Red Stripe is brewed by Desnoes & Geddes Limited, based out of Jamaica. The company initially started our making sodas and distributing imported liquors. In 1928, they had brewed the first Red Stripe beer but unlike today’s modern descendent, this was an ale. Ten years later in 1938, Red Stripe lager is brewed. In 1993, Desnoes & Geddes become part of Guiness Brewing Worldwide.
The thing I most remember about Red Stripe was it’s bottle. It’s short and stout with a very simple label. Despite all appearances, it holds a full 12 oz. The last thing I remember about this beer are it’s funny commercials. BOO CREEPY FOOT DOCTOR! HOORAY BEER!
Appearance: This beer is characterized as an American Macro Lager so I’m not holding my breath for a sublime beer experience but I hope I will be surprised. As you can see by the picture, Red Stripe is a brilliantly bright beer. It’s a pale straw color with a white head easily 4 fingers in height. ****
Aroma: This beer has a light aroma to it. I catch a little sweetness though, but not malty sweetness. More like… canned sweet corn. I do not detect any noticeable hop aroma. If there is any, it’s really light. ****
Taste: This is a very subtlety flavored beer. It kinda reminds of how carbonated water tastes like, only less carbonated water flavor. I did let this beer warm up some instead of drinking it ice cold. Because of that, there’s a sweetness reminiscent of sweet corn. As in the aroma, there is very little hop flavor at all. ***
Mouthfeel: Light and crisp. If at all possible, this beer has and even lighter mouthfeel than water. Despite the impressive head on the initial pour, I am not finding this to be at all effervescent. I do not feel the prickliness on my tongue from the carbonation that I normally would expect. ***
Drinkability: If you like water, then this is the beer for you. This is an incredibly easy drinking beer. Perhaps, on a 100°F day, I’d crack one open. Even then, I may be close to being dehydrated and it would probably be a better idea of I just drank water. *
Food: I’m not sure what I would recommend with this. Maybe corn on the cob sans butter. It’d have to be without butter as the butter would overwhelm what little flavor there is in the beer. Come to think of it, I think the corn could do that on it’s own. A plain, puffed rice cake perhaps?
3/5 stars*
* While I rated this beer very poorly in drinkability, I must note that it’s all about context. I would suppose that were I in Jamaica, this would be a fantastic beer. It’d be fresh, light, and crisp, the perfect compliment to their hot, humid tropical weather. But I’m not in Jamaica, I’m in California where it’s currently cold and raining. In the end, this beer is just not my style, both literally and figuratively.
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