Tasman Red: my first encounter with a "Red IPA"

I was walking through the liquor store the other day and saw some bombers that looked new to me. Upon inspection I found out they are brewed by Boston Beer Co. as part of a specialty release of Sam Adams bombers. Today I picked up the Red IPA which they call "Tasman Red" for $4.99.

I have never officially seen the term "Red IPA" before on a bottle of beer, which really caught my eye. On top of that, red ales and IPAs are among my favorite beer styles, so hearing them both together got me all giddy. In my mind I was expecting something along the lines of Grand Teton's Pursuit of Hoppiness. I started searching around the internet because I couldn't remember exactly what style Pursuit of Hoppiness categorized it self as, and it seems that hoppy red ales are referred to as "American Reds." From reading a lot of recipes and drinking an assortment of beer, it is becoming apparent that the word "American" in front of a style (i.e. IPA, Brown, Amber, Red) usually means that it has more bitterness from more hops. However, after mentioning all of this I think it is important to point out that the Tasman Red is brewed with hops from Tasmania, which do have similar flavor profiles to American hops. Maybe the fact that they used Tasmanian hops instead of American hops is why Sam Adams went with the "Red IPA" label as opposed to "American Red?"

This picture does not does not
do the color any justice at all.
You can sort of get a sense
of the color at the bottom
of the glass.

The pour did in fact have a red glow to it, though more amber red than brick red, and produced a head that was pretty thick and very creamy (my "dirty" glass probably didn't help the head's retention). The nose was definitely very hoppy with strong pine notes and some citrus if you inhale deeply. Clear aromas of caramel also come through in the malt profile as well as hints of toffee.

The most prominent flavors of this beer are absolutely the Topaz and Galaxy hops from Tasmania. The bitterness engulfs your whole tongue as if you just ate raw hops and really is, I would say, the star of the beer. Like the nose, the hoppy tastes come through largely in pine notes but also with a level of citrus. There is also an apparent caramel flavor and breadiness from the malts, which really warm up the beer. The breadiness fills up your mouth, but the finish is still dry and hoppy.

All in all, I would say Sam Adams was successful in creating a Red IPA. Tasman Red has the hop profile of a super bitter IPA, while at the same time capturing the caramel, roasty malt, and bready flavors of an Irish Red Ale.