Na Zdravi !: Red Trolley Ale

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Red Trolley Ale

"Red Trolley Ale sets the standard for Irish Red Ales. Each batch of this multi award-winning beer is brewed with a half-ton of caramelized malts for a deep copper color and toffee flavor. After adding the perfect mix of hops for balance, the brew is warm-fermented to bring out hints of raisins and currants."

At $10 a 6, this brew is outta my normal price range so when I saw it was on sale at Sprout's I had to grab it. So glad I did. This red ale is one of the tastiest beers I've had in months.
In a way, I am sorry I tried it ... now I want more.

ABV 5.8%, IBU 17
Hops: Glacier, Willamette
Malt: Pale 2-Row, Carapils, Caramel 60, Caramel 80

Na Zdravi!

A 10-second take.
Not really reviews, just my way to keep track of the beers I've tried.

My mother's family is Czech. They emigrated from Bohemia and settled in Nebraska in the mid-1800s.
They were from the region that included the town Pilzen (Pilsen) where a brewery called Měšťanský pivovar Plzeň, now Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj in Czech), started brewing a uniquely Bohemian-style beer we now know as pilsner.
So, as I raise a glass in honor of my Bohemian roots ...

Na Zdravi! (to your health).

Hops?

A "hop" is the cone shaped resinous flower of the female hop plant. It is used in brewing to add bitterness, flavor, aroma, and stability depending on when it is added.

Hops are one of the 4 basic ingredients of beer although they are not esential in the brewing process. The are used simply to add flavor and complexity to the brew.
Double and even triple IPA's feature an extreme amount of hops, and an ABV to match.
Noble Hops - The traditional varieties of hops that were used to make early European beers. Medieval brewers used Hallertau, Saaz, Spalt, and/or Tettnang hops. All are from Germany except Saaz from the Czech Republic (Žatec in Czech). All are still used today.