Review of Upland Rad Red Amber Ale

Posted By Ken Sunday, 19 July 2009 15:24

Recently the Upland Brewing Company re-formatted their Amber recipe and discontinued their original Amber Ale for the new Rad Red Amber Ale. I was able try some of this over the weekend, thanks in part to Zach's wife's new position with Upland. Read on and see if this change in the Amber Ale really was "rad", or if they should have left it alone.

Ken's Review

Taste: A- Upland Rad Red Amber packs a lot more taste than the previous Amber Ale did. This one does not hesitate when it comes to the hops and malt grabbing your taste buds. The nice thing about this, however, is that it does not at all come across as overwhelming, and finishes rather cleanly. In comparison to its predecessor, I found the taste to be a definite improvement.

Packaging: B+ Upland Amber Ale's label image of a wheat field has been replaced with a much more vivid label depicting something resembling a anime robot. The color scheme is a lot more bold and includes yellows, reds, oranges, and purples. Stands out a lot more than the label before it.

Value: ?? Honestly, I'm not sure what this stuff runs, as I didn't buy it. The Upland Amber Ale and others ring in at about $9 a sixer, which isn't terrible, but a little pricey for a beer that is made about 30 miles from where I live.

Drunkeness: B What Rad Red gained in taste from Amber Ale, it lost in alcohol content. Rad Red comes in at an even 5% alcohol content, a 0.7% loss from the Amber Ale. While this can be viewed as a bad thing in some respects, I do like that you can have more of the larger flavor without getting smashed as quickly.

Overall: A- In the overall scheme of things, I like what Upland did with Rad Red in the taste category. I am indifferent when it comes to the alcohol content, because usually when I am enjoying an amber it is more for taste, and isn't necessarily something I want to be refunding later. Bottom line for me, I guess, is that I am glad this one is out and the other one is gone.