Upper Pass Fred Red Ale

I’m just going to make an assumption that the man on this can is the Fred from Fred Red Ale. He brings me a lot of joy and his namesake beer does, too. It’s been a while since I’ve had an American Amber, but this is a reminder that the style can be really, really good.

Brewery: Upper Pass Beer Co. (South Royalton, VT)

Rating: 88/100

Comments: Fred pours an extremely dark ruby color with a good amount of light brown head. I let mine warm up a bit before smelling and got great sweet caramel, toffee, and plum notes with some classic “C” hop floral aromas as well. The piney hops come through in the taste, with toasty, caramel, toffee malts. This beer is medium to full-bodied, sweet and slightly sticky, with moderate carbonation. I don’t drink red ales that often, but this is a really solid one that I enjoyed quite a bit – even while watching my alma mater’s football team lose badly.