Beer – #773 – Monteiths – RIPA Red
Monteiths (DB Breweries) RIPA Red. A gift, a single bottle, it’s the small things that count.
….A new young beer style..
This is a 330ml bottle of a beer that is 42IBU and 5.3% ABV, making it 159 calories, and 1.4 standard drink units.
Brewed by Monteiths Brewing Co. (DB Breweries) in the style that is : India Pale Ale (IPA) and they’re in Greymouth, New Zealand
Man has a free beer!
A new young beer style, this RIPA is our west coast interpretation of a partnership between a full flavoured IPA and an Amber Ale.
Brewed with 7 different malts for body, sweetness and a ruby red hue, a unique blend of NZ and international hops build the backbone of this rich but elegant beer.
Grapefruit and floral hop aromas are balanced with caramel and malt characters with a hint of spice.
So, what could possibly go wrong?
The aroma is reminiscent of English style bitters.
Pour is glorious red brown and a lovely head that looks the part. Not a lot by way or aroma in the glass though.
Genuinely this is not a craft beer by any of the ideas of what a craft beer might be, because it’s brewed en masse by large brewery concern.
This however does not make it bad or ‘evil’.
I was surprised and smiled at the rich taste that this has, and it really looks great in the glass, the picture does not do it a justice and I was too lazy to turn on the lights in the early evening gloom.
There are a few problems though. The lack of aroma is a bit odd, and whilst it gives you the impression of being bitter, it isn’t and the predominant taste is that sweet caramel malt it has.
It isn’t a full flavour or full mouthfeel beer.
The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 of its things from the thing. This would be a nice beer to get standard beer drinkers in to a crossover to more flavour packed and crafted beers perhaps. It is a fine and solid effort and the marketing people clearly know their audience, delivering something that looks different, and quite pleasing on the eye, and has some flavour and a hint to bitterness, but without all the fuss and nonsense of one of this ‘flash’ beers.
The double dip review
- Where did I get it? It was a gift!
- Am I enjoying it? I am surprised by how nice it is really for what it is.
- Would I have another? I’d not be embarrassed to drink this if it was amongst a selection of normal beers in a pub or restaurant that hadn’t embraced ‘craft’ brewers.
- Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I’d not be embarrassed to take this to a party where you perhaps wanted to not show off a craft beer snobbery and wanted to appear to be like everyman. Monteith’s is a well known brand and you could fly under the radar with this hat tip to a beer with taste and flavour.
Music for this: ” Winterpills” and ” Love Songs” which I have on Spotify
Winterpills are an American indie rock band from Northampton, Massachusetts, United States.
Not on this album but to give you an idea is ‘Dying Star’
INDIA PALE ALE & IPA
India Pale Ale gets its name and unique style from British brewers who were making beer for export to India. This style has an intense hop flavor which was used to preserve the beer for the long voyage. India Pale Ale has a golden to copper color with a medium maltiness and body. The aroma is moderate to very strong. IPAs work especially well at cutting the heat of chili, vindaloo or Sichuan cuisine.
A life just as ordinary 
Great blog! I love the music pairings! Where are you located? Thanks for writing. Check out my blog if you have a chance. Cheers!
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Hi, Thank you, I like new music and I really like new beer. I’m in Auckland New Zealand, where in April were moving into the Winter months.
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