Mad River Jamaica Red Ale

This beer was originally brewed for a famous Reggae festival that happens each year here in Humboldt County. A malty bitter American Amber style ale. This mahogany hued ale brings an intense spectrum of hop flavors from the spicy aromatic to lingering bitter, all underscored by a full- bodied caramel richness.
Try this brew with a little Jamaican Jerked Chicken.

3.3

432 reviews

Blue Lake, United States

Community reviews

3.3 Poured a translucent murky red-brown with a 5mm light tan frothy head/cap that retained well and laced poorly. Carbonation high, slow and fine to coarse. Aroma of sweet caramel malt. Taste is quite sweet caramel, even a bit candied, with moderate levels of spice on the back of the tongue; overall quite malty and with low bitterness. Light to medium body. Clean and soft with moderate sweetness and moderate spiciness on the finish. Easy drinking.

3.5 Sampled at a blind tasting with Dr Beer. Pours Darker amber ( oxidized metal color ) around 20 SRM. No real head. Smell is sharp, mild gingerbread-like spices. a distant, fruity undertone. taste is mildly bitter, bit creamy, almost buttery-in a nice way. Assertive bitter touch in the back, aromatic ( raisins and other fruityness ) in the maltyness. caramelly.

4.2 appearance: clear dark amber, with a finger of creamy light tan head. aroma: toasted brown bread, grass, drying hay, toasted nuts, caramel. taste: caramel sweetness, some cola notes, toasted bread and nuts, and a grassy, earthy hop finish that’s just a bit spicy. finish: dry, semi-sweet, clean palate. notes: A good amber or red ale is tremendously under-appreciated these days, but it’s one of my favorite styles when done right. This one was done right. Really nice. Bottle from the Beer of the Month Club.

3.2 Bottle. Bronze-amber color, slightly yellowish foam. Aroma: caramel, a little butter, dried fruits, honey, fruit esters, dried citrus. Taste: sweetish-caramel, light dried fruits, slightly candied, warming, soft hop bitterness.

3.5 Deep amber beer with a thin light beige head. Nose of candied almonds, caramel, and stewed prunes. Flavor is sweet, nutty, and rich with toffee, almonds, and figs followed by a slight citrusy bitterness. Medium-bodied, this has a surprising amount of flavor that is pleasantly malt forward.

3.5 12oz bottle pours a garnet amber with some sticky, white head. Nose has malt, dried fruits, caramel, a little orange. Flavor follows, chestnut honey, malt, orange, soap. Finishes dry, lightly bitter.

3.5 Storm old tasting notes. Cloudy reddish brown color. Creamy tan head. Spicy roasted malt nose hints at orange peel. Sweet roasted malt flavor is fruity and complex. Nice bitter hop finish.

3.6 Equilibrada red ale, con buen cuerpo, acaramelada y lupulada. Sin ser mi estilo me ha parecido interesante. Sin fecha de consumo preferente.

3.7 (Mad River Jamaica Red Ale) Bottle 355ml at home, served into a shaker, ABV 6.5% Deep mahogany brown colour on the body, clear, with almost a finger of thick and creamy tan head on top, very good retention. Aroma of caramel, biscuit, citrusy hops. Taste is mildly sweet with caramel, toffee, light citrusy hops, biscuit, hint of chocolate. Medium body, soft carbonation. Pretty good.

3.1 Malty, rye bread, and herbal aroma. Caramel, toffee, biscuits, and fruity flavors. Finish is sweet and salty. Not bad.

3.5 0,33l fles gedeeld met bryan. Erg bruin voor een red ale, smaak ligt ook meer in de cacao hoek die bij een donker bier past. Goed te drinken.

3.5 Bottle at Boothill, Amersfoort. Reddish brown with a slightly off-white head. Light to medium body with moderate carbonation. Subtle bitter and sweet tones. Caramel, raisin, pine and ripe fruits. Nice brew.

3.5 Bottled, 355ml from BeerMerchants in Kent. Amber with off white head. Good looking beer in the glass, on drinking there is a sweetish caramel character from the start, not overbearingly so though. Fruity, peachy then plummy notes, just a hint of resin. Decent depth. The beer is quite pleasant.

3.6 On tap at growler guys meridian. Pours out a rusty amber topped with a white head. Nose is pine hops maybe some rye malts and spice. taste is more of the pine hops light sweetness caramel malt and some rye.

