Texas Red Amber Lager by Rahr and Sons

Hello boys and girls.

Sorry for the prolonged hiatus from reviewing intoxicants, but given the schedule I have been carrying since October, the distraction of hockey and life, and a funk that has had a hold of me for the past several months, addressing the website has been put on the backburners. Consider this post the application of the pot on the mid range.  Down the pipe we have a few winter beers, and maybe the start of some whiskey reviews.

For the time being, seeing as I have my first Saturday in a while without the wife in tow, I have decided to take the free time to enjoy a beer or two, starting with Rahr and Sons’ Texas Red Amber Lager.

The beer pours out a nice, rich amber hue, and forms a quite impressive and hearty off white head. Despite an almost erotic beginning, the crown dies from about the width of a finger to that of a dime.

I am not sure why this is, but the regular production line from this brewery always has an odor that I would describe as wet or green grain, and this amber beer is no exception. In addition to this Rahr calling card, there is a nice malt forward nose, greeted and balance with a slight hop backend. 

As to be expected by the nose, the malt profile of the beer is upfront on the palate, but is followed by a sourness and bitterness that is not a favorite of this beer drinker. By about midway through the beer, this tang does subside to reveal a middle of the road amber beer that displays some decent caramel and cinnamon notes, but fails to hit the mark of the great or exceptional beer that this brewery produces in a number of seasonal and bomber offerings.

In short, while I believe in the products that this brewery releases, this offering feels forced onto the shelves next to much better representations of the brown and amber ale/lager style.