D'Arcy Gray and Ashley Cotter-Cairns review Griffon Rousse beer.
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Griffon Rousse beer review
Submitted
by D'Arcy
Gray, Ashley
Cotter-Cairns
There's
something inherently
fetching about a redhead. The
stereotype brings to mind words like
feisty, passionate, unpredictable. Queen
Elizabeth I was a redhead and there was certainly ale around when she
ruled England,
although who knows if she sampled the goods.
Back then they referred to ale as "god's gift" and were just starting to introduce the idea of using hops. We can thank the Dutch for hops. Dank u wel, Nederlanders!
Here in Quebec we are blessed with a couple of really good "redheads" and the Griffon Rousse ale from McAuslan is one of them. Red Ales (called "Rousse" in French Quebec) get their colour from the use of roasted barley. To my knowledge, the tradition comes to us from the Irish Reds such as Smithwick's. Generally speaking, they are less bitter than an English-style ale instead displaying a smooth, almost caramel character.
The Griffon Red Ale is almost "meaty" on the nose. This is an odd choice of words, I know, but I swear I get a hint of smoked meat in there. The flavour is full and malty (with hints of caramel of course) and a faint sweetness is left around after. Like you'd expect, it's a deep red colour, very little head and on the low-octane side at 4.5% abv.
Griffon Rousse beer
The label describes this beer as "nutty", but I'm going to stick with "meaty". It's a free country.
Speaking of free countries, Elizabeth's older sister was Queen Mary I, otherwise known as "Bloody Mary". She frittered away her days kicking the crap out of Protestants.
I don't know if she drank beer either, but a couple of her vodka-laden namesakes sure kick the hell out of a hangover.
Queen Mary was definitely nutty, but I think she got that from her dad. The Irish might prefer to think that Elizabeth was the nutter, however. I think they called her "Bloody Bess", as she was known to put the boots to Catholics now and then.
One thing I think the Catholics and Protestants would agree on is that Griffon Rousse beer is a fine red ale. Perhaps I'll have a couple then head out to get some vodka for breakfast.
Just kidding, of course. I have vodka, it's the tomato juice I'm missing. Cheers!
Another Canadian red...
For whatever reason, in the past I
have had bad experiences
with McAuslan beer. I must have been having an off-season,
because Griffon
Rousse is the second Griffon-branded beer I've tried this week and I
love both
of them.
When you review as many red Canadian beers as I do, it's easy to become jaded. One is usually very much like another. It's rare to find a Canuck red that turns your head and makes you wonder what else might be possible with this style of beer.
Griffon Rousse pours a deep, rusty orange-brown colour with barely any head and plenty of spirited carbonation. The smell has that flat, almost chemical twang you get from so many red beers, but underneath it is a promise of what's to come, a thick, earthy fruitiness that will make you salivate to taste the beer.
And it's worth drooling over! Griffon
Rousse very briefly
threatens extreme, IPA-level bitterness (that's partly from the smell
as you
inhale to taste it), but this is immediately overtaken by a deep, malty
dark
taste. You could be mistaken for believing you were sipping a thin
stout, or
sweet porter.
That's it exactly. There's a smoky undertone behind the standard red beer taste. All of which settles down for a gentle meandering finish that gradually becomes a bitter aftertaste.
Griffon Rousse is a fine beer. I like its complexity, its easy-to-drink nature (4.5% abv will not knock you sideways too quickly) and the balance of caramel sweetness with the underlying bitterness.
It might be too gassy to enjoy too many of in a session, but that is a minor quibble. Griffon Rousse is highly recommended.
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