At 55 IBUs (International Bittering Units) and 6.4% ABV, this is a comparatively small IPA, at least for American versions. Maybe it’s more normative for what I like IPAs to be. I picked Red Chair IPA up at Bevmo many moons ago and have just now gotten around to writing a review for it–why good notes are important. Okay, now that you know what not to expect (i.e., a huge IPA), let me tell you what you can.
The Pour: A maple, copper body placed this firmly within the acceptable colors of what an IPA should look like. A nice, off-white, slightly yellow-tinted, finely carbonated head sat firmly atop the active body. What a lovely sight, especially when the wonderful lacing of the head became visible after some sips.
The Nose: Atypical of many Northwest brews, the nose was not chalked full of extremely citrusy hops. They were floral; there’s no mistaking that aspect of the brew. However, they were much more tropical fruit and melon in aroma than pine sappy or grapefruity characteristic of many IPAs out there. It was a very refreshing aroma, indeed (and in more ways than one). I did catch a slight off aroma which was almost acidic and slightly putrid. That sounds horrible, but it wasn’t an overt flaw. Hints of sweet malts, plenty of fruitiness, and hop restraint made for a very pleasant set of aromas.
The Taste: The hop restraint was evident upon the first sip. Still, it was firmly an IPA, albeit more balanced in the hop content. A wonderful level of residual, sweet, caramel malt led to a nice mouth-feel and cut the taste and perceived bitterness of the hops. However, the beer was still sharply bitter and a touch metallic (iron-like) in quality. Between the tropical/melon hops and ale yeast, the beer had a very nice fruity tone. It rode out the whole beer and ended with a semi-dry bitterness.
Overall, other than a touch of off aroma on the nose, the beer was really nice. I tend to get a little more enthusiastic because it stands out a bit from the crowd.
Mike’s Rating:
Overall Satisfaction: 
Among Other American IPAs: 
Among Other IPAs: 
Red Chair is such a nice, mellow IPA. Looking forward to trying it again this year. I like how rich the malt is, with just the right about of hops to perk it up. Good stuff!
[Reply]
It is one of the better and more balanced ones I’ve had in a while. I’m not against the style…it just takes a good one to enjoy it.
[Reply]
Sounds interesting. I can get this easily out here, but have avoided it because of my allergic reaction to red beers, but I might make an exception here. Sometimes you just gotta say WTF and go for it.
[Reply]
Go for it. Call the hospital before hand.
[Reply]