Green Beacon have a number of seasonals they revisit each year, and each has its own following. When it comes to Red’s Dead, the followers are a mix of malt fans, hop fans, and skeletal pirates who find precious few role models in the beer industry.
The label on this autumn seasonal has been tweaked each year, and 2021’s version has seen it come back from portraying a full-bodied skeleton with torn shirt and hook hand and returning to the classic skull-with-knife-between-teeth-and-Rambo-headband.
The recipe is tweaked year on year as well, with this iteration flexing its malt muscles in a big way. A clean biscuit sweetness and a little chocolate hold the fort while a rich berry character adds complexity; the resin and pine that have won the day in past years are background characters here. It’s like the date slice that your grandma serves up, or chocolate-coated berries (though more berry than chocolate).
Yet, for all of these deep flavours, it’s quite refreshing for an IPA: good for those autumn days that still come in hot as well as the cooler nights that require a malty sipper.
Mick Wust
Published March 15, 2021 2021-03-15 00:00:00
