This is my first gluten-free beer. There are people for whom gluten is a horrible thing that can kill them, and then there are people who have a slight gluten allergy, and then there are regular people who don't actually need to worry. Nevertheless, some people make a diet choice to eliminate gluten, and so people produce this beer.
I normally start the description with the color, but the aroma is strong with this one. It smells malty and there is a bit of cherry coming out in there with maybe a hint of spice. The gold color is also a bit copper and red, but it's very clear. The bubbles stick to the sides inside the glass briefly upon pouring. It kind of reminds me of Pepsi or Coke in that respect. The head settles to a nice looking film that sticks to the edges and steeples as the beverage goes down.
First sip, and that's not a good beer. Nope. Not good at all. It's green apple and something that tastes more like an artificial sweetener. It is like a poor attempt at modifying a flavor by adding artificial, aftertastey something to improve the overall flavor. There is a bit of lemon in there with it, but the overall effect is not particularly palatable.
Against my better judgement, I'm going to try a big swig.
Nope. Not better. There's a kind of grassy flavor added to the mix, but it's not better. Everything eases up a bit in the middle, but it really didn't improve anything; it just kind of spread it out a bit.
I can't recommend this beverage. It just isn't very good, but it approaches the not good flavor from the direction of really trying. With a little talent added to the effort, they could put out a good beer. Let's hope Red Bridge isn't just another Magic Hat.
0.5/5