When I first started drinking craft beer, I loved being asked the question, “what are you drinking?” I always enjoyed letting people know about beer outside of the mainstream macro beers. One day, I elicited a different reaction when someone asked me, “what are you drinking?” and I responded “Arrogant Bastard Ale”. People would laugh and think I was kidding, but then they laughed even harder when I showed them the bottle. Years later, there are so many wonderfully creative beer names out there, nothing really gets a reaction anymore. However, the beer I am writing about today did stop a few people in their tracks and make them chuckle when they asked what I was drinking next. That beer is Pipeworks Brewing's Blood of the Unicorn Hoppy Red Ale.
Chicago's Pipeworks Brewing has a ton of creative beer names and amazing can/bottle art. To name a few there is Lizard King, War Bird and the wonderful double IPA, Ninja vs. Unicorn. Blood of the Unicorn, though, is my favorite at the moment. As I opened a can of it, I realized how much I wanted to like this beer. Not just because the name of it is amazing but because I feel like it has been a long time since I have had a truly great red ale.
Red ale is a style of beer that really got me into craft beer. I loved the balance of malt and hops. Ithaca Brewing's Cascazilla, Bear Republic's Red Rocket Ale, Great Lakes' Nosferatu and Cigar City's Tocobaga are a few that come to mind that I enjoyed at different points over the years. Rogue's Santa's Private Reserve used to be a red ale I looked forward to every year but perhaps as a sign that red ales are not as popular as they used to be, Rogue changed that beer to a fruited Belgian strong ale. Perhaps later in the season I will blog about it once I am finished pouting about the fact that one of my favorite holiday beers is gone for the year. Basically the point I am trying to make is, I love a good red ale, but it has just been a while since I have tried one that I really loved. I hoped that would change once I tried Blood of the Unicorn.
The aroma of Blood of the Unicorn was exactly what I hoped it would be. Caramel, biscuit, grapefruit, mango, pine with a solid amount of herbal spice shined in the aroma. My first sip was glorious and immediately reminded me of why I loved this style so much. The malt was showcased wonderfully. The caramel and biscuit malt were the first thing I noticed here. They provided a beautiful backbone to mango, lemon, pine, candied orange, herbal spice before giving way to more pine and grapefruit rind finish. The finish was a touch astringent but that is a small complaint. It is a touch on the stronger side at 6.5%, but I will admit it goes down very easy. This is a beautiful red ale that provides a nice touch of warmth on a cold night.
When I think about what style of beer I want to see become popular again, the answer from me is a hoppy red ale. It is a style I fell in love with very early into my beer drinking years and I love finding a great one I have yet to try. Pipeworks Brewing's Blood of the Unicorn not only has a tremendous name, it is an absolutely delicious red ale. It is so good that if it was in my area more, it would be a regular addition to my refrigerator.
Overall rating: 4.5/5
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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!
