Living in the Northwest, I don’t have the chance to try a lot of east coast beers from smaller breweries. A lot of the breweries with little distribution I haven’t even heard of, which is the case for Erie Brewing Company out of Erie Pennsylvania. Luckily a Railbender Ale was included in a winter seasonal pack I got around Christmas, and am just now getting around to trying it.
Railbender Ale poured a beautiful copper color that had minimal head that quickly disappeared into a thin layer of lacing that barely hung out on the glass.
I thought the smell of this one is pretty amazing. It’s got some nice malty bread-like notes, with some sweet carmel and fruit aromas that gently break through and put a smile on my face. This beer has a 6.8% ABV which can be clearly detected by the smell alone.
One of the aspects that I really appreciate about Railbender is that the smell and the taste go hand in hand. After smelling this beer, I wasn’t at all surprised that the flavor tasted like the aroma of the beer, other than the alcohol taste which was well hidden. It has a strong carmel, fruit, and bread flavor with a nice subtle malt taste and very little hoppiness. I love the aftertaste this beer leaves in my mouth, as if to remind you of how good this beer was even after drinking it.
This is an incredibly drinkable beer (be careful with the ABV if you have access to more than a few). The carbonation is pretty tame and overall this is one smooth beer. If this is what most beer is like in Pennsylvania, then I need to make a trip out there very soon.
My Erie Brewing Company Railbender Ale Review: A-
Here are the details:
ABV: 6.8%
IBUs: 26
Style: Scottish Ale
What’s your thoughts on Erie Brewing Company Railbender Ale?
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