Brasserie St. James Red Headed Stranger
What the brewers say
“Our gold medal-winning red farmhouse ale uses a lesser-known Belgian yeast strain at higher temeratures to create a rich palate. A blend of spices and whole-cone hops add a peppery floral nose, and finest specialty malts create a smooth delicate body that finishes dry.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “A pleasant malt complexity with a healthy amount of yeast phenolic spiciness and noticeable earthy hoppiness. Apricot, pear, light fig, moderate toast, a touch of caramel, light black licorice, light earthy hops.”
Flavor: “A subtle mix of malty complexity and restrained yeast spice and ester—very pleasant. Nice pear and date yeast esters with a healthy amount of pepperiness and noble hops character. The malt is mostly just a light caramel with a bit of bread crust.”
Overall: “Good beer with moderate hops bitterness, dark malts, big fruit esters, and a rather dry finish to make it easy drinking. Dry, spicy, slightly austere. This beer would complement rich gamey foods very well—the dry crisp finish and pepper phenols would cut through the fat. Pleasant, but restrained.”
