Today I'm drinking Roller Dam Red Ale from Great River Brewery in Davenport, IA. This brew was a gift from Steve, which he picked up during his recent trip down to Iowa - Thanks Man! Great River Brewery was originally conceived as a brew pub in Iowa City (home of the Iowa Hawkeyes, BOO). In 2008, the brew pub grew into a full-fledged adult, and set up shop at their current location in Davenport. Roller Dam Red Ale is an Irish Style Red Ale with 5.4% alcohol. For those of you that aren't up to speed on your dam-knowledge, a roller dam is a type of dam designed to allow water to flow over a rolling downward curve, it acts as a washing machine of sorts, diverting energy from the river to prevent it from corroding the river banks. I know what you're thinking....but no, roller dam rafting is NOT a good idea....you will be stuck in the washing machine cycle for days or even weeks and drown (even if you're wearing a life preserver!). This brew comes in a 16oz can - not a whole lot going on with the label design, but they do include a short description explaining the origins of the 'Roller Dam' name (see below). Deep reddish copper color with a small layer of light-colored foam. The aroma is full of caramelized sugars, malts, sweet honey, even some fruity-herbal-tea. Also some light butter in there. This smells like a malt-bomb. The flavor starts off immediately driving home a lot of those aromas.....caramel malts, sun-tea with a lemon and honey, very hearty and earthy maltiness. But wait, there is more to it! A nice, subtle wave of hops come in the middle to add some extra character - floral, herbal bitterness, slightly oily. Mouthfeel is creamy and relatively light. After a few extra minutes and a few degrees warmer, some toasted malts come through, really nice as it warms.
Overall Rating: This is a simple, straight-forward Irish Red. Very smooth and drinkable, plenty of pleasant flavors that play nicely together in the sandbox. I'm really excited to try more beers from Great River! I think their beer is only available in Iowa, so take full advantage, Iowans. B+
P.S. GO IOWA STATE!
We're now also in most of Illinois, Minnesota, North Dekota and Nebraska...More states very soon. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting us know Tim! I did see you guys in our local beer store the other day and was excited to have your beer as an option. Especially your IPA! I hear it's great and am looking forward to trying it out.
ReplyDeleteCheers!