3.2 Bottle @ beer temple , reddish brown with tan head with caramel malts, hops, resins and toffee taste leaving a smooth caramel malty aftertaste

3.5 Deep amber, medium head. Caramel malts play well with American hops on aroma. Medium body. Nice caramel tasting. Light bitterness. Tired hops.

3.7 Bottle at home. Pours hazy reddish brown with a light pinkish head. Aroma of hops, pine, resin, malts, caramel, toffee. Taste is moderate bitter and over moderate sweet, resin, pine, toffee, caramel. Pine resiny bitter sweet malty aftertaste. Not bad.

3.6 355 ml bottle. Pours clear mahogany-red color with a large off-white head. Strong malty aroma with resin and pine, some hops, orange and hints of caramel. Flavor is surprisingly a bit chocolaty at first, malty, resinous hoppy, some caramel sweetness at the end. Bitter palate. Better than I expected given the fact that I really don’t fancy the style that much. 4414

3.1 355ml bottle. Cloudy, dark amber to brown colour with small to average, frothy, half-way lasting, minimally lacing, off-white head. Caramel malty aroma with a nuttily touch, fruity hoppy overtones with hints of orange. Taste is dry, nuttily malty, a touch of caramel and toffee, moderately bitter hoppy counterweight, a weak zesty touch of orange.

3.2 Deep brown pour with a decent tan head. Malty, toffee and slightly fruity aroma. Similar flavours, it’s ok but not massively exciting.

3.4 East of Everything ontap(31-Jul-16)Light berry sour veg aroma.Dark red,solid head&ring lace.Malt berry celery flavour.Veg sour funk finish&celery herbal berry aftertaste.

2.8 Slight malt herbal aroma. Deep red colour poor head and lacing. Malt herbal hop spice flavour. Smooth palate.

2.6 Low pffft as the cap came off. Afraid it was still, but a sturdy, tight off-white foam formed off the pour and held nicely for the length. The body of beer a deep, tawny copper with a bad case of the sea monkeys. Aroma of sticky toffee and bitter burnt caramel, roasted peanut husks, pine and caramelised stonefruit. Malt driven on the palate with a heavy hand of fruit esters. Oxidised plum, rhubarb, a trace of red grapes with a light astringency balancing out the sweet, sticky malt tones. Not bitter but there is a hint of pine, wood and smoke with a lingering peppery spice that is hard to shift. Body is light but it is gammy, yeasty and oily in feel. Bready linger joins the spice. Bah, not in good form. Just tastes mistreated. A shame, as I haven’t found a Mad River I’m not fond of. One for a re-rate. (12fl.Oz, no date stamp, The Liquor Shed, Jandakot)

3.5 Dark amber with a modest beige head that doesn’t last all that well. 3- Aroma of toffee, bitter oranges, some gingerbread, pine. Full bodied and malty but not all that sweet. Toffee, some dried fruit, oranges, somewhat medicinal spices. Bitterness creeps up a bit. Pleasant and hearty drop.

3.5 Bottle. Murky amber lots of sediment. No lace. Boozy aroma like a spiced rum. Caramel malts, citrus, wheat, bread taste. Interesting and very drinkable.

4.0 Reddish brown with a thin off white head. Extremely pleasant toffee and earthy hop aroma. More toffee and caramel on the palate without being too sweet. Just enough hops to balance things out. Slightly fruity on the very end. Complex, malty, balanced hops. Well done.

3.4 Bottle at home. Aroma is bready malt, caramel, toast, some toffee, overripe fruits, piney hoppy notes. Flavour is over moderate sweet with an over moderate bitter finish. Medium bodied. Nice hoppy caramel Amber, a bit like a light Barley Wine, clearly this beer wants to grow up and become Anchor’s Old Foghorn.

3.2 Bottled. Amber colour with a pale beige head. Aroma is caramel, some mild biscuity notes as well as some toffee, toast and mild floral and hebral hoppiness to it. Flavour is rather similar, with the biscuity malts giving it a rather crisp bite. Nice floral/grassy/herbal aftertaste.

3.6 Bottle. Caramel nose, with gentle roast malt, earthy notes, citrus, and light breadiness. Medium reddish/brown color, small off-white head. Sweet initial flavor, with caramel, somehwat spicy and nutty. Very small whisky note, too. A touch phenolic in mid palate and final. Thin-medium body. Pleasant, and full of toasty malt flavors.

2.6 Pours a dark slightly cloudy copper from a bottle, aroma of creme brulee, bitter herbs, flavor somewhat medicinal, like cherry cough syrup without the cherry. Bitterness lingers quite a long time, slightly off-putting. Okay beer.