The Beer Guy Review #14 – Coronado Brewing Company Mermaid’s Red

The Beer Guy
August 23, 2012

The Beer Guy

Occupation: Beer Taster & Reviewer
Web: http://thebeerguy.lifeofdad.com
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Name of beer: Mermaid’s Red

Brewing Company: Coronado Brewing Company

Brewing Location: Coronado, CA

Type of Beer: American Amber Ale – ABV: 5.7% / IBU: 64

Beer Description: From bottle:

This bittersweet red is loaded with cascade hops for full flavor and aroma.  An initial kick of roasted malts quickly fades into a rich chocolaty finish with hints of caramel and spice.  Satisfying to the tails end.  Sure to put a scale on your tail.

The Beer Guy Review:

Coronado Brewing Company (CBC) is celebrating their 16th anniversary this month.  A great brewpub in downtown Coronado, the location has expanded a couple times and, just last year, announced they will be expanding into a new 20,000 square-foot facility.  Brewing has begun there, but some work still remains on the rest of the facility.  CBC is expected to make its debut to the public next month.  The craft beer scene is thriving in San Diego, and CBC is no exception.

With beers like Mermaid’s Red (among many others), it’s plain to see why CBC is so successful.  For the Mermaid’s Red beer review, I let my mermaid take the first sip.  Not that my wife has a tail of a fish, been seen by a bunch of delusional sailors or live in the water…she’s just beautiful and fell in love with a certain human called The Beer Guy.  In an effort to get her more into beer, I always offer her a sip (sip only) and ask for her preliminary thoughts.  On this one, she said, “Bitterness, heaviness…”  We’ll leave it at that.  Let’s just say it will definitely take a while to get Mrs. The Beer Guy as into beer as me.  But what’s important to note with the Mermaid’s Red is she asked for another sip…

…And I don’t blame her.  This amber ale is quite good.  It has a nice and subtle chocolate aroma to it.  Upon pouring, I noticed a medium head and a lighter amber hue, on the hazier side.  This is bitter and it is a tad bit heavier, so the Mrs. was onto something.  The aroma I detected followed through with the taste too.  It’s got a malty, chocolate, caramel taste that ends with a bit of spice…almost like a good Christmas ale, if that makes any sense.  It’s refreshing and crisp, but in an amber ale kind of way.

As far as The Beer Guy rating goes, I give the Coronado Brewing Company Mermaid’s Red a:

In a very good way, the sirens are going off with this one.  (Get it?…”sirens”…mermaids are Sirens, for you non-folklore buffs).  It lures the beer drinker in with it’s chocolatey aroma.  Then, when you drink it down…POW…it slaps you in the rear with its fish tail full of spice.  At $3.99 for this bomber bottle, it’s a great value too.  The Mermaid’s Red is well balanced and full of flavor.  So hop on in, grab this mermaid’s dorsal fin (wait, that’s a dolphin…whatever) and let it take you on a journey of flavor and taste that has made this beer a keeper in the CBC repertoire.

So, what do you think?  Have you had this beer?  Do you like it?  Do you not like it?  Send me a note at The Beer Guy’s mailbag, TheBeerGuy@lifeofdad.com.  You can follow me on Twitter (@TheBeerGuyLOD), Facebook and LinkedIn as well.  Take care, happy (and safe) drinking, and enjoy your weekend.

About The Beer Guy – A dad, husband, friend and drinker of beer. I review & blog about it all on LifeOfDad.com, the social network for Dads.  The Beer Guy enjoys IPA’s and Pilsner’s, but will really try any kind of beer.  You may disagree on some of his opinions.  Let The Beer Guy know.  Reviews are published on Thursdays.  Blogging is done on Tuesdays.  Read more here to learn about The Beer Guy, who he is and his beer rating methodology.

The Beer Guy, and Life of Dad, promote responsible drinking.  Never drink and drive.

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