Union Craft Brewing: Foxy Red IPA

Everyone knows dark beers or light beers, but two that seem to get forgotten are amber and red ales.

While not a modern style, it was arguably Killian’s Irish Red (which is actually actually a lager) that familiarized Americans to red/amber ales.

Made from darker-roasted malts, these beers tend to have a clean taste, with a slightly bready, sweet flavor and a drier finish. They’re quite drinkable, good beers.

So when I came across Foxy Red IPA from Union Craft Brewing, I was intrigued because it wasn’t something I’d seen before – a red ale with IPA hoppiness.

Sure enough, it pours out as a dark, amber color with good carbonation and an alcohol content if 6.5% ABV.

I didn’t notice much aroma, but the taste is the familiar malty, slightly bready flavor of a red ale – with lots of complex, IPA-style hoppy bitterness. Made with Columbus and Mosaic hops (earthy), as well as Centenial and Cascade (floral) hops, the overall effect is bitterness without being a palate-wrecker, with a mild pine flavor that could even be described as slightly sour.

This could have easily been a gimmicky disaster, but it’s really quite good, with a nice cross-section of the two beer styles working well together.

While I’d normally recommend an amber/red to anyone, Foxy really appeals more to the IPA fans. So if you’re not a fan of hop bitterness, you’ll want to skip this beer for one of Union’s other, excellent beers in their portfolio.

Foxy IPA is a fall seasonal release, so it’s on shelves now. Don’t wait to try this one.

Cheers!