Crested Butte Red Lady Ale

Crested Butte Brewing Co.
Crested Butte, CO

Available: CO, WA

Red Lady Ale is named after the Red Lady Bowl atop Mt. Emmons overlooking the town of Crested Butte, as well as for the ladies of the night from the town’s past. It is brewed with pale and caramel malts, and Chinook, Perle, Tettnanger, Willamette and Hallertau hops.

ABV: n/a
ABW: 3.9
Color: 19.2
Bitterness: 33
Gravity: 1050

This is an inviting beer with excellent hop aroma. Accepting that invitation, I found the beer to be a charming host with good depth and great balance. It tastes like an IPA, for which I was grateful. It is quite pleasing to sip or slurp or even to inhale, which I was tempted to do. This beer is welcome libation, indeed.
- Fred Eckhardt

Nice deep amber color, not much head formation. The aroma shows hard-candy spiciness (Ringwood yeast?) backed up by sweet malt. The hops greet you timidly and quickly lead to a thin, biscuity malt center and a hard, dry, mineral finish. The malt you’re expecting never quite shows up. This beer would be better with food than by itself. The hardness of the flavor comes perilously close to astringency. I could see it working perfectly well with a steak, though.
- Garrett Oliver

Attractive, bright russet color. Assertive, almost sharp, hoppy, flowery, fruity aroma. Smooth flavors of passion fruit gradually unfold, moving to toastiness and a crisp, light finish. The body is closer to light than medium, and the character refreshing rather than thoughtful, but there is enough flavor to make this an engaging ale. Good for drinkers who are not seeking a lot of hop bitterness (and vice-versa).
- Michael Jackson

Fred Eckhardt
Fred Eckhardt lives, writes about and drinks beer in Portland, OR. He is the author of The Essentials of Beer Style and Saké.

Garrett Oliver
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.

Michael Jackson
Author of Ultimate Beer, the Simon & Schuster Guide to Beer and numerous other works on drinks, Jackson has created legions of converts to fine beer.