Tocobaga Red Ale

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is try to find new and exciting beer I can't get at home. If I go out to a restaurant I look for something on the menu I do not recognize. When I go to the beer store I look for reputable breweries that do not distribute to my area or I look for something locally made. Most recently I made my way down to Tampa, Florida, where I found myself all about seeking out beer from Cigar City Brewery. Famous for making Jai Alai IPA, Cigar City makes a wide array of delicious and experimental beer. While in their tasting room I tasted some incredible beers, with the standouts being the Nitro Vanilla Maduro Brown Ale, Milkmaid White Stout, Strawberry Shortcake Lager and Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter. But due to the constantly positive reviews I see, there was one Cigar City beer in particular I wanted to try and that beer is Tocobaga Red Ale.
Tocobaga pours a slightly hazy reddish amber with a light tan head. The aroma is strong and welcoming with caramel malt, floral notes and lots of citrus. The flavor delivered what the aroma promised and then some. At first I was hit with the flavor of citrus up front with a nice caramel sweetness. This gives way to a grassy, herbal hop finish that paired with the perfectly sweet caramel malt to create a melon or pear like finish. A pleasant pine residue lingers on the tongue between sips but never becomes overpowering. It is there to remind you to take the next sip and when its gone, remind you of the fantastic beer you just experienced.
To me, this is normally a style of beer that is difficult to perfect. Some are too malty, some are too hoppy, some are too boozy etc. Tocobaga Red Ale, while on the hoppier side than most, seems to be perfectly balanced to handle that. It is also bursting with flavor and its 7.2% ABV is virtually undetectable. Bottom line, this is an exceptional beer and if this was distributed to upstate NY it would be a staple in my fridge.

Overall, this beer is the best red ale I have ever had and for that reason I am going to give Tocobaga Red Ale a near perfect 4.75/5. If you are a fan of this style of beer, this is truly worth seeking out if you are in Florida.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!