So there I was at Taco Mac on Sunday, October 9th of 2016 watching my New England Patriots go at it with the Cleveland Browns. The Pats had the winless Browns on the ropes, and moving in for the kill, delivered a massive roundhouse punch that sealed Cleveland’s fate. What better beer to order up than Bell’s Roundhouse India Red Ale?
Actually, I never need much of an excuse to order a Bell’s beer. They’re always flavorful and well-made regardless of the style, but India Red Ale is a style that I don’t see nearly enough. You can call it an IPA with an extra dash of lightly kilned malt or a red ale with extra hops. Either way, they results are usually quite satisfying.
Bell’s says of the beer on their website:
Substantial amounts of late-kettle hop additions and dry-hopping yields a heady blend of fruity aromas of pineapple, peach and citrus. Those aromas continue into a crisply bitter hop presence across the tongue, but the judicious use of toasted and caramel specialty malts prevents the hop intensity from overwhelming the palate.
Locally sourced Michigan honey creates a smooth, dry finish that pulls everything together.
Bell’s Roundhouse India Red Ale has an alcohol content of 7.5% by volume. It was a very reasonable $5 for a 20-ounce mug at Taco Mac, but runs high in six-packs at $11.99 here in Georgia.
My mug of Bell’s Roundhouse India Red Ale arrived a dark reddish mahogany color with a medium sized head of creamy foam and luscious juicy berry malts in the nose. Taking a sip, I got more of those along with stewed malts and chocolate, tropical passion fruit hops, and a dry grassy bitterness in the finish.
It’s the malt that makes these beers for me, and Bell’s Roundhouse presents the malt well, balanced nicely by fruity bitter hops. Definitely a beer I’d buy again.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft