Review – North Coast Ruedrich's Red Seal Ale

Earlier this month, I reviewed arguably one of the best strong ales, North Coast’s Old Stock Ale.  A trait of many west coast brewers is to have a burst of hop flavor, whether it be a Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, or Imperial India Pale Ale.  At Trader Joes, I found a six pack of North Coast Red Seal Ale (Actually it says Ruedrich’s Red Seal Ale) for a modest $6.49 a sixer.

If you enjoy Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, you will like it a tad more or less.  There is a goofy website that calls this an Amber Ale, but for the love of god, all you have to do is smell it to know. Amateurs!

North Coast Brewing’s Ruedrich’s Red Seal Ale – 12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass. 5.5% abv.

Appearance: A orange copper with a cream colored off white head.  Even after the aggressive pour head subsides, you are left with a nice 1/4 inch creamy head. Active carbonation dances to the top, and you can make out objects through the glass.

Aroma: Sugary English malts and west coast piney hops.

Taste: Like the aroma, malt, then bitter piney hops. A notch maltier than the American Classic, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and sugary, then puckering due to the hops.

Overall: A great drinker that could use more press.  I would hope if it gained more note, it wouldn’t go up in price.  I like California Pale Ales, I like seals, and I like North Coast.  As mentioned, look for this in a Trader Joes if you are on the west coast, this is quite a good deal for such a premium beer.  The main differences between this and Sierra Nevada is this is a bit more sticky and sweet.