Does Blue Heron have the wings to take flight?

Hey all!

WAY behind on my beer tastings, which just means I'm gonna have to drink more these next couple of weeks! Our last beer from the Mendocino Brewing Company is Blue Herron Pale Ale. The beer does have an awarding tradition. In 2010 it won a Silver Medal at the California State Fair (which is more prestigious than it sounds) and, according to Mendocino's website, a Bronze Award at the Great American Beer Festival (year unknown).

The beer has an average head that is quite frothy. As far as aroma, it's non-existent. Well, not completely. There is a VERY faint sweet smell to the brew, but nothing that really would enhance the drinking experience.

The best way to sum up the beer once it's been poured is light in color, light to drink. As described by Mendocino, Blue Heron is supposed to live up to the foundational qualities of an IPA with high alcohol content (6.1% ABV here) and high hoppy flavors. What does that actually translate to once you start drinking? This beer is easy to drink, with a heavy note of citrus on the taste buds. Surprisingly, this beer really doesn't have any of the signature 'cloudiness' I'd associate with these flavors. Mendocino said they were going for blend here, and they hit the mark. A little bitter and not overly hoppy. There is a slight, raw citrus aftertaste, but the more you drink it subsides substantially.

My verdict? A Flanders in the PINTRS. Not a creative IPA, is very baselines, but does not suck. I had a bit of an argument with myself about whether I can get disappointed at something for it being what is was. It's a pleasant brew, but not something I'd order by choice given other options. It certainly would deserve being kept in the fridge by someone who prefers a lighter, but not summer, beer.

Talk About Tail

Welcome all for another edition of Good Brew Hunting!

Our brew today hails from the West Coast, brought to us by Mendicino Brewing Company. While the company's website leaves something to be desired as far as design, it is full of information on their beers. They have two breweries, one north of San Francisco and one at Saratoga Springs, NY.

Today our tasting from Mendicino is Red Tail Ale.  Red Tail is considered the brewery's flagship beer, brewed as an amber ale. Of note is the brewery's use of bottle conditioning their beers, whereby fermentation continues in the bottle after bottling by adding active yeast right before capping.  So what's behind the plumage of this Tail?

Poured, the beer has a nice light brown tone. Best way to think of this is your common acorn color. The beer's head is actively bubbling at the pour and is of similar consistency to your common amber ale. There's nothing of note regarding the beer's aroma, perhaps slightly floral but that may be a stretch.

The beer does shine on taste. First sips are a delicate balance of sweet and hoppy bitterness. You don't have to go too deep in the flavoring before sensing the caramel in the brew either. The carbonation is also perfectly blended for a beer with full flavor.

There isn't too much more to say about Red Tail Ale as it really isn't complex for an amber ale. But it strikes me as the perfect foundational beer for a brewery to stand upon. This is the flagship of Mendicino Brewing Company for all the right reasons. In closing, because it's such a solid performer as an amber ale, I give it a UK rating.