pours out a clear reddish color with a 2-finger thick head. The first bits of aroma made me think of brown sugar....and then after a few swirls it hit me. Cabbage. So much over the top cabbage you'd think that there was some boiled cabbage in the beer. I swirled a few times hoping that it'd go away but it only made it stronger! I figured I'd better drink quick before I lose my nerve, and sure as hell...cabbage flavor. I gave this beer a fighting chance for about 10-15 minutes to let the temp change and it didn't help it. Gnarly and nasty come to mind when I drank this, so not only did I dump it, but the other 4 beers I had went in the trash too. Vile.

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

Leaves a lot of lacing around the glass as the head diminishes. Translucent reddish-orange color, with not much carbonation. Not as weet as I thought it would be, which is a pleasant surprise. Nothing terribly exceptional here. The sweetness and bitterness do a bit of give and take on the tongue.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

Dark copper brew raising a decent cream colored head. Fruity hop nose. Light bodied brew, watery with a mild hop bitterness. Not much going on here.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

An interesting coincidence occured a few weeks ago. I was up in Sacramento for a quick 2-day trip, and ended up hitting quite a few of the brewpubs there (for better or worse). Had a few beers and lunch at the Sacramento Brewing Company, but didn't get around to trying their Red Horse Ale. When I flew back, I of course submitted a handful of BeerFly reviews. The very next day, to restock my beer stash, I stopped by Trader Joe's. What should I see but the very same Red Horse Ale...! It was only being offered in a 12-pack, so it took some coaxing on my part to bite the bullet and pick up a full 12-pack of beer that I may or may not like..., especially for a "Red Ale" (a style I normally dislike, for being too sweet and froo-froo).

Well, I would have to say that I'm glad I shelled out the $10 for a 12'er of this. Very nice and easy drinking Red/Amber Ale -- what the brewer calls a "classic Northern California Red Ale" (in other words, direct competition for North Coast's Red Seal Ale, no doubt).

Nice appearence, with very nice layering of the Belgian lacing as things progress. A more subdued aroma, that could use a bit more in the way of dry-hopping, IMO. Flavor-wise, this says "Session Ale", even if it is a rather surprising 6.2%ABV. Nice malty notes, with even a hint of chocolate (Brown Ale) and bitterness (Pale Ale) in the mix.

I'll always stcik with Pale Ales and IPA's for my "beer of choice", but this is a nice change of pace as a session ale IMO, and well worth checking out.

(BTW: this beer is named after on of the local Air Force commands, that is to say, the "Rapid Engineering Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineering Unit". Since I know how the military thinks, being a Gov't contractor and all, I can see how someone in the Air Force made the name fit the acronym, instead of the other way around!)
//TB

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

Red color, medium head. Medium malts, medium hops. A red ale with a nice hoppy aroma. Roasted malts, some sweetness, aggressively hopped. Good balance. Nice full flavor. Finish is clean. Aftertaste is hoppy, somewhat bitter.

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

Thanks to elnadeau for sharing. This is a good looking pour: clear reddish amber color, 1" off white head. The aroma is a bit hoppy and the flavor is clean and hoppy. This was very enjoyable