MadTree "Rounding Third" Red IPA

Oh MadTree, we have had our ups and downs, haven't we? The first beer was an outlier at 0.75. It was quickly followed up with two solid great beers, and then we hit right in the middle of average for the next two. As we had one outlier that was really low, I'm wondering if this is going to be the outlier that is extremely high. A red India pale ale is fairly rare on the site, and it appears to be fairly rare at my beer stores, so I'm looking forward to the experience.

She pours with a very thick head, but it's not so much that it overwhelms this glass. As for color, I suppose the dead center of the beer starts to get red, but I'd say in general this seems to slant more toward amber. The off-white head is going to leave quite a bit of lacing, and a giant splotch in the middle of the beer will forever remind me that this is an adult beverage. The aroma has caramel layered underneath a delicious citrus hops that I would expect to find a little muted in a red beer, but I welcome them in a red IPA.

First sip reflects what it says in the title. This has an IPAs thickness of citrus hops (primarily grapefruit) layered on top of a caramel malt. The malt is a lot more commanding of attention than generally found in a regular IPA. As a result, it dominates the taste quite a bit, and I think it will be highlighting the yeast. The yeast doesn't seem to be anything particularly fantastic, so the loss may just be muddying the waters.

Tip-in is rich, thick caramel malt (way more than the sip had) with carbonation and yeast sparkles. The middle swoons with heightened carbonation as the grapefruit and lemons take hold. The finish turns a bit musty with the yeast coming forward a bit and all of the sweetness of the carbonation disappearing for a dryness to settle in.

Bottom Line: A full swig gives you a solid flavor profile. And it's not bad at all.

2.75/